Digital cameras may be losing their coveted position as the most-wanted holiday gift item in favor of Global Positioning System devices.
Sales of the devices are booming this holiday season as the satellite-based mapping technology, once reserved for luxury cars, is everywhere.
The small, portable devices start at around $200. Consumers can mount them in their cars or take them along when traveling to a new city.
“This is one of the first holiday seasons I’ve been asked about GPS (devices) on an hourly basis,” said Aaron Sanford, customer assistant supervisor at the Best Buy store on South Colorado Boulevard in Denver. “A lot of people are getting them as gifts for their parents, but there’s a pretty wide variety of people asking for them.”
Revenue from sales of the devices grew 237 percent this year, according to the NPD Group. Weekly data for the first three weeks of the holiday season saw unit sales up 488 percent over last year, NPD reported.
Even companies that make cases for the devices, such as Longmont- based Case Logic, are seeing a strong uptick in business.
Jeff Warde, marketing manager at Case Logic, says cases for the GPS units are a fast-growing segment for the company, which also makes cases for CDs, laptops and MP3 players, as well as luggage.
