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NEWS
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Retail Top 10:
By ChannelMedia Editor Keith Newman |
| 1. |
Office Depot unveiled a new concept called Millennium2 that's easier to
shop and cheaper to operate and has plans to open100 stores this year, according to Chairman Bruce Nelson. He added,  "The Millennium pilot project and combining them with extensive market research and a healthy dose of home-spun ingenuity, we are able to offer our customers the most enjoyable and satisfying shopping experience in the
industry." Nelson noted that products are grouped in highly visible,
strategically located "pods," with core supplies at the outer perimeter of
the store (signed for optimal visibility and easy purchase) and furniture
and technology at the center (to better support consultative sales and the
area in which the majority of staff will be located during peak buying
hours). According to Nelson, M2 plays a central role in the implementation of Office
Depot's seven corporate strategies, most notably addressing the company's
number one objective, which is realigning the North American real estate
portfolio. "We will leverage the M2 format along with our recent purchase of
Kids 'R' Us locations to enhance Office Depot's presence in existing core
markets and provide immediate access to large areas of the country in which
we do not currently have a strong retail concentration, such as
Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania," Nelson added."As we
roll out these new stores, customers in the Northeast -- for the first time
-- will have a choice, an alternative to the only place they've been able to
purchase office supplies," Nelson continued. "And what they will find is an
Office Depot store that represents a true 'destination experience' - one
that is warm, colorful and exciting and reflects the latest thinking in
everything from product layout and adjacencies to graphics, replenishment
and service." Overseeing the M2 launch on a daily basis is Rick Lepley, who was recently
named executive VP of North American Retail for Office Depot, and who was
responsible for putting together the original M2 project team. According to
Lepley, the extensive research conducted for M2 indicated that customers
want two specific things when shopping at an office supply superstore: "For
basic supplies, they want convenience, including help in getting oriented,
the ability to find everything on a shopping list and fast checkout. For
technology and furniture, they want information and advice, including
assistance and support from knowledgeable staff and the ability to touch and
try out various product options. M2 executes beautifully on both of these
fronts."
To ready the M2 concept for introduction, Nelson and Lepley teamed with
Chuck Rubin, executive VP and chief merchandising officer. Together, the
marketing and merchandising organizations, store operations unit and IT
group, set forth to revamp existing processes and ways of doing business.
According to Rubin, these advancements include:
- Graphics and Color Palette: New color scheme is vibrant and cheerful, and
incorporates a contemporary color palette featuring bright orange, lime
green, aqua and purple. New way-finding system (versus lifestyle graphics)
improves the shopping experience by making it easier to navigate the store
and find products.
- Store Layout: "Pod" structure assures easy navigation. Modularity of
format adapts to different store sizes/shapes, yet provides a consistent
customer experience. Low center fixtures offer clear sight lines. Open
format allows employees to find and assist customers more efficiently, while
at the same time allowing customers to easily seek out employees for
assistance.
- Sales floor reduced by 10 percent without significantly sacrificing SKU
count: A combined check-out and copy areas with cross-trained front-end
labor creates a unified service offering. A redesigned copy area utilizes 50
percent less space while maintaining full functionality.
- Fixtures: High steel at outer walls and increased shelf depth maximizes
holding power at point of sale. Holding power reduces perceived
out-of-stocks and number of employee product "touches." Planogramming tech
assortment into designated top-stock locations reduces replenishment
time/labor.
- Bulks and Pegs: High-velocity items are bulk-stacked to reduce labor and
reinforce value statement. The number of pallets on sales floor increased
five fold and the number of pegs reduced by 50 percent to improve labor
allocation away from the products and towards the customer.
- Packaging: A move to "display ready" trays minimizes stocking and zone
recovery labor and a selective use of gravity-fed or spring-loaded shelving
keeps products organized.
- Information Technology: Interlock scanners provide extra security and all
PCs are fully imaged to increase functionality and reduce number needed on
sales floor. Wireless (RF) technology on PCs increases flexibility
Office Depot, which opened in 1986, has annual sales of more than $12
billion and operates in 23 countries and employs nearly 50,000 people
worldwide. In North America Office Depot has 900 retail stores in addition
to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 22 delivery
centers, more than 60 local sales offices and 13 regional call centers.
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| 2. |
Philips will acquire Gemini Industries, maker of more than 2,500 accessory products for audio, video, computing, gaming, digital imaging and telephony products in the United States. Philips is an electronics giant selling products in a variety of categories from consumer electronics to light bulbs. The two companies have been partners for eight years. While terms were not disclosed, its known that Gemini has 500 employees and sales of approximately $200 million. Sales of accessories have been a booming business for U.S. retailers, and Philips is hoping to expand that trend to Europe. "Accessories are one of the fastest-growing and higher-margin product categories in consumer electronics today, and represent an increasingly important part of retailers' operations," Frans van Houten, a corporate senior vice president and head of the consumer electronics business for Philips, said in a statement.
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| 3. |
Office Depot has been selected by Apple to become the newest member of its Authorized Reseller program, according to numerous reports. The news was confirmed by Office Depot officials earlier this afternoon. "We are proud to be an Authorized Reseller of Apple products," reads a new statement on the office chain's website. "You can take advantage of one stop shopping for all your office supply needs and now for all your Apple technology needs in one convenient location." OfficeDepot.com features the full range of Apple products including PowerBooks, Power Macs, iBooks, iMacs, iPods, XServes, displays and accessories. The partnership between Apple and Office Depot is freshly inked, and currently Apple products are only available from Office Depot's online store.
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| 4. |
Buy.com adds two new staff members to its Merchandising organization, Herb Criscito and Dave Kretschmer. Herb Criscito has joined Buy.com as a Director of Technology Merchandising and will oversee the Computer products area. There are about 30 vendors under his direction that comprise about 60% of our sales and bottom line gross profit. Herb brings a wealth of experience and a seasoned background to our company over the last 16 years Herb has held Director and VP level positions at direct market resellers, Internet companies and manufacturers. Notable among these is Microwarehouse, PC Mall, Egghead.com, Pacific Digital, IO Magic and others. Reporting to Herb will be Drew Weddle, Mark Lyon and Kimo Han. Dave Kretschmer is a new Account Manager for our EVP (Emerging Vendor Program) handling storage, networking and system vendors. Dave has great channel experience in sales and marketing roles in several companies including, Pacific Digital, Microtech Intl., and Orange Micro. Dave will be reporting to Michelle Seitz who has recently been assigned the role of EVP Team Manager.
