AirPods, Winter Apparel Seen as Early Winners of Holiday Season

(Bloomberg) -- Will this year’s Black Friday finally spark a sustained retail comeback?

While the answer remains to be seen, the sellers of outerwear and gadgets such as Apple AirPods and the Sony Playstation VR have reason to be encouraged.

Those were some of the hottest sellers so far during the Black Friday weekend, the traditional kickoff to the holiday season. In the toy category, L.O.L. Surprise, Hatchimals and Colleggtibles led the way, according to a report from Adobe Systems Inc. A survey from Deloitte & Touche, meanwhile, showed that shoppers were purchasing apparel, gift cards and electronics.

At a Kohl’s Corp. store in Freehold, New Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Poonam Goyal saw high demand for Nest and Ring smart-home devices, with those products completely selling out by Friday morning.

Other trends spotted by Black Friday observers include:

• Sportswear, destructed denim, logo apparel and discounted beauty products were popular, according to Oliver Chen, an analyst at Cowen & Co. In other categories, he saw shoppers buying televisions, smart-home devices, Nerf guns, Star Wars merchandise and hover boards.
• Macy’s had sold 200,000 coats by 7 a.m. on Friday morning and expects to sell up to a million by the end of the weekend, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gennette said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. 
• Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Chen Grazutis saw bustling traffic at a Hollister store in Northern New Jersey: “Long lines inside for cashiers didn’t deter shoppers. Around the mall, many Hollister bags were seen.” The brand’s popularity recently bolstered the third-quarter results of Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

With consumer confidence high and unemployment near record lows, retailers are keen to prove that brick-and-mortar stores maintain their appeal -- even as e-commerce steadily grows.

After a grim year in which broad swaths of the retail industry dealt with declining sales and consumer interest, a number of companies seem to have regained some momentum in the lead-up to the crucial holiday season.

Tracy Ferschweiler, a manager who oversees seven stores for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in New York and New Jersey, said electronics were the main draw. But in addition to high-priced TVs, shoppers were snatching up cheaper goods such as Roku players and phone accessories.

“They get overlooked,” Ferschweiler said in a phone interview. “But they’re important gifts.”

--With assistance from Matthew Boyle

To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Roeder in Mexico City at jroeder@bloomberg.net, Lindsey Rupp in New York at lrupp2@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Roeder

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