With all the holiday fervor behind us, it’s time to look straight down the barrel, and take aim as the new year gets off to a huge start. To put it quite bluntly, it’s hard to get more huge than the CES Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and this is definitely the biggest thing to happen in the first week of 2010 for wholesalers, whether they are in the electronics business or not. A lot of speculation and fresh trend-setting indicators will be generated from this collision of electronics manufacturers, and the real winners are clearly going to be the wholesalers and retailers who have their ears to the ground, as they capture and utilize the valuable information that is produced from watching their customer’s reactions. Be sure to check out vertical search engines like Manufacturer.com to see what deals can be made in the electronics market, and gather some information of your own, as we prepare to see what these giants in the fields of cameras, computers, DVD, electronics, LCD TV, HDTV, and consumer electronics will be doing to stir up some excitement this time around.

Things are looking rosy for 2010

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO

photo guardian.co.uk

There’s never been a better example of having too much of a good thing, as LCD TV sales were great for the past few years with HDTV sales nipping at their heels at a remarkable rate. Somehow the TV manufacturers of the world are going to be conjuring up something new to arouse the curiosity of their customers, and it’s looking like the 3D TV technology concept is going to be pushed pretty hard this time around. Will it take hold… or will it fall flat, as consumers are still paying for their newly-installed flat panel TV sets at home? Many people were buying them at a rate that exceeded expectations, according to many of the top players like Sony. So far, juggernaut companies like Sony, Microsoft, Samsung, Panasonic, and Toshiba have been basking in a post-economic crisis afterglow that was made possible through fuelled consumer spending, stimulus packages, and all the sort of number-bending tactical manipulation that comes with the territory… but in the end, is 3D really worth it? Many experts aren’t holding their breaths on this one, and there are too many sources pointing out the fact that the 3D market will be difficult to cultivate, since there aren’t too many aspects of programming that cater to the specialized 3D market, and the type of content that will propel it to a high level should at least be worth watching, if there’s any hope of this thing taking off. So far, not much is being done in this area, besides Disney movies, and of course the newest blockbuster Avatar, courtesy of James Cameron.

Some hard stats on CES include the record-breaking 330 companies that will be represented at the show, as well as the fact that there will be over 2,500 new products on display this year. the show is broken up into twenty market-specific “TechZones” for attendee convenience, and visitors can browse the latest in eBooks, mobile DTV and “safe driver” technology while getting an eyeful of the other attractions on display. Over 800 expert speakers will also be on the premises, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was already making the lines grow, as hundreds of eager attendees waited for over an hour to make their way inside.

In spite of the beaten and bruised economy, things are looking bright for electronics in 2010. Wholesalers and retailers would be wise to take note of the efforts in marketing and promoting these goods, as they look for new approaches to capturing the hearts and minds of buyers in this extremely fast-paced sector. While speculation about the 3D market looks like a shaky proposition, it could drive prices down in other areas, and that would certainly boost wholesale as inventories are liquidated, and deals spring forth.