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| 5. |
Essential Reality said that it acquired AllianceCorner Distributors, a wholesale distributor of interactive video games and gaming products, and that it concurrently completed a private placement of preferred stock and warrants for aggregate net proceeds of approximately $2.8 million. The Company also announced that it proposes to amend its certificate of incorporation to increase its authorized shares, and to reverse split its 22,000,000 previously outstanding shares of common stock into 500,000 shares on a 1 for 44 basis. The board of directors of the Company has been reconstituted to consist of Jay Gelman and Andre Muller, both of whom were former owners of AllianceCorner, Humbert Powell III and Thomas Vitiello. The former owners of AllianceCorner intend to name a fifth director. Jay Gelman was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Andre Muller was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer. For more information contact David Devor, Essential Reality, Inc. ddevor@essentialreality.com.
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| 6. |
On the MobileEdge: Mobile Edge recently announced the hiring of retail veteran Chuck Gangi as Director of Sales. The addition of Gangi, formerly of Targus, to the Mobile Edge team signifies the company's commitment to building its retail business by establishing long-term relationships with the key consumer electronics retailers. "I am thrilled with the opportunities and vision that Mobile Edge offers as a company," said Gangi. "The fresh approach and emphasis on style with innovation is so appealing in today's 'me-too' world. I have personally seen many companies come and go in this industry, but Mobile Edge's vision, their industry experience and their timing is what this market segment needs right now!"
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| 7. |
 Separately, Mobile Edge announced that it is proud to be joining the fight against breast cancer by partnering with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise funds for breast cancer research and community outreach programs. Mobile Edge has created a highly fashionable, unique set of pink-ribbon inspired computer tote bags for women, entitled "The Caring Case Collection", with a portion of sales going to the charity. For over twenty years, the Komen Foundation has raised money and awareness to educate women, promote research and ultimately eradicate the disease. With nearly a quarter of a million new cases of breast cancer expected this year, Mobile Edge recognized the need and urgency to join the alliance to fight breast cancer. The Mobile Edge Caring Case Collection was designed especially for women, by women, for the benefit of women. Through this partnership, Mobile Edge is pleased to make an initial donation of $5,000.00, up to a minimum of $15,000.00, as well as donate 10% of all proceeds from the sale of the custom designed bags for the upcoming year. "We greatly admire the Komen Foundation for its incredible efforts in the ongoing fight against breast cancer and strongly believe that supporting the advancement of research will one day eliminate this devastating disease," said David Cartwright, President and CEO of Mobile Edge.
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| 8. |
Sirius Satellite Radio announced it passed the 500,000-subscriber mark and
expects to reach one million subscribers by the end of the year. Sirius said
this milestone represents a near doubling in its subscriber base over the
past six months. Part of the reason for the strong sales expected in the
second half is that Sirius recently tripled its sales outlets to over 20,000
storefronts, said the company. XM Satellite Radio has announced it exceeded
the 2.1-million-subscriber mark recently.
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| 9. |
Apple iPod sales enjoyed a triple-digit increase during the company's fiscal
third quarter, helping Apple post a net profit of $61 million on sales of $2
billion.The net profit represented a 14 percent increase, while the
quarter's revenue was up 30 percent, compared to the same period last
year.Apple reported late yesterday that iPod sales jumped 183 percent,
compared to the same quarter in 2003 with 860,000 units shipping during the
quarter. The company's computer segment also performed well with 876,000
Macintosh units shipping, up 14 percent from the prior year.Steve Jobs,
Apple's founder and CEO, said the just-completed quarter generated the most
revenue of any third quarter for the past eight years. However, Apple's
third-quarter success was limited by a parts shortage that resulted in fewer
iPod Mini portables being available. "Our Mac-based revenue grew 19 percent
and music-based revenue grew an incredible 162 percent," Jobs said. Apple
executives expect fourth-quarter revenue to be in the $2.1 billion range.The
good financial news was added to the announcement that Apple has started
shipping its new 802.11g AirPort Express mobile base station. The Express
allows users to wirelessly stream music from the iTunes software on their
Mac or PC to any room in the house. Apple said it received more than 80,000
pre-orders for the AirPort Express, which was introduced last month with a
$129 suggested retail price.The company also reported earlier this week that
it had recorded the 100 millionth iTunes download.
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| 10. |
Best Buy has entered into an agreement for a seven-year strategic
relationship with Accenture for consulting and outsourcing services. The
agreement, designed to support Best Buy's transformation to a more
efficient, customer-centric business model, takes effect on July 16, 2004.
Through the relationship with Accenture, Best Buy seeks to optimize its
supply chain management capabilities, to enhance the vendor management of
its customer call centers, to expand the functionality of its Web sites, and
to improve the analytics and reporting that further enable its customer
centricity initiative. Accenture also is to manage and further develop the
full scope of Best Buy's information technology operations. The relationship
is expected to provide a new and simplified operating platform that will
reduce Best Buy's cost structure, including the company's total cost of
ownership for information technology systems, over the course of the
relationship. Approximately 600 information technology employees are
expected to transition from Best Buy to Accenture as part of the agreement,
effective on July 16, 2004. These professionals are to continue working at
the Best Buy corporate campus in Richfield, Minn. "Best Buy is in the midst
of a company transformation to put the customer at the center of all that we
do," said Al Lenzmeier, Best Buy's president and COO. "In order to
accelerate this transformation and more accurately focus our resources on
our customers, we must deliver new capabilities with greater speed and
innovation at reduced risk and cost. We have a long-standing relationship
with Accenture, and over the years they have demonstrated an understanding
of our business, culture and values. For these reasons, we believe we have
selected the right firm to help us achieve our goals." |
Send your comments about "Life at Retail" to kanewman@sbcglobal.net
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Retail Digest
By ChannelMedia Staff
PC Mall reported record quarterly sales of $270.5 million, up 24 percent from Q2 2003 sales of $218.9 million. Diluted earnings per share for Q2 2004 were $0.06, which includes $0.02 per share of eCOST.com IPO related expenses and non-cash stock compensation charge, net of tax. This compares with $0.09 per share for Q2 2003. Earnings for Q2 2004 were impacted by continued investments in the Canadian call center and OnSale.com initiative at a cost of $0.3 million each, non-cash stock compensation cost of $0.1 million and audit fees of $0.3 million associated with obtaining three-year audited financials for eCOST.com. These expenses amounted to $1.0 million pre-tax or $0.05 per diluted share in the quarter, net of tax. Frank Khulusi, Chairman, President and CEO of PC Mall, Inc. said, "During Q2 2004, we continued to execute our market-share acquisition strategy which resulted in the highest organic growth rate of the public companies which we consider in our peer group of direct marketers of technology solutions. Our Canadian call center and PC Mall Gov investments, as well as the expansion of eCOST.com's product categories contributed to our accelerated growth rate. We are proud of our record second quarter sales and superior growth rate as it furthers our position with manufacturers and commercial customers as one of the leading companies in our industry." Khulusi continued, "We continued to aggressively invest in building our sales-force with most of the emphasis on the Canadian call center, which serves U.S. customers. Our aggressive investment in our commercial sales-force impacts our current results. However, we expect long-term benefits from this strategy as we realize the benefits of leverage from productivity improvements in our account managers as they gain experience. To this end, it is our intent to continue to aggressively strive to expand our market share by expanding our commercial sales-force." Consolidated Q2 2004 sales increased 24 percent from Q2 2003 to $270.5 million from $218.9 million. Sales for Q2 2004 reflected a continuation of earlier trends with business areas of strategic focus experiencing accelerated growth rates. Corporate sales for the quarter grew 42 percent, eCOST.com's sales grew 62 percent and PC Mall Gov sales grew 21 percent. Growth in these areas of strategic focus were partially offset by a year-over-year decline in Q2 Core Business catalog sales of 15 percent. Consolidated gross profit for Q2 2004 rose 13 percent, or $4.0 million, from Q2 2003. The increase in gross profit resulted from an increase in sales. Gross profit margins as a percentage of sales declined to 12.8 percent from 14.0 percent in Q2 2003 but increased slightly from 12.7 percent in Q1 2004. The decline in Q2 2004 gross profit margin from Q2 2003 is primarily the result of decreased vendor consideration received by the Company as a percentage of net sales, as well as aggressive pricing used to accelerate customer acquisition, and a higher percentage of sales from eCOST.com, which typically has a lower gross profit margin than the Core Business.
