December 01, 2008 07:30 ET

Consumer Electronics and Casual Apparel Are Top Ticket Items on Black Friday

NearbyNow Reports Product Demand Information for Hundreds of Local Shopping Areas Across the US for First Official 2008 Holiday Shopping Weekend

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - December 1, 2008) - Black Friday and the following Saturday showed consumer electronics and casual apparel, particularly shoes, continue to be popular items for gifts this holiday season, according to information from NearbyNow, Inc., regarding shopping trends in over 500 cities across the US. Retailers and specialty stores like EB Games, Ritz Camera, Gamestop, The Finish Line, The Walking Company, and American Eagle Outfitters led the pack in product requests over a two-day period beginning on Black Friday.

NearbyNow is currently monitoring what items are in the highest demand across hundreds of cities in the US, based on the use of its popular local shopping service where consumers can search for items at stores near them and put them on hold for pick up. The Wii Fit™ Bundle, and all Wii™ Accessories, including the Wii Super Smash Brothers Bundle, are all in very high demand. These items continue to be particularly popular in the Midwest and Northwest while the Southwest favors Killzone for PlayStation 2 and Nike's Shox running shoes for both men and women.

UGG® Australia Women's Classic Short Suede Boots Shoes are in high demand throughout the East coast, and in American Eagle Outfitter's Eagle Heritage Hoodies and Nike's Air Jordan Retro 1 Mid Basketball Shoe for men top the most requested items in the Southeast. Across the country, the top most requested items this weekend include:

--  Wii™ Accessory Bundle, Wii Fit™ Starter Bundle, Wii Super Smash
    Bros. Bundle, and Wii™ Ultimate Bundle
--  Pyrex® 18-Piece Round Bowl Storage Set
--  Wii Fit™ with Balance Board for Nintendo Wii™
--  The Sharper Image® 4GB MP3 Player
--  American Eagle Outfitter's Eagle Heritage Hoodie
--  Sonicare Essence Electric Toothbrush
--  PacSun Venice Skinny Gray Destroyed Jeans
--  Aeolus Microfiber Down-Alternative Comforter
--  Converse Men's All Star Hi Leather Sneakers
--  The Sharper Image® 10x25 Binocular Camera
--  Killzone for PlayStation 2
--  The Sharper Image® Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Speaker
--  Relativity Women's "Cozy" Brown Boot
--  Nintendo DS System - Gamestop
--  Acer Aspire AS4315-2004 14.1" Laptop
--  Nextar™ M3-03 Portable Navigation System w/$20 Mail-In Rebate
--  Nike Big Kids Air Force 1 Low Sneaker
--  Pacific Sunwear's Venice Skinny Light Blue Destroyed Jeans
--  Sorrento 16 Piece Super Set Bedding
--  Nike Toddlers Impax Tomahawk Running Shoe
--  UGG® Australia's Mayfaire boot
--  Banana Republic's 'Adrienne' color-block flat
--  The Reebok Youth New Jersey Nets Richard Jefferson Swingman Jersey
--  American Eagle Outfitters Buffalo Check Zip Hoodie
--  UGG® Australia Kids' "Payton" Boots
    

Holiday shoppers can get these popular items by going to www.nearbynow.com, searching and once found, clicking "is it in stock?" to put the item on hold. The NearbyNow Concierge Service will call the store to verify the item is still available, and put it on hold -- or if not in stock, they will keep checking back until it's in. Users will get an email and/or text message back confirming the product has been reserved and the name of a contact at the store.

About NearbyNow, Inc.

NearbyNow, Inc. provides a unique online service that allows consumers to search all products, brands, and sales currently available in local shopping areas near them using the Internet or mobile phones. Shoppers can even put items on hold to pick up with a single click, ensuring that items will be available in the needed size and color. The company also creates an efficient marketing tool for retailers to target nearby consumers, helping increase sales by turning online shoppers into in-store buyers. NearbyNow is headquartered in Mountain View, CA. Additional information can be obtained by phone at (650) 967-0940 or via the Web at www.nearbynow.com.