'Tis the Season for Shopping Smarter: iPod(R) Generation Planning Savvy Shopping This Holiday Season

iLive holiday survey shows shoppers pick price over brand names this year

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new holiday shopping survey by iLive, more than one-third (37 percent) of shoppers plan to shop smarter during their quests for the perfect gifts this holiday season. Whether they are bargain hunting online, looking for special sales or cutting coupons, shoppers are more focused on getting the most for their money. For nearly half (48 percent) of U.S. consumers between that ages of 18-34, that means planning to spend less this holiday season altogether.

The survey revealed that a significantly higher number of women (44 percent) than men (32 percent) plan to shop smarter this holiday season, and twice as many men than women do not plan on purchasing any gifts at all this year (15 percent versus 7 percent respectively). Even of those who do plan to spend more money this year than last, half (50 percent) still plan to shop smarter.

"In this volatile economy, we found that regardless of budget, consumers are looking for ways to make smarter purchases this holiday season," said Bill Fetter, CEO for DPI, Inc., maker of iLive. "For many, that will mean buying accessories and add-ons to compliment items that their loved ones already own."

As more shoppers search for smarter buys, the survey shows that brand names will take a back seat to price when it comes to buying gifts. In fact, when asked to rank price, design, quality and brand in order of importance when buying electronics accessories as gifts, quality and price took the cake, with 80 percent and 79 percent of shoppers respectively ranking those factors as being extremely or very important. The brand name was listed as least important.

With a spike in iPhone(TM) and iPod® touch sales and the recent introduction of the new 5th generation iPod® Nano, many Apple fans will likely have compatible accessories on their wish lists this year. According to the survey, more than one-third (36 percent) of all holiday shoppers have at least one iPod or iPhone owner on their shopping list, making audio accessories a great option for gift givers. A significantly higher number of 18-34 year old consumers (50 percent) than those ages 35-54 (29 percent) and 55 and over (27 percent), have at least one person on their gift list who owns an Apple iPod or iPhone.

"When it comes to shopping smart, price matters, but so does quality," said Bill Fetter, CEO for DPI, Inc., makers of iLive. "iLive audio systems offer the best of both worlds with sounds systems that make great stand alone gifts or serve as audio upgrades to electronics that may have been under the tree in past years, such as flat screen TVs, iPods and iPhones."

The Gift of Entertainment

iLive offers a full line of stylish, award-winning iPod and iPhone-compatible docking systems that live for entertainment and are loaded with features. With systems ranging in price from $39.99 to $199.99, there is an affordable, quality option at nearly every price point, including:

• iLive portable audio systems that give iPod and iPhone lovers the flexibility to share their tunes anytime, anywhere. Available in an array of shapes, colors and sizes, these systems are ideal gifts for those who live unplugged, and range in price from $39.99 to $79.99.
• iLive home music systems that bring style and sound to any living space or office with a front-facing iPod dock and disc player that become concealed behind a tinted door with the press of a button. A digital AM/FM radio completes the package and independent speakers can be moved away from the base to redirect sound. At price points ranging from $79.99 to $99.99, they are an affordable upgrade for music lovers of every generation.
• iLive bar speakers that can make flat screen TVs sound as good as they look for less than $200. These all-in-one home entertainment systems allow consumers to listen to their iPod, the AM/FM radio or enhance the sound of their favorite television shows and DVDs through a compact bar speaker system, all while charging their iPod.
  

iLive made its debut at CES in 2006 and has since become the No. 1* iPod speaker bar company in the U.S. Earlier this year, DPI, Inc. announced a rebranding initiative that changed the pronunciation of the iLive brand name to reflect that the award-winning home audio products are designed to live (verb) for music, videos and entertainment. iLive products are sold at major electronic, mass and online retailers throughout the country.

For additional product information, visit www.ilive.net. For an online press kit with downloadable product images, visit http://tinyurl.com/iLiveAudio.

*NPD sales in units and/or dollars

About the iLive Smart Holