NEW YORK: Retailers are cutting prices and introducing high-profile products to grab their share of an estimated $1.3 billion in Father's Day CE sell-through.
CE spending for dads' day is expected to spike 13 percent year over year to an average ticket of $67.20, according to a consumer intention survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and BIGresearch.
"Spending on Dad has taken a backseat for the past few years, but some kids and wives are planning to make up for lost time this Father's Day," said NRF president/CEO Matthew Shay. "Shoppers seem to be more excited when it comes to gift giving, an encouraging sign for retailers, and dads, everywhere."
Among discount chains, Walmart and Sam's Club are looking to lure Father's Day shoppers by reducing the retail of the 16GB iPhone 4 from $200, to $147, through June 21. The offer applies to Verizon and AT&T models in both black and white.
Walmart has also rolled out Roku's XD set-top Internet streaming player to it supercenters "just in time for Father's Day," said Roku founder/CEO Anthony Wood, after launching them online last month, while Sam's Club is offering additional CE discounts including: a 43-inch Samsung 720p plasma for $489; LG's 42-inch LED smart TV for $949 and the 55-inch model for $1,457; and Motorola's 32GB Xoom Wi-Fi tablet below its street price of $599 at select locations.
Sam's Club also carries the iPad 2 in 400 of its 600 stores, and remains the only warehouse club to offer Apple products following a falling out between Costco and the vendor last year.
Sam's is also revamping its fleet of in-store wireless kiosks, which it now owns and operates after ending an outsourcing relationship with RadioShack. The update includes additional brands and service plans, and will be completed by the end of the month.
RadioShack itself has furthered its assortment for Father's Day with the June 10th rollout of Amazon's Wi-Fi and 3G Kindle, priced between $114 and $189, and is offering deals for dads on Cruz's 7-inch tablet ($179), Garmin's 4.3-inch Nuvi ($90) and Nikon's D3100 d-SLR with 55-200mm zoom lens ($800).
-- Alan Wolf, TWICE
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