4K OK In Q4 … If You Could Find It

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TWICE: Dave, you predicted last year that 4K TV would be the “King of the Holiday Season.” Did it live up to expectations?

David Workman, ProSource: It did not, I think, in total.

There was technology available with OLED that, had there been better supply, it would have probably carried an increase. Then again, if they had enough to supply everybody, would the demand have been as high for those who had it?

It was very much a situation of have-and-have-not, where you had those who could concentrate on a larger panel and higher-end technology. The unit velocity wasn’t there, but if you had the ability to take a consumer up into a larger panel, you might have done OK. It was kind of hit or miss. Clearly the overall unit velocity was not there, or at least not as much as everybody would have liked to have seen.

Stephen Baker, The NPD Group: Not to disagree with Dave, but we saw it a little bit differently. We tracked 4K TVs at 1.3 million units in the five holiday weeks. That was about 15 percent of all TVs. But if you looked at only 50-inch and above, 40 percent of the units and 60 percent of the dollars were in 4K. Read the full article on TWICE.com

Alexa, Connect Everything

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The highlight of TWICE’s annual trip to Las Vegas for CES often comes in the first hour of the show. Because just as day 1 is kicking off, in a small boardroom in the depths of the Westgate Hotel an ever-changing lineup of top retailers, distributors and buying group execs gather for our annual TWICE Retail Roundtable… Read the full article on TWICE.com

Scenes from the Sands Expo Show Floor at CES 2016

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On the first official day of CES 2016, there was a lot of action happening all over Sin City. Reed Hastings’ opening keynote included a major announcement about his company—Netflix—going live in more than 130 new countries while the attendees were gathered in the Venetian; education sessions got under way at Tech South; GM CEO Mary Barra spoke to attendees during the afternoon keynote; and the Plain White T’s entertained guests at New Age Electronics’ evening event.

See the whole article on Dealerscope.com

Keeping Pace with Today’s Technology Consumer

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As the profile of the technology consumer continues to rapidly evolve, our tendency is to focus on products that fit their lifestyles. We research the hottest trends among traditional and emerging categories to determine which products will see the most success at retail. While this should certainly be at the core of any successful Consumer Electronics strategy, it’s important not to overlook the people who are in the driver’s seat – the consumers.

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Retailers Ready for Hard-Fought Holiday Selling Season

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NEW YORK — Ten days out from Thanksgiving, retailers are locked and loaded for another hardscrabble holiday season in which turkey dinner has been usurped by pre-Black Friday sales and even the latest and greatest technology — 4K UHD TV — has become doorbuster fodder. Still, merchants remain confident that an upbeat consumer mood, combined with a host of compelling new tech products, have the makings of a merry fourth quarter. “I’m optimistic about the holidays,” noted Leon Temiz, veteran New York area A/V merchant and principal of Electronics Expo. But Temiz tempered his glad tidings with concern for 4K, as evidenced by Best Buy’s lead Black Friday item, a $900 Samsung UHD TV.

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TWICE One on One: ADL Industry Chairman Fred Towns

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NEW YORK — New Age president Fred Towns is the new industry chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s National Consumer Technology division. TWICE asked Towns to offer some background on the organization and it’s work on the eve of the group’s annual event here.

TWICE: As the incoming ADL industry chair, can you explain what the group’s mission is? Towns: The Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) mission began in 1913 to bring an end to the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment for all. In addition to fighting anti- Semitism and other forms of bigotry, the ADL has evolved to become one of the nation’s premier civil rights and human relations agencies.

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Holiday Accessories ‘Hot List’

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Consumer tech spending is up and confidence in the U.S. economy is at its highest since 2012. With the holiday selling season around the corner, this could translate into considerable, added success at retail both for traditional consumer electronics product categories and new, emerging technologies. Here’s what I’m keeping an eye on for the 2014 holiday season.

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