Fewer Black Friday shoppers to buy tech products

Sorry, kids. You might be getting books this year instead of that Xbox.

Fewer consumers plan to add tech to their Black Friday weekend shopping lists than in years past, a new survey shows.

Only 31 percent of shoppers surveyed said they plan to buy consumer-electronics products this weekend, according to data released on Tuesday by the Consumer Electronics Association.

The estimate, based on telephone interviews with 1,002 adults, is down markedly from CEA’s polls on actual Thanksgiving weekend shopping patterns over the past five years.

Last year, 49 percent of people surveyed by CEA said they purchased technology over Thanksgiving weekend, down from 52 percent in 2011 and 57 percent in 2010, according to data from CEA.

In 2009, 54 percent of consumers surveyed said they bought technology over the Black Friday weekend — marking the first year that demand for gadgets surpassed toys during that shopping period.

Tech has remained in the second-place slot ever since, said Shawn DuBravac, CEA’s chief economist and senior director of research.

DuBravac said he’s not concerned about indications of lower demand for gadgets this year. That’s because the category appears poised to retain its status as the second-most coveted Black Friday item, behind clothing, which has held the top spot for years, he said.

Also, DuBravac believes consumers may not be able to resist plunking down the big bucks once they get behind the shopping carts after bingeing on turkey on Thursday.

“If there weren’t a large number of new [tech] products out there, I think I would be concerned,”

DuBravac said. “But looking at all the circulars and the deals that are being promoted, it’s going to be a very tech-heavy weekend.”