Wal-Mart’s Web War With Amazon

The world’s largest retailer has sparked a price war with Amazon in books and DVDs, two of the Internet company’s strong suits. While only a few items are being discounted deeply so far, both companies appear to be selling some products at a loss. With online purchases of everything from clothing to green lawn mowers growing in popularity, one interpretation is that Wal-Mart is trying to defend the rest of its turf. Electronics, for instance, are important for Wal-Mart’s brick-and-mortar business while also being a big growth area for Amazon. But there is little sign of pressure on Wal-Mart to move more discount Dell notebooks. In fact, it increased its share of the flat-panel television market to 14.6% from 12.1% over the past twelve months, according to research firm Traqline, while Amazon’s fell to 2.7% from 3.1%. In general, Wal-Mart sales of household durables dwarfs those of Amazon, and with Christmas coming, expect that trend to continue as they outsell on storage units and Christmas tree bags.

Nov 13, 2009

CEA’s Industry Forum Delivers Economic Analysis, Retail Strategy, Green Trends and Industry Advice

The conference session Charting the Churning Waters of CE Retail: Understanding How Changes in Channel Dynamics Affect the Industry featured CEA’s Steve Koenig and TraQline’s Eric Voyer outlining consumers’ quest for value and the CE industry’s need to determine what value means to their customers and then deliver it. Price deflation is rampant as the industry faces maturing markets. The presenters noted that discounters and online retailers are gaining market share. Koenig and Voyer discussed how the industry must safeguard innovation to help grow opportunities.
Oct 21, 2009

Staying Alive: 2009 Industry Trends and Outlook

Join this live webcast presentation for a comprehensive view of the past, present and future of the CE marketplace. Dive into the 2009 CE Industry Forecast with Steve Koenig, CEA’s director of industry analysis and look at marketplace trends with Eric Voyer, vice president at TraQline. Participants will learn the size and growth of the industry in 2009; how consumers are buying in the post-Circuit City world; and what categories may be bright points. Additionally, participants will hear about the success and challenges of high-tech service providers like Geek Squad and its competitors.

8/19/2009

Best Buy Confronts Newer Nemesis

Finally victorious over longtime archrival Circuit City Stores Inc., Best Buy Co. is now gearing up to fight an even more powerful foe: Wal-Mart. Leading the challenge will be Brian Dunn, the company’s chief operating officer, who takes over for retiring Chief Executive Brad Anderson in June. His new strategy is to head off Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s brutal price competition by giving consumers something the discounter cannot: more interactive stores, where customers can step into the world of a new videogame or see their faces captured by a high-definition video camera, instead of trolling aisles stacked with merchandise.
Mar 16, 2009

Consumers Call for More Efficient Laundry Room Choices

BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — As the U.S. market share leader in top-load laundry, Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) has tapped into two consumer passions — conventional laundry and energy efficiency.(1) Nearly three-quarters of American households own top-load washing machines. Moreover, 78 percent of homeowners are interested in home improvements that will reduce household energy costs or utility bills, according to a study for the Home Improvement Research Institute.(2) Based on those facts, Whirlpool has taken a full portfolio approach to answering the consumer call.
Nov 10, 2008

Lowe’s sees election wrap-up helping sentiment: report

Lowe’s sees election wrap-up helping sentiment: report
Stone sounded concerned with negative presidential campaign ads, the paper said. Stone declined to comment on recent business trends or Wall Street’s expectations for coming periods but indicated that certain products continued to sell decently, according to the paper. “Our replacement business has been good,” Stone told the paper. “Our appliance business is not totally robust, but it’s been good.” Market-tracking firm Traqline’s third-quarter numbers for Lowe’s on appliances were good, and the industry level of discounting and promotions has been “status quo” from previous quarters, Stone told the paper.

Nov 3, 2008

Wal-Mart Wins Big During Downturn

These are heady times for Wal-Mart (WMT). The Bentonville (Ark.) retailer has been enjoying double-digit profit growth and strong sales as bargain hunters crowd its aisles. Its stock is up about 20% since the start of the year. And shoppers like Sal Garcia of Downey, Calif., are joining the growing ranks of loyal customers. “Look,” says Garcia, 52, putting the last of 10 shopping bags into the trunk of his Lexus, “all that for $54!”
Oct 30, 2008

LG Maintains Front-Load Lead

John Herrington, president of the company’s digital home appliance division, told TWICE at an LG summer line show here last night that the brand held on to its market share lead in residential front-load clothes washers and dryers in the latest Stevenson Company TraQline report. Stevenson, a market-research firm serving the CE and majap industries, conducts quarterly surveys of 150,000 shoppers to measure retail purchases and derive market share data. Stevenson also uses its TraQline data to develop TWICE’s annual Top 100 CE and Majap Retailer Reports and Top 25 rankings for computer and car electronics dealers. LG became the front-load leader during the second quarter of 2007, after only five years in the U.S. market.

Aug 1, 2008

CEA, TraQline Discuss CE Retail Trends

NEW YORK — Steve Koenig, The Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) industry analysis director, and Eric Voyer, TraQline VP, made a presentation called “The State of CE Retail: Five Key Trends Changing the Way CE is Sold” at the CEA Industry Update at the Digital Downtown event, held here Thursday. TraQline is a retail tracking survey that queries 150,000 U.S. consumers quarterly about their online and in-store purchasing habits. The survey is a product of market research firm The Stevenson Company, the same firm that partners with TWICE each year to compile our annual Top 100 CE Retailer Report. The presenters used the TWICE report along with CEA market data in the presentation as well. Koenig and Voyer presented five trends they found in CE retailing today.

June 6, 2008

Wal-Mart Q1 Earnings Up 6.9%

Wal-Mart Q1 Earnings Up 6.9%
But what’s interesting is Wal-Mart’s sales of flat-panel TVs have also grown dramatically. The retailer has recorded as much as triple-digit increases in certain months during this downturn, a much quicker pace than its consumer electronics competitors at Best Buy (BBY) and Circuit City (CC). Those sales added nicely to the top and bottom line in the first-quarter results the world’s largest retailer announced on May 13. Net income for the three months ended Apr. 30 was up 6.9%, to $3.02 billion, on revenues of $94.1 billion, a 10.2% increase.

May 13, 2008