The Consumer Electronics Association announced that top Intel and Microsoft executives will deliver the opening and pre-show keynotes respectively at the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev. Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp., will deliver the Pre-Show Keynote Address on Wednesday, January 5, 2005, at 6:30 p.m. Craig Barrett, chief executive officer (CEO) of Intel Corp., will deliver the Opening Keynote Address on Thursday, January 6, 2005 at 8:30 a.m. Barrett's speech will be preceded by State of the Industry addresses from Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, and CEA's Chairman (to be elected in October). Both keynotes will take place in the Hilton Theater of the Las Vegas Hilton. The 2005 International CES runs January 6-9."As the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, the International CES prides itself on bringing the most influential and notable industry visionaries to our conference program," said Shapiro. "Microsoft and Intel continue to be international leaders, debuting the latest and greatest technologies for the consumer marketplace each year at CES."
At Sony's PlayStation Meeting 2004 in Tokyo yesterday, further details surrounding the PSP (PlayStation Portable) have been announced, including an updated list of supporting developers, upcoming titles, and new specifications.Rumurs ran wild that the console had too little memory, with initial specs pegging it at 8MB. That however has been changed to 32MB, partially alleviating concerns of a memory bottleneck. Other noted features include a backlight, wireless LAN that allows up to 16 players to play with each other, and the ability to connect to a PlayStation 2 console via USB port. The company also unveiled Talkman, voice recognition software that can pick up nine different languages. The software can not only transcribe what is spoken into the headset, but also translate it into different languages. The technology will be used for entertainment applications, with an educational language game demonstrated at the press conference. Talkman is slated for a simultaneous release with the PSP.
Responding to a growing demand from consumers who desire a truly affordable digital television experience without sacrificing product quality or features, Syntax Groups Corporation*, an emerging growth manufacturer of digital convergence consumer electronics products, today announced the Olevia* 20-inch LCD-TV. Currently available for $699 (MSRP), the Olevia LT20HV extends the range of Syntax Groups' LCD TV family of digital entertainment products bringing unique functionality, high quality images, optimum affordability and superb customer support. Like Syntax Groups' recently launched value-priced 27-inch and 30-inch Olevia-branded LCD TVs, the new 20-inch model features a VGA input for easy connection to a personal computer. Consumers have the flexibility of using the Olevia LT20HV as a single product or a cost-effective solution for dual purposes-watching TV or as a quality substitute for a PC monitor.
LaCie announcedfuture availability of the Bigger Disk Extreme--up to 1.6TB external storage with the Extreme chipset that allows for 85 MB/s throughput, ideal for audio/video editing and large-scale backup. The case is the same as our 1TB Bigger Disk launched earlier this year except with faster technology within, and two FireWire 800 and one FireWire 400 ports (no USB). Pricing starts at $1199.
Archos, the pioneer and technology leader in pocket-sized audio and video digital media solutions for mobile consumers, introduced today a new pocket-sized Digital Video Recorder and player that makes home entertainment portable. The ARCHOS Pocket Video Recorder AV400 is the industry's first and only portable digital video recorder with television recording and scheduling capabilities, and audio, photo and data storage in one pocket-sized device. Geared towards families, TV enthusiasts and gadget lovers, the Pocket Video Recorder AV400 experience starts in the living room where you can record television shows and movies directly from a TV, VCR, or cable/satellite receiver with a convenient one-time set-up TV Cradle. At the same time, the AV400 takes personal entertainment enjoyment far beyond the living room, where consumers can watch videos and view photos on a large color LCD screen, listen to and record music, and transfer photos from a digital camera and data files from a PC or Macintosh. The Pocket Video Recorder AV400 was designed with consumer ease of use in mind and presents many new features unseen in a portable video player, including a sleek and small design, 20-gigabyte to 100-gigabyte hard disk capacity, removable battery for extended life (20-gigabyte version), one-time set-up TV Cradle, an external speaker for enjoying music and video without headphones, best video playback quality(1), and a built-in Compact Flash reader for transferring photos directly from digital cameras. These new features make the AV400 a uniquely powerful device, yet slim, light and easy to use. "While companies are focusing on music-only players, or developing first-generation portable video players, ARCHOS is steps ahead with pocket video devices that put all a consumer's personal media in their pocket," said Henri Crohas, ARCHOS chief executive officer. "With our new line of products later this year, we plan to provide consumers a way to secure their digital content and are engaged with Microsoft to support its new version of Windows Media Digital Rights Management, when it is broadly available. ARCHOS' AV line of products are very robust in terms of both meeting consumer expectations and addressing industry trends, which ensures ARCHOS remains at the forefront of this growing portable video player market."
