Bundling Strategies Driving Consumer Tech Growth in 2008

IN TERMS OF SHEER IMPACT on driving revenue within the consumer electronics marketplace, no strategy will be more important in the year ahead than the bundling of services and products, according to consumer/retail information provider The NPD Group. As many of the fastest-growing electronics categories mature, and overall electronics sales growth plateaus in 2008, sales efforts will be increasingly focused on breadth of offer, and marketing messages on promoting the benefits of product/service integration, say NPD consumer technology analysts Stephen Baker and Ross Rubin.

"From a business perspective, there's no question that, for both retailers and manufacturers, bundling is the key to remaining profitable and maintaining growth," Baker stressed to Marketing Daily in a phone interview from this week's Consumer Electronics Show.

The analysts also stress the importance of a transformation in retail channels taking place in response to the rapidly changing tech product scenario. New products are creating new consumer segments, old channels are becoming ineffective, and retailers are rushing to create "micro-channels" that reflect the needs and preferences of these splintered consumer groups, they point out.

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