As customers gobble up consumer electronics this holiday season, there’s a surge in sales of accessories that go along with them.
“We see a parallel growth in sales. The fourth quarter is the largest for us,” said Jeff Warde, marketing manager for Boulder- based Case Logic. “We market keeping in mind the post-Christmas season.”
Case Logic makes cases for cameras, DVDs, laptops and many other electronic products. It’s one of several Colorado companies benefitting from the popularity of items such as Apple’s new 4-gigabyte iPod shuffle, which was released this fall.
Consumer electronics are expected to account for 25 percent of all gift-giving this year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Revenues are expected to reach $21 billion, up from $17 billion last year.
The industry group has begun tracking accessories as well, which have shown a steady rise in the past four years and are expected to bring in revenues of $10 billion this year.
“Consumers are realizing that in order to get the most out of their consumer electronics, they need to get the most out of their accessories,” CEA spokeswoman Jen Boone said.
At Otter Box, a Fort Collins maker of rugged cases, including many that are water-resistant, sales in December are up 50 percent from October and early November.
“We’ve actually seen an incredible jump in online sales,” said Greg Ward, Otter Box senior account manager. “In previous years, we have noticed an increase, but this year more than others.”
Denver-based eBags, an online retailer of all types of bags, said that iPod and laptop cases are big sellers this holiday season as people look to personalize their electronic purchases.
The company has seen a 43.9 percent rise in its travel-accessory product group this year, according to spokeswoman Brittany Ancell. On Wednesday, its website saw its highest number of orders for the year, 7,826.
“Last week was huge. This is obviously what we wait for,” Ancell said. “It definitely has to do with the iPod being a huge gift- giving item. People want to personalize it further with funky designs and a case.”
In addition to cases and bags, memory cards, speakers, batteries, and audio and video cables count as accessories.
Boulder Amplifiers, a high- end amplifier maker, also is seeing a surge in businesses, as people add home-theater systems to high-definition TV purchases.
“It’s been ridiculously busy for us since the end of September,” said Rich Maez, director of sales and marketing for the company’s North American division. “We’re probably up 25 to 30 percent.”
A new entry-level product line in the U.S. has led to greater exposure for the Boulder company, but instead of just buying that entry-level product, customers are going for higher-end amplifiers, Maez said.
Speakers, cables and printers are in high demand as consumers pick up new items, said Kelly Barry, store manager at Circuit City, 1505 S. Colorado Blvd., in Denver.
One of the most surprising items flying off store shelves is digital photo frames – frames that display a rotation of photos from digital-camera memory cards inserted into the back of the device.
Barry said that while the digital frames have been around for a few years, prices – ranging from $99 to $199 – have become more reasonable.
Customers also are more attuned to all the accouterments that can be purchased along with a new device, Barry said. They’re buying the gadget, along with a gift card, leaving it to the recipient to chose the accessory.
But Jeff Faulkner already knows that his daughter wants a leather case for her iPod this Christmas. Faulkner was at Circuit City with a friend on Friday looking for a 1-gigabyte memory card for a digital camera.
“When you walk in here, they have an entire row of accessories,” the Denver resident said. “You try to buy the accessory along with the gift, if you can afford it.”
Staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at 303-954-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com.