Roxio Inc.'s Napster said it is offering free digital music players with a one-year subscription in the latest bid by an online music service to lure consumers with promotional offers. Napster, which was transformed into a legal service after turning the music industry on its ear with an unauthorized song-swapping platform, is now giving away MP3 devices to anyone who subscribes for a full year. On its Web site, Napster said it would give consumers a Rio Chiba Sport portable music device, valued at about $130, if they sign up for the subscription, which is valued at $119.40. The device features 128 megabytes of storage capacity and includes a stopwatch, sports headphones and an armband. Napster's Web site also said consumers can upgrade to a larger capacity Rio Nitrus by paying an additional $80. The Napster offer marks the latest example of cross-promotions among competing online music services. Sony Connect this month announced a deal with McDonald's to give away free music downloads, while nearly every other major online music store -- from Apple's iTunes to RealNetworks Rhapsody have announced joint ventures with consumer brands ranging from Pepsi to United Airlines. "This is another example of Napster trying to be creative to drive Napster subscriptions," said PJ McNealy, analyst with American Technology Research. However, McNealy said Roxio still faces some significant financial hurdles for the Napster service to break even. "While Roxio has forecast up to $40 million in Napster revenues this year, we believe that they really have to reach close to $300 million to break even and reaching that goal will likely not happen in the next 12 months," said McNealy. Napster provides online music either through a monthly subscription model or through a la carte downloads. U.S. consumers have visited Napster to purchase over 10 million tracks to date, according to the company.
Viper Networks has signed an agreement with Zones, Inc. for
the catalog and online sales of all Viper VoIP products. Zones joins PC Mall
and Tiger Direct, parent Company Systemax as the third major retail
electronics catalog company to begin selling Viper's products in the last 45
days. Zones. and its affiliates are single-source, multi-vendor direct
marketing resellers of name-brand information technology products to the
small to medium sized business market, enterprise, and public sector
accounts, while actively supporting their legacy Mac customers through an
inbound call center promoted by circulation of the Mac Zone catalog and a
dedicated website. Zones offers over 150,000 products from leading
manufactures including 3Com, Adobe, Apple, Cisco, Epson, HP, Kingston,
Microsoft, Sony and Toshiba, and sells these products through outbound and
inbound call center account executives, specialty print and e-catalogs, and
the Internet. Based in Auburn Washington, Zones, Inc. had net sales in
excess of $460 Million in 2003 and over 200 outbound sales executives.
Virgin Electronics (formerly Virgin Pulse) opened its new Silicon Valley
doors today with an invigorated focus on personal, portable, simple and
connected digital products for consumers. Funded by The Virgin Group of
Richard Branson fame, the company combines Virgin's people-friendly brand
with the expertise of new Silicon Valley veteran management who will focus
initially on digital music products. Leading the new venture are Chief
Executive Officer Greg Woock, a former executive at Handspring and Creative
Labs, and Senior Vice President of Marketing Joe Sipher, a consumer product
and marketing expert formerly of Palm and Handspring. The company has
relocated from New York to the heart of Silicon Valley at 97 South Second
Street in downtown San Jose. Virgin Electronics made the move to attract
talent to build creative digital products with an emphasis on ease of use
and customer value. "The digital music market is in its infancy and there's
plenty of room for innovation -- especially from a strong, branded
alternative," said Woock. "The Virgin brand is famous for bringing customer
value, quality, innovation and fun to every category we enter, and we aim to
bring it to this one." In a separate release today, the company unveiled a
glimpse of the future with its new silver-dollar size Virgin Electronics
Wearable 128 Megabyte MP3 Player. Weighing just half an ounce, the $99.99
MP3 player is ideal for people who want a stylish and compact device for
listening to their music while on the move. Today, Virgin Electronics
(formerly Virgin Pulse) unveiled a MP3 player that's so small it can fit any
pocket. The silver-dollar size Virgin Electronics Wearable 128MB MP3 Player
weighs just half an ounce and is ideal for people who love to enjoy music on
the go. The Wearable 128MB MP3 Player delivers one of the best MP3 player
values on the market today at just $99.99. Virgin Electronics announced its
new corporate strategy in a separate release today. The Wearable 128MB MP3
Player holds roughly 40 songs and includes one of the simplest interfaces
ever devised. The Wearable MP3 Player doesn't need complicated software or
even a power adaptor. Consumers just plug the player into their PC or Mac
USB port to load songs and charge the device, all at the same time with the
same cable. Two simple buttons turn the player on and off, skip songs and
control volume. The Wearable MP3 player comes with an armband and specially
designed earbuds intended to be worn around the neck. Consumers can also
attach any standard headphones to the player. Virgin Electronics also today
introduced affordable, high-quality noise-canceling headphones for economy
flyers. The noise canceling technology actually hushes constant background
noise, like the sound of a jet engine, to make the listening experience more
enjoyable. The lightweight headphones fold to a compact size for storage and
include a protective carrying case and airline stereo plug adapter. At
$39.99 they are a fraction of the price of high-end models that provide
similar function. Both new products are available immediately at Target
stores across the country.
Heated competition to expand production facilities for flat-panel displays in Asia triggers profitability concerns among South Korean players. Korean manufacturers of liquid crystal display and plasma display panel have eaten up profits up to now as demand for the high-end products have outstripped supply. Years of the high-margin parties, however, are expected to come to an abrupt end as early as this year as flat-panel production facilities shoot up in such countries as Japan and Taiwan. ``Shortage of supply has propped up prices of LCD and PDP products over the past year, but things are starting to change with the ever-increasing installment of plants,'' said Michael Min, an analyst from Dongwon Securities.Samsung Electronics and LG.Philips LCD are global leaders in LCD, and Samsung SDI and LG Electronics also rank in the upper echelon of the international PDP market. In an effort to stay ahead of the pack, Korean firms plan to put more money in facility expansion. Samsung Electronics and LG.Philips LCD will invest 20 trillion won and 25 trillion won, respectively for the next 10 years to construct LCD clusters in Korea. But competitors of neighboring countries are by no means sitting idly, as Hitachi seeks to invest 10 billion yen into its two Chinese plants to double the annual LCD module production to 5 million. `Japanese and Taiwanese companies are benchmarking Korean players' massive investment, a strategy which has enabled them to maintain a global command,'' Min said. As a result, Min predicted that global production capacity of LCD modules will amount to 1.35 trillion units this year, surpassing envisioned demands of 1.3 trillion units. Mirroring the trend, prices of LCD products already show a sign of falling with Japanese electronics maker Sharp pledging to cut its LCD merchandise prices by 10 percent from this month. DisplaySearch also expected a sharp price reduction over the coming years in the global flat-panel display market. For 42-inch LCD televisions, the U.S.-based research firm projected the price will fall by almost $1,000 to $1,489 next year compared to this year's $2,419. The price stood at $2,796 in 2003. The price of 50-inch PDP TV is also forecast to plunge to $1,325 by 2006 from last year's $2,171. ``Finally, overcapacity situations loom in the LCD and PDP markets and Korean companies have no other alternative but cut corners so as not to fall behind the curve,'' Min said.
