Sales of audio products grow in September
Tuesday, November 18 @ 13:30:00 PST
Manufacturer-to-dealer sales of audio products took a turn for the better during the month of September, according to figures released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
Total revenues for the month reached more than $707 million, a slight increase compared to the same period in 2002. Overall category sales were given a boost from strong sales of portable audio products and, in particular, MP3 players.
Portable audio product revenues showed a 24 percent increase compared to September of 2002, pushing factory-to-dealer sales to nearly $260 million, thanks in part to impressive sales of both MP3 players and CD/MP3 combinations. Manufacturer-to-dealer sales of MP3 players increased some 258 percent over the same period in 2002 to generate more than $82 million in revenues. Sales of portable CD/MP3 player combinations reached more than $223 million with an increase of 21 percent over 2002.
Audio systems sales ended the month of September with $183 million in revenues - a modest gain of nearly two percent over the same period in 2002. The slight increase in systems revenues is due in large part to the continued growth of home-theater-in-a-box sales, which improved by nearly 18 percent over 2002 to more than $110 million. Year-to-date figures show home-theater-in-a-box sales remain very healthy with more than $630 million in total revenues.
Data cited in this release is available for purchase through CEA's Market Activity Reports and Analysis (MARA) program. With more than 500 reports published annually, the MARA program is recognized as the "authoritative source" for data on the consumer electronics industry. For a list of available reports and purchasing information, visit www.eBrain.org/mara or send an e-mail request to info@ebrain.com.
