Aug
23
This was a contentious week for Mattel,Inc. The maker of the Barbie doll toys announced it was suing the maker of the Bratz toys, a growing competitor for stealing Mattel’s ideas. We asked 27 toy store respondents which toy is its hottest item? Are you currently sold-out of any hot item? Which is your best selling Barbie, and between the Bratz and Barbie, which sells best? 30% of those interviewed said that action figures are selling like hot cakes, while 11% said the Nintendo wii sells best. (Other items mentioned were video games, Elmo live , and anything to do with Hannah Montana.) 30% of those interviewed said they were selling out of Nintendo wii or some video games. 19 people or 70% however, said they were selling out of anything at all. And 52% contended that Barbie remains the best selling and superior doll. (Hispanic Barbie, Barbie Splash and Tooth Fairy Barbie were among those mentioned). 41% insist Bratz is best.
Aug
23
Akeena Solar Installations Ranging from Two Weeks to Six Months
Filed Under Renewable Energy Stuff | Leave a Comment
Stores selling Akeena Solar Inc., products were surveyed this week after the company’s Q2 earnings loss widens to $5.1m. We asked 20 respondents whether they only install their “Andalay” solar power system or are other options offered? We asked how long is the wait time for a residential installation and who is responsible for getting the permit – the homeowner or the dealership? Stores were in various states across the US. We found that 65% of those polled offered other options to installing various solar power systems, not only the Andalay. 30% only offered the Andalay, while 5% only offered Clean Power. Most people, 45% said the wait is only two weeks or less for residential installation. 20% said people wait one to two months, another 20% said three-month wait times were normal and 5% said things could take up to six months. As for permits, 65% said it is the homeowner’s responsibility. 30% said it was the dealerships and 5% said either party could be liable.
Aug
22
BlackBerry Strong at Alltel (the next Verizon Target) in August
Filed Under Cell Phones | Leave a Comment
We recently surveyed 26 Alltel stores across the US. 35% cited the LG Scoop as the best-selling phone model, up from 12% in March, while 27% cited the MOTORAZR. 12% mentioned the Blackberry Pearl. Various Blackberry models were cited by 58% as the best device for e-mail, down slightly from 67% in March. 24% stated the Motorokr Z6M is the best music device, followed by the Motoroloa RAZR, the LG Glimmer and the LG AX565, each mentioned by 15%.
This data bodes well for Research In Motion as Alltel’s customer base appears to prefer the Blackberries for e-mail and this will help fight off the LG and Palm efforts within Verizon to be recommended over the Blackberry. Covnersely, for the general phone population LG scoop is attractive. LG appears to be a strong fixture at Alltel, which will help with integration as Verizon also promotes LG devices heavily.
Aug
22
We consulted retailers stocking Dell Computer’s this month after the company launched 10 new laptop models. Respondents at 32 stores including Wal-Mart, RadioShack, Best Buy and Circuit City were interviewed on how laptop sales were proceeding this month? Which mode series do those best selling brands belong to snd which brand of microprocessors? We found it interesting that 62% of those polled said that sales of laptops had increased this month. Only 12 people or 38% said sales had slowed. The best selling laptop computer brand was Hewlett Packard according to 41% of those we interviewed. Twenty five % mentioned Sony and only 22% mentioned Dell. Pavilion was mentioned by 41% of those we interviewed as the mode series. 25% mentioned VAIO, 69% mentioned Intel as the best selling microprocessor brand. 31% cited AMD.