ChannelMedia Q&A with ConectL
Micah Cranney, VP of Sales & Marketing
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Micah, what's the latest news out of ConectL?
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| A. |
ConectL is going through some exciting changes right now. We have just launched three new retractable cable products that increase our product breadth and provide cable management solutions for a variety of different users. We now have a more varied retractable cable line for our retail clients than ever before. Whether the user is a business traveler, a student, or someone who just needs greater mobility, ConectL has a solution.
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What are some exciting products coming down the pike for the second half?
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One of the new releases is our netPORT™ line. This is a family of networking products designed to make the enterprise workplace cleaner and safer. The flagship product of the netPORT line, is our Retractable 4-Port Conference Switch that makes it easy for multiple users to access a single network connection. The beauty of this product is that it incorporates the Ethernet cable right into the unit, with complete retraction so that the conference table doesn't have cluttered cord all around. In addition, users don't have to bring their own Ethernet cable into the conference room-they are already provided in the netPORT Retractable Switch. It's a simple installation-just plug it in and it works!
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Any special advice or messages for retailers who are looking to work with you?
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ConectL takes a great deal of pride in its quality and workmanship. We manufacture and extrude our own cable so that we can manage our own quality. Because we have such high demands for quality and durability, our products will not be the least expensive products on the shelf. If the end consumers demand a cable solution that they won't have to replace in just a few months, then the ConectL products are precisely what they are looking for. The best valued products are not always the least expensive. Nevertheless, most of our retail clients still find that with our ConectL products the margins are healthy and still have high turns.
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| Q. |
Want to share any more information about your Company?
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ConectL is the pioneer in retractable cable technology, shipping the first retractables in 1988. We have been shipping quality retractable products for over 15 years, so we know how to do it right. You have been able to find many of our retractable products under well-known OEM brands. Because of we have sold under OEM brands for many years and now also in our own brand, we have a great deal of experience in the retail channel as well.
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| Q. |
Thanks very much for your time. How can our audience contact you with any follow up questions or comments?
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Thank you for the opportunity to visit with you. Please contact Micah Cranney at (800) 773-1003 by phone or micah@conectl.com by e-mail, for any questions or comments.
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ChannelMedia Q&A with ATP Electronics Inc.
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ATP has been in the news recently. Can you give us some background on your company?
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ATP Electronics Inc., a leading manufacturer of memory products, announced the world's first 512MB miniSD. ATP miniSD cards mainly target at the next-generation smart mobile phones with built-in cameras, video recorders, MP3 players, video games, personal information management (PIM), email and voicemail functions which require intensive storage.
miniSD is a thumbnail-sized card designed to serve the increasing demand for removable storage as required by next generation mobile phones and devices. It was first adopted by Japanese cell phone makers for their multi-function rich media next generation cell phones in 2003.
Also, ATP has recently put inventory into Future Shop Canada and Fred Meyers, where they see the advantages of our High Speed, High Quality Products.
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| Q. |
What is going on with miniSD and what can we expect to see from ATP and the market overall?
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| A. |
According to IDC, the market of mobile phones will grow to over 798 million by 2008 and mobile phones with card slots will reach 157.3 million in 2004 and 246.8 million in 2005. The latest multi-function rich media mobile phones launch by major cell phone makers such as Motorola, Panasonic, Samsung and Toshiba come with miniSD card slots. "This new market represents a significant opportunity for ATP high capacity miniSD. We expect that in the coming years most shipments of the flash cards will be for use with mobile phones. Demand for high capacities miniature memory cards will increase dramatically driven by next generation mobile phones with memory slots. We are proud to bring world's first 512MB miniSD into our well established flash media product line to meet the market demands." said Danny Lin, ATP VP of Sales and Marketing.
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| Q. |
Any special advice or messages for retailers who are looking to work with you?
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| A. |
ATP 60X Super High Speed SD cards are available in 32, 64, 128, 256, or 512MB capacities, and 1GB. Our SD cards are compatible with all digital cameras, digital video camcorders, audio players, new multi-function 2.5G/3G cell phones and other portable devices. 60X Super High Speed SD Card Priced at regular speed card.
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| Q. |
What else can you share about your Company?
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| A. |
ATP (Advanced Technology & Packaging) provides the Best-in-Class memory products and is committed to provide its customers the ultimate memory solutions. Performance, Quality, Compatibility, and Reliability.
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Product Watch
By ChannelMedia Staff
Creative, a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC users, today introduced the Zen Touch, a 1.8-inch hard drive-based portable audio player that holds twice the music and provides up to three times the battery life as a 20GB Apple iPod for only $US269. The new unit features the innovative patent pending "Touch Pad" control that enables a user to simply move a thumb up and down in a natural motion on the Touch Pad to navigate quickly and easily to specific albums, artists, genres, tracks, or playlists. With a very light touch of the thumb on the Touch Pad or by pressing the "OK" button on the face of the player, users can easily access musical selections. The face of the player also features a dedicated "Random" button for spontaneous music playback of any combination of songs."The Zen Touch is so simple and fun to use because the Touch Pad makes it easy to find your favorite songs, or you can just hit the random button for a mix of music to match any mood," said Lisa O'Malley, senior brand manager for portable audio at Creative. "Plus you can take the Zen Touch on long trips and leave the power cable at home without worrying about the rechargeable battery running out." Equally as cool-looking as it is feature-rich, the metallic graphite and white gloss-colored Zen Touch displays track and menu information on its large, brilliant blue backlit LCD screen. In addition to its groundbreaking battery life and super-intuitive user interface, the Zen Touch provides industry-leading audio quality and broad compatibility with download services supporting WMA and MP3 music for enjoyment of up to 10,000 songs. Crystal-clear high fidelity playback at 98dB SNR can be customized with a four-band graphic equalizer with eight equalization presets. USB 2.0 connectivity enables super-fast music transfer from a PC as quickly as a song per second. Exclusively previewed by Microsoft at the 2004 WinHEC event, the Zen Touch was showcased as the first player to support upgrade to the next generation of Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, a platform for providing exciting new subscription models for content download. "With its exciting new device, the Zen Touch, Creative sets a new bar for battery life and provides music fans a broad choice of music services accessed within Windows Media Player," said Jonathan Usher, director of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft Corp. "The Zen Touch is the first in a new line of products from Creative that will support our next generation Windows Media DRM, enabling new playback scenarios for subscription-based or on-demand digital music."
