January 06, 2010 10:07 ET

BIGresearch's Electronics Retail Ratings: Best Buy Increases Hold on Top Spot; #2 Walmart Gaining Ground

Competition Heats Up for Retailers Among Consumers With Incomes Less Than $50,000

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - January 6, 2010) - One-third (33.1%) of adults 18+ say they shop Best Buy most often for Electronics, and its preference among consumers is growing, according to the December Retail Ratings Report from BIGresearch (http://www.bigresearch.com). But the big box isn't the only retailer to see growth in preference year-over-year. Walmart, Amazon, Target and Sears all experienced positive gains in consumer share.

ELECTRONICS - TOP 5 RETAILERS

CONSUMER PREFERENCE
                  SHARE
Store     Dec. 2008       Dec. 2009       +/-     CEI*
Walmart   17.0%           20.6%           3.7     121.63
Best Buy  29.8%           33.1%           3.3     110.96
Amazon    2.3%            3.6%            1.4     159.12
Target    2.1%            2.8%            0.6     129.57
Sears     1.6%            2.0%            0.4     124.58

*CEI measures growth in share of consumer preference year over year. An
index of 100 is flat, while an index of 105 indicates 5% growth.

Source: BIGresearch Retail Ratings Report, Dec 09

Best Buy is #1 for electronics purchases among shoppers who report a household income of less than $50,000, with 29.5% shopping there most often. However, #2 Walmart follows closely behind (28.4% shop there most) and the two appear to be growing at a similar rate of speed with CEI ratings of 118.54 and 116.51, respectively.

When it comes to shoppers who report an income of greater than $50,000, Best Buy is also ahead of the pack with 41.4% shopping there most often and a CEI of 107.98. Walmart is its closest rival with 13.5% shopping there most for electronic purchases (CEI=115.99). Although its overall share is small (5.3%), Amazon's appeal among this group has grown 96% year-over-year.

For an excerpt from the December Retail Ratings Report: http://info.bigresearch.com/.

BIGresearch's Retail Ratings Reports (RRR) are available monthly for 12 major merchandise categories. They are developed from BIGresearch's monthly Consumer Intentions & Actions (CIA) Survey of over 8,000 online interviews.

About BIGresearch

BIGresearch® is a consumer intelligence firm providing analysis of behavior in areas of products and services, retail, financial services, automotive and media. BIGresearch conducts the monthly Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey® (CIA™) of 8,000+ respondents and the semi-annual Simultaneous Media Usage® Survey (SIMM®) of 15,000+ respondents. More information is available at http://www.bigresearch.com