Washington, DC - Baker’s Dozen + 1: Stephen Baker’s Top Holiday 2015 Expectations - NPD Highlights: Consumer Tech for the Holidays:

1. Thanksgiving week sales will exceed last year’s results

2. Brick & mortar retailers will lead the market in Thanksgiving week promotions

3. Promotional frenzy will focus on TVs as consumers lose interest in other big-ticket categories

4. Audio, 4k TVs, and digital fitness bands will be the hot products this holiday season

5. Big screen TVs will dominate holiday sales and promotions like never before

6. TV sales will be the best in years, with mid-single-digit revenue increases

7. Peak fitness - awareness, interest, competition, and availability will make digital fitness the hottest category

8. Home automation will disappoint as consumers still struggle with the value proposition

9. Windows notebooks will struggle to match last year’s outstanding performance

10. Tablet market will remain a drag on industry performance

11. Smartphone growth will slow from 2014

12. Slowing smartphones means slower growth for smartphone    accessories, too

13. Headphones and soundbars lead the audio market with double-digit growth

14. Baker’s Dozen Bonus - Industry holiday sales will fall short of last year’s $15.8 billion

“The consumer electronics business will see growth among some up-and-coming categories during the 2015 holiday season, but it’s going to be a challenge to drive overall industry growth,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. “Market saturation and a mature install base will make it difficult to outpace last year’s holiday sales.”