Two new product categories are on the horizon -- the Viewer Headset and the Personal TV. Over the next two years, wireless services and consumer electronics companies, in combination with personal display developers, will introduce a new generation of communications and entertainment solutions incorporating headset personal displays. By 2008, sales of such display headsets are forecasted to top $1B. The key technology force driving this phenomenon -- the sustained performance improvements and price reduction of microdisplays used to make personal display headsets. "Our industry survey found a strong commitment throughout the solutions value chain to make these consumer applications real," reports Steve Marsland, principal researcher and author of the study Personal Displays: Opportunity Analysis and Forecast 2004, published jointly by McLaughlin Consulting Group (MCG) and Insight Media. "There are two major opportunities: a monocular personal Viewer Headset peripheral for information appliances and a binocular Personal TV display."
The study analyzes the key performance and price hurdles for consumer Personal Display applications as well as the costs for the content, services, and the human factors and ergonomic hurdles. The Viewer Headset and Personal TV are seen as low hanging fruit due to ready availability of content and host systems for the peripheral displays.
The emergence of these new Personal Displays will impact both the design and the existing sales of a variety of existing consumer electronics products -- including cell phone headsets, portable DVD players, big-screen TVs, PDAs and GPS Navigation Systems. Headsets are in. Sales of high-end wireless audio headsets for cellphones and noise cancellation entertainment headsets for entertainment have revolutionized consumer perceptions of headset styling, comfort, and ergonomics. Integrating near to eye displays into proven audio designs can dramatically speed market acceptance.
"Sales take off in 2006 when headset personal displays finally become competitive in performance and price with other types of displays," says Chuck McLaughlin of MCG, editor of the report. "We have been tracking Personal Display and microdisplay markets for nearly a decade. Never have there been so many positive signs that the key hurdles to acceptance of personal displays will be overcome."
In addition to reporting on the results of an extensive market survey, the report includes the following:
- Detailed analysis of both the Viewer Headset and the Personal TV opportunities focusing on price-performance requirements as well as solution needs, content, channel, comfort, ergonomics, and styling.
- Broad review of vertical market opportunities for personal displays
- Personal display forecast including system units and revenue as well as detailed forecast of the derived market for microdisplays by definition and technology.
- Company profiles for Personal Display and microdisplay players
- Five appendixes provide detailed analysis of the related electronic viewfinder market (including forecasts and competitive analysis), personal display system basics, Personal TV price point, wireless cost and availability, and Personal Display comfort, ergonomics, and fashion.
For more details about the report, which was a collaborative effort between MCG and Insight Media, see: http://www.mcgweb.com/reports/pd2004.htm The report is available now and is part of the MCG microdisplay report series. For more detailed questions, e-mail stevemarsland@mcgweb.com.
RESEARCH
Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Grew More Than 13 Percent in Second Quarter of 2004
PC purchases remained the key engine of growth for the industry, as worldwide PC shipments totaled 43 million units in the second quarter of 2004, a 13.3 percent increase over the same period last year, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc.
"The PC market performed in line with expectations during the second quarter
of 2004, exhibiting typical seasonal user demand patterns," said Charles
Smulders, vice president of Gartner's Computing Platforms Worldwide group.
"The professional market is crucial to the second quarter?s overall results.
While early software and storage segment results have shown some weakness
relative to industry expectations, the professional PC market was on track."
On a vendor basis, Dell retained its No. 1 position in both the worldwide
and U.S. PC markets in the second quarter of 2004 (see Tables 1 and 2). Dell
experienced double-digit growth across all regions. Due to the typical
second-quarter performance, Dell's corporate and public sector business grew
relatively faster than the home market.
Hewlett-Packard's worldwide year-on-year growth was slightly above industry
average, as it showed the strongest growth in Asia/Pacific, including Japan.
An internal re-organization at HP during the quarter is likely to have had
some impact on the company's performance. In the United States, PC shipments totaled 14 million units in the second quarter of 2004, an 11.4 percent increase from the second quarter of 2003. Gartner analysts said the U.S. PC industry's growth was
attributed to healthy sales in the professional market. "Gartner's IT Watch (a monthly survey among IT decision managers in U.S. businesses) shows that U.S. corporate sentiment towards PC hardware spending remained positive during the quarter, with companies spending to budget," Mr. Smulders said. On a regional basis, the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region experienced a PC shipment increase of 15.5 percent in the second quarter.m Gartner analysts said business demand for PCs appears to have been strong despite the increase in the dollar value against the Euro. Some significant government deals also drove the increase in overall demand in the region.
Displays: Flat Panels Still Hot
DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in flat panel display market research, indicated in their latest "Monthly Large-Area LCD Pricing Report" that blended large-area (10" and greater) TFT LCD prices dropped for the first time in 18 months, ending a remarkable streak of price increases at individual sizes and gains in share at larger sizes leading to record profits for TFT LCD producers. Blended large-area prices fell 3% from $295 to $285 in July and are expected to fall another 3% in August to $275, and then decline at 2% per month through the end of the year as demand responds. This reversal in pricing is a result of weakness in the LCD
monitor market that is fueling larger than anticipated price reductions in
notebook PCs and LCD TVs as panel suppliers look to stimulate demand. The
market shifted at the beginning of June when leading LCD monitor brands
suddenly reduced panel orders, claiming reduced LCD monitor demand, rising
inventory levels and excessively high panel prices. The weakness in demand
is a result of seasonal declines, rising street prices in a price sensitive
market and the emergence of the $499 bundled 17" CRT/desktop PC which is
growing in popularity. With LCD monitor inventories at high levels, brands
are delaying future panel orders as long as possible to get the best
pricing. With panel suppliers not expecting this situation, panel
inventories have also risen, increasing pricing pressure. Panel suppliers
are reacting by reducing utilization and pricing at levels desired to reach
target street price points expected to re-invigorate the market. However,
brands are not expected to immediately pass along these price reductions in
order to correct their margins, develop sales campaigns and fill the
pipeline at new cost levels. As a result, monitor panel volumes will not
quickly rebound and a sequential decline is likely in Q3'04, causing the
large-area TFT LCD surplus to rise to double-digit levels in Q3'04. If
component constraints are considered, the surplus is expected to be 6%.
