If the latest survey from Nielsen holds water, you can expect to see a lot of smartphones, tablets and other popular devices under the Christmas tree this year.
According to a survey of consumers, 62% of people shopping on Black Friday this year plan to purchase consumer electronics, or roughly the same percentage who say they plan to purchase clothing and apparel on Black Friday, Nielsen says. However, the number of gadget buyers drops significantly among non-Black Friday shoppers as just 40% of overall holiday shoppers plan on buying consumer electronics this season.
Nielsen also found that the Web has made Black Friday shopping less strenuous than it used to be, as 80% of consumers say they’re staying away from malls on Black Friday.
The high interest in consumer electronics as Christmas presents is no surprise since data released by Nielsen last week showed that 44% of U.S. children between the ages of 6 and 12 are interested in getting an iPad within the next six months, while 30% said they wanted an iPod Touch and 27% said they wanted an iPhone. Among consumers age 13 or older, interest in buying an iPad within the next six months stands at 24% of consumers.
For those of you considering buying consumer electronics yourselves this Black Friday, be sure to check out our report on the top tablet, e-reader and laptop Black Friday deals this year.
