More Holiday Stats: Prices Just Not Low Enough Yet
How low can prices go? Much lower, according to consumers. As of December 1, many were waiting for more deals according to The StrategyOne’s Annual Holiday Shopping Index. The survey found that:
- 69 percent are waiting to find more deals and lower prices before they spend more on gifts.
- 65 percent said they were in no hurry to buy their gifts and would wait for better deals, sales, and promotions before they do their shopping.
- 60 percent said they haven’t seen nearly enough deals so far this season.
- 55 percent of holiday shoppers said they had done some of their holiday shopping, but held off buying certain gifts because prices weren’t low enough yet. At the same time, 54 percent saw lots of items representing good value as they conducted their holiday shopping.
- Concerns about value have even led some consumers to look for alternatives to gift-buying, with 51 percent stating they will find other ways to celebrate the holidays this year without purchasing a lot of presents.
- According to the survey, 84 percent of consumers still have more gifts to purchase, and 75 percent are undecided about exactly what gifts they intend to buy this year.
Ohio Art Distributes Japanese nanoblock
The Ohio Art Company has been named by Kawada Company as the exclusive U.S. sales and marketing agent for nanoblock, the Japanese product line that claims its the world’s smallest toy building blocks. Developed in Tokyo, nanoblock building and construction sets employ a patented double feather design to lock pieces firmly together. Each set, which includes 150 to more than 500 pieces, features different collections.
Nanoblocks are currently available for this holiday season at the FAO Schwarz store in New York City. Nanoblocks are expected to be available nationwide at Toys “R” Us stores in February.
The mini series features a variety of animals ranging from dogs to koala bears. The Sites to See series allows building enthusiasts to construct iconic architecture from around the world including the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower.
Bluetooth Enabled Die-Cast Car Hits the Market
Beanstalk has secured an agreement on behalf of its client, Ford Motor Company, with AutoOcar Ltd., a leader in cutting-edge Bluetooth solutions, to develop the world’s first Bluetooth controlled die-cast car.
The Ford premium Bluetooth enabled die-cast car range is due to launch at retail in early 2011 with models for the Ford Focus RS500, Ford Fiesta, and Ford Mustang GT at 1:43 scale.
The cars are able to be controlled remotely by iPhone and Android with Bluetooth technology and will be available across Asia, Europe, and North America. Application software will be downloadable from the AutoOcar portal, Android’s Market, and the Apple iTunes Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
GrowsUp.com Launches for Holiday Season
GrowsUp.com, an online marketplace exclusively for baby and children’s products, launched last month. The site offers shoppers a customized filter allowing them shop by age, gender, or specific child. Users can input a child’s information and GrowsUp makes recommendations as the child grows. GrowsUp says it selects products from smaller production line Sites to See assortment manufacturers, as well as handcrafted goods from entrepreneurs, to offer shoppers a variety of clothing, toys, books, and goods for children. Green Toys, Kid Kraft, and Melissa & Doug are just some of the toy manufacturers currently selling items on the site.
Guinness World Records as an eBook
Guinness World Records announced the launch of its first-ever digital version, Guinness World Records 2011 specifically for the eReader. The eBook includes all the same information in the latest Guinness World Records 2011 book in a digitally enhanced portable and searchable version.