Demand should eventually recover for the back to school and holiday season,
supported by lower prices. In addition, with many CRT producers are already
at full capacity and not expecting to boost capacity further, desktop
monitor suppliers will look to LCD manufacturers to meet their full year
volume targets. Notebook PC and LCD TV volumes are also expected to benefit
from lower prices, resulting in slower price reductions from September to
December. 15" monitor panels fell the fastest of any LCD monitor panel in
July, down 7% to $215, and are expected to fall another 7% in August to $200
and reach $180 by the end of the year, enabling $299 street prices at
double-digit margins for LCD monitor brands. 15" XGA monitor and notebook
panel prices are now priced the same, with 15" monitor panel prices expected
to be priced $11 below 15" notebook panels in December. 17" monitor panels
fell 6% in July, and are expected to fall another 6% in August to $260. 17"
SXGA prices are expected to continue falling, reaching $230 by the end of
the year and enabling $349 street prices at double-digit margins. While the
near-term looks negative for LCD makers, with panel prices now falling
faster than expected, the volume outlook for 2005 will be higher than
previously forecasted, narrowing healthy surpluses and presenting a
potentially more stable pricing environment as demand accelerates.
DisplaySearch's 50+ slide "Monthly Large-Area LCD Pricing Report" is priced
from $3995 - $4995 for an annual subscription and covers a wide range of
notebook PC, LCD monitor and LCD TV panels. For more information, please contact Jerry Benson at jerry@displaysearch.com.
Outlook for Color Laser Printers Remain Bright
By Display Research
Worldwide shipments of color laser printers priced under $1,000 will
increase from 37% of total color laser printer shipments in 2003 to 56% of
total color laser printer shipments by 2008. This represents a compound
annual growth rate of 35 percent, according to a new report from Lyra
Research, Color Laser Printers: Worldwide Market Forecast and Analysis. The
report also reveals that color laser printers with print speeds of 10-23
pages per minute will account for the majority of all color laser printers
shipped by 2008, replacing the slower 1-9 ppm machines that currently
dominate. "The arrival of low-priced color laser printers was one of the
major developments in the imaging industry as a whole in 2003. As vendors
pushed color laser printer prices lower, price quickly became the main
differentiator in this market," commented Stephanie Guza, Research Analyst
at Lyra Research. "Falling hardware prices will motivate more users to
purchase color laser printers, which will ensure annuities from the sale of
color supplies. This growing market will attract more aftermarket players
and force vendors to develop a strong color strategy with an eye to
protecting their supplies annuities." Color Laser Printers: Worldwide Market
Forecast and Analysis provides a comprehensive look at the color laser
market worldwide, including market forecasts through 2008 with primary
research data from two different surveys of color laser printer users in
offices. In addition, the report looks at the major players in this market
and assesses each company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats. A complete description and table of contents for the report can be
found on Lyra Research's Web site at www.lyra.com.
Wireless LAN's connect with Customers
Peddie: Graphics Market Share Update
Jon Peddie Research, a leading research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, said that approximately 54.3 million PC graphics devices shipped from eight suppliers in Q2'04, a 5.2% decline from the previous quarter and a 12.8% increase over the same period the previous year. The desktop graphics segment saw a 6.6% decline in quarterly shipments but achieved 10.6% growth year-over-year. Within the desktop segment, discrete controller shipments declined 19.2% sequentially while integrated graphics shipments increased 5.5% on a quarterly basis. Growth in the desktop IGC market was led by Intel and VIA Technologies. Approximately 10.5 million mobile graphics processors shipped from six suppliers in Q2'04, up one percent from the previous quarter and up 23.1% year-over-year. Shipments of integrated graphics chipsets for notebooks slightly outpaced those of discrete (stand-alone) mobile graphics processors during the period, but discrete controllers displayed sequential growth of 2.7% while IGC shipments remained essentially flat as compared to Q1'04. Intel was the only supplier to see its shipments of IGCs for notebooks increase on either a sequential or annual basis in Q2'04. "Quarterly shipment declines in the second quarter are to be expected in the graphics industry; however, year-over-year growth in Q2'04 was fairly robust in all segments except for the discrete desktop market, where shipments increased just 2.7%," said Lisa Epstein, a senior analyst at Jon Peddie Research. "The small window that opened in Q1'04 for discrete desktop graphics swiftly closed in Q2'04 as Intel started shipping its new Grantsdale ICG. When Intel ships a new IGC, ATI and Nvidia immediately lose ground," Epstein concluded. Intel saw a 7.9% quarterly increase in graphics shipments in Q2'04, was the largest supplier of PC graphics devices worldwide, and claimed an increased share of the total graphics market. Nvidia was the second largest supplier in Q2'04 but with reduced shipments and share of the total graphics market. ATI was the third largest supplier in Q2'04, also with reduced shipments and share. The following table lists the ranking and relative market share, based on unit shipments in Q1'04 and Q2'04, of the eight major graphics suppliers to the PC industry. For information about purchasing Market Watch, please call 415/435-9368 or visit the Jon Peddie Research Web site at www.jonpeddie.com.
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|
Q1'04 |
Q2'04 |
| Rank |
Graphics Supplier |
Market Share |
Market Share |
| 1 |
Intel |
33.0% |
37.7% |
| 2 |
NVIDIA |
27.2% |
23.2% |
| 3 |
ATI Technologies |
24.0% |
23.2% |
| 4 |
VIA Technologies |
7.8% |
8.9% |
| 5 |
Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS) |
6.9% |
6.2% |
| 6 |
Matrox Graphics |
0.52% |
0.46% |
| 7 |
XGI |
0.44% |
0.26% |
| 8 |
3Dlabs (Creative Technology) |
0.04% |
0.04% |
Wireless LAN Products Continue to Connect with Customers
By The Dell'Oro Group
In a newly published report, Dell'Oro Group predicts that sales of wireless
LAN products will grow 20 percent in 2004 to $2.1 billion. According to the
Dell'Oro Group report, enterprise-class access point shipments are forecast
to increase dramatically by 75 percent in 2004, growing at an average annual
rate of 47 percent through 2008. In contrast, small office/home office
(SOHO) products such as access points, gateways, and network interface
cards, are forecast to peak in the near term as users opt for DSL and cable
modems with embedded wireless LAN and notebook computers with integrated
wireless LAN. "Until recently, corporations have been reluctant to adopt
wireless LANs, primarily because of security concerns," commented Greg
Collins, Senior Director of wireless LAN research at Dell'Oro Group. "Now
with the improvements in management, encryption, and user authentication,
wireless LAN will penetrate larger corporations because the technology
improves productivity by allowing users to connect to the network from
anywhere." The Dell'Oro Group Wireless LAN 5-Year Forecast Report offers
complete, in-depth coverage of the market with tables covering market size,
unit shipments and average selling prices. To purchase this
report, call +1.650.622.9400 x223 or email Julie@DellOro.com.
