Wii sales hit on Black Friday, no depression
Online sales jumped on Black Friday as consumers searched for electronics such as the Wii video game console and Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, according to eBay Inc and Amazon.com Inc. Amazon.com and eBay had both forecast a weaker holiday this year as consumers cut back on discretionary purchases. But U.S. shoppers are scouring the Internet and stores for the best prices this season as they grapple with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. PayPal, an online payments service owned by eBay, saw almost 34 percent more transactions this Black Friday than a year earlier, eBay said on Saturday.
PayPal saw sales rise 26 percent on Black Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday that traditionally kicks off the U.S. holiday shopping season. PayPal said its sales numbers reflected 12 percent of all U.S. e-commerce. Black Friday is best known as the day consumers crowd shopping malls, while greater online traffic is expected three days later on “Cyber Monday,” when consumers use faster Internet connections at the office to make purchases. Overall Web sales during the U.S. holiday season are expected to be flat at about $29 billion this year, according to tracking firm comScore. Amazon.com said Apple Inc’s iPod touch was the top-selling electronics item on Friday morning, followed by a Canon Inc PowerShot camera. Wii Fit and the Wii console were the top-selling items in the video game category, while the LeapFrog Tag Reading System was the best-selling toy.
Source: Reuters
Comments(11)
I love how the Wii is one big F-U to all the “Next Gen” gamers, lacking graphics, lacking ‘Big Titles’, and still ‘pwns’ the market! Wii FTWiin!
How is a massive leap back in technology and progression a good thing?
Clever marketing a manipulation of an ignorant target audience is the only “pwn”ing that has been done…
Holiday sales view still weak after weekend rush
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4AQ1SK20081201
the retail industry EVERY YEAR says this holiday season is going to be bad… and every year its a little bit better then last.
steve cite your sources your shutup
The store where I work at is undergoing remodeling, and we still did phenomenal buisness, sales were up 40 from last year and was #1 in our region again this year for Black Friday sales.
america is done for, the economy is gone. They will all be homeless and eating each other soon. HA HA HA.
“How is a massive leap back in technology and progression a good thing?”
It is a huge leap forward with Wii. The controller makes the games a lot more fun. If I had kids they would be sure to get one. Have not tried Wii Fit but it is really strange the other companies have still not copied the Wii controller to their own games and that it is not available for PCs either.
So many Wii haters on these forums. You have to give it to Nintendo for coming up with a gaming system that isn’t overly difficult to use. The Wii is a family gaming system(Point Blank Period). I don’t know how many times its been said that Wii is for those who don’t play video games but want to give it a try without all the 100 buttons. My whole family will play on the Wii when I bring it around. They don’t bother to even mention the other systems just because of the simple usage that the Wii brings. Plus the Wii GETS EVERYONE INVOLVED. I’m not ever going to dog the Xbox or PS3, nor am I jumping on the Ninty bandwagon. I’m simply going to say that each system has its strengths and weaknesses.
@8 Wiii
Well actually a 3rd party company created one for the 360. Videos are available showing it in use in the LEGO Star Wars game but it wasn’t a true motion sensing device. Your movements didn’t correspond with the actions on screen, the guy was just waving the controller and and the characters swung their lightsabers but swinging left with the controller didn’t make the character swing to the left (if you get what I mean).
Sony have developed their own one (I think it’s being called Sixsense)using some of the technology found in the SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 and it’s far more sensitive than the Wiimote http://playstationlifestyle.net/2008/11/26/ps3mote-update/
Time will tell whether or not the casual gamers (*spit*) will take to it.
“de”pression??? Hell, we can’t even say “re”cession on the media in the states!