If ‘Selfie’ Was The Word Of The Year In 2013, Selfie Stick Is Top Christmas Gift In 2014
It's not really a very high-tech product, but the selfie stick is tipped to become the top-selling Christmas gift of 2014 in Australia, retail experts said, beating other electronic gadgets such as fitness wristbands, cameras and game consoles.
Other than devices, other items wouldn't be so hot in the eyes of shoppers as a new report from Citi titled What's hot for Christmas 2014 says sale of clothes will be soft and rely on heavy discounts and promos to move from the rack to shopping bags.
Explaining the popularity of the selfie stick, Citi analyst Craig Woolford told The Australian, "In electronic retailing, we note the growing trend towards capturing 'experiences' through GoPro cameras and selfie sticks. The fitness trend is also gathering momentum through Fitbit activity devices."
JB Hi-Fi topped Citi's list of best selfie sticks because of its density and wide range of sticks made up of eight models priced from $29.95 to $99.
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David Jones, Dick Smith, Myer and Target also offer selfie sticks, but Woolford said they would likely miss hitting crucial sales since they have only one model of the stick which was a non-existent gift item in 2013 when "selfie" was declared word of the year.
Microblogging site Twitter followed it up by declaring 2014 as the year of the selfie. The term, which refers to taking one's photo with a smartphone or digital camera, has appeared over 92 million times in Twitter this year.
Besides electronic items, Woolford said toys would also be best-sellers, particularly the Frozen-themed doll of Disney and the Star Wars of Lego, which are both selling well in the US and UK markets.
The report identifies Target as in the best position to benefit the most from the popularity of toys as best-sellers, the apparel industry would be placed under significant strain. Another winner would be restaurants as "dining out and experiences will take share of wallet."