COMMUNITY
Effective Trade Show Selling
By G.A. "Andy" Marken, President, Marken Communications Inc.
Time and again, we've seen examples where salespeople have spent weeks or months calling on an organization only to find suddenly that they were talking to the wrong people. While this is a strong endorsement of advertising, public relations, and other promotion, it is of little consolation to senior management, sales management, or the individual salesperson -- especially considering that sales calls now cost in excess of $500. Unfortunately, this problem is magnified at a trade show because:
- The sales situation is reversed…prospects come to you.
- You have a limited amount of time to present your facts.
- Salespeople have to make more presentations per hour than they make a day in the field.
To alleviate the differences, clearly define the priority of the prospects you want to reach at the show. Establish direction and focus for the sales force. Have them target and concentrate their selling energies.
Have a dry run. Part of your pre-show training should include concise presentations so you can anticipate and overcome problems that may arise with the fast pace of the trade show environment.
You'll probably receive a lot of resistance from your best, seasoned salespeople, but they have to ask the basics -- who, what, why, and where -- in their prospecting process. Remind them that they only have 90 seconds to attract, qualify, and interest the attendee, so penetration is key. Have your salespeople write out their approach. It doesn't have to be a canned presentation, but it should be prepared. You'll find that salespeople will ultimately be able to do a better job. They have a structure within which to work. They have a solid perception of what they want from the show, their attitude will be up and they will be more competent/relaxed on the floor. If you want your exhibit to be a winner, develop a uniform, positive selling attitude; develop and provide clear direction; and train your people thoroughly in exhibit selling techniques.Show selling should be more than breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with present customers...more than late night cocktail parties. It should be a strong and effective selling event. Share your thoughts on this with the author at Andy@markencom.com.
CEA Wireless Retail Survival Tips: Improving Your Primary Sales Channel
Download Free Wireless Survival Guide Now
Opportunities can still occur even in the most challenging of economic times, as long as you position your business for success. While retail competition is fierce, the small business owner is still the mainstay of consumer sales growth in all categories. Your retail location can have tremendous upside from the start if a few things are done correctly:
- The store must be merchandised and present a friendly atmosphere
- It must have the proper staffing to assist all inquiries
- All products must be available for sale when the consumer wants them
- Staff must be trained and knowledgeable in all product areas
- The location must be accessible to targeted consumer bases and businesses
- It must have exceptional visibility and well-placed signage
Top-Selling Software
Week of August 01 – August 07, 2004 |
| All Categories |
| 1 |
Doom 3 |
Activision |
$53 |
| 2 |
Norton Antivirus 2004 |
Symantec |
$38 |
| 3 |
MS Office 2003 Student/Teacher Ed |
Microsoft |
$132 |
| 4 |
Norton Internet Security 2004 |
Symantec |
$67 |
| 5 |
MS Windows XP Home Ed Upgr |
Microsoft |
$98 |
| 6 |
Spy Sweeper |
Webroot |
$29 |
| 7 |
Norton System Works 2004 Pro |
Symantec |
$92 |
| 8 |
Spy Sweeper JC |
Webroot |
$11 |
| 9 |
Norton Internet Security 2004 Pro |
Symantec |
$92 |
| 10 |
Norton System Works 2004 |
Symantec |
$68 |
| |
| Games |
| 1 |
Doom 3 |
Activision |
$53 |
| 2 |
The Sims Deluxe |
Electronic Arts |
$20 |
| 3 |
Rise Of Nations |
Microsoft |
$36 |
| 4 |
MS Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection |
Microsoft |
$30 |
| 5 |
The Sims Mega Deluxe |
Electronic Arts |
$36 |
| 6 |
MS Age Of Mythology |
Microsoft |
$31 |
| 7 |
The Sims: Superstar Expansion Pack |
Electronic Arts |
$22 |
| 8 |
MS Flight Simulator 2004: Century Of Flight |
Microsoft |
$34 |
| 9 |
Halo: Combat Evolved |
Microsoft |
$34 |
| 10 |
Far Cry |
Ubisoft |
$38 |
| |
| Business |
| 1 |
MS Office 2003 Student/Teacher Ed |
Microsoft |
$132 |
| 2 |
QuickBooks 2004 Pro |
Intuit |
$262 |
| 3 |
QuickBooks 2004 |
Intuit |
$200 |
| 4 |
MS Office 2003 |
Microsoft |
$387 |
| 5 |
AD Guard |
Valusoft (THQ) |
$19 |
| 6 |
Pop-up Stopper Pro |
Panicware |
$21 |
| 7 |
MS Office 2003 Pro Upgr |
Microsoft |
$311 |
| 8 |
MS Office 2003 Pro |
Microsoft |
$474 |
| 9 |
1000 Best Fonts JC |
Cosmi |
$8 |
| 10 |
Defender Pro 5 in 1 |
Global Star Software (Take 2) |
$20 |
| |
| Home Education |
| 1 |
Instant Immersion Spanish JC |
Topics Entertainment |
$10 |
| 2 |
Instant Immersion Spanish |
Topics Entertainment |
$18 |
| 3 |
Snap! Typing JC |
Topics Entertainment |
$5 |
| 4 |
Dora The Explorer Animal Adventures |
Atari |
$20 |
| 5 |
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 16.0 |
Riverdeep Interactive |
$19 |
| 6 |
Finding Nemo: Nemo's Underwater World Of Fun |
THQ |
$17 |
| 7 |
Jumpstart Toddlers JC |
Vivendi Universal |
$10 |
| 8 |
Jumpstart Preschool Classic JC |
Vivendi Universal |
$10 |
| 9 |
MS Encarta Reference Library Premium 2005 |
Microsoft |
$66 |
| 10 |
Reader Rabbit 1st Grade JC |
Riverdeep Interactive |
$10 |
| |
| List is based on units sold by twenty-three channel partners. For more information, please contact The NPD Group at (703) 376-6226. |
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