Economy Hits Audio Hard: NPD
Port
Washington, N.Y. — Most major
segments of the home audio industry contracted at the retail level through
October, but generally not as much as the value of your 401(k) plan, The NPD Group’s Retail Tracking Service
found.
Only MP3-docking speaker systems
posted sales gains among the top audio categories, NPD found. Unit sales of
MP3-docking speakers rose 14 percent at the retail level to 3.3 million,
although dollar sales rose only 2 percent to $302.2 million. The statistics
include iPod-docking clock radios and tabletop radios.
The home theater in a box (HTiB)
system, compact stereo and home-speaker segments, however, contracted at
double-digit percentage rates in units and dollars, while A/V receiver sales
contracted only at single-digit rates, according to the NPD service, which
tracks sales through major brick-and-mortar and online retailers, excluding
Wal-Mart.
Sales of A/V receivers fell 8 percent
in units to 866,000, while dollar sales fell 6 percent to $308.1 million. Sales
of home speakers fell 17 percent in units to 1.7 million, with dollar volume
slipping by 16 percent to $419.2 million.
In home systems, HTiB sales fell 16
percent in units to 1.3 million, but dollar volume was down only 10 percent to
$456.5 million. Compact stereo system sales plummeted 36 percent in units to
805,000 and 31 percent in dollars to $97.8 million.
Within the tracked
segments, NPD found that 1 percent of the HTiBs sold during the 10-month period
were equipped with Blu-ray players and that 2 percent of the HTiBs were
soundbar-type systems. A total of 29 percent of the HTiBs came with included
iPod docks.
NPD Home-Audio Sellthrough Units
Sales
|
|
|
Units
Sales |
|
Dollar
Sales |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Receivers |
|
866,000 (-8%) |
|
$308.1 million (-6%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home
Speakers |
|
1.7 million (-17%) |
|
$419.2 million (-16%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HTiB
Systems |
|
1.3 million (-16%) |
|
$456.5 million (-10%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compact Shelf
Systems |
805,000 (-36%) |
|
$97.8 million (-31%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MP3 Docking
Speakers |
3.3 million (+14%) |
|
$302.2 million (+2%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
Jan-Oct. features, by % of
unit sales: |
|
|
|
1% of HTIBs had Blu-ray |
|
|
|
29% of HTIBs came with MP3 dock
included |
|
|
|
1% of HTIBs had wireless
speakers |
|
|
|
2% of total home systems were
soundbar systems |
|
|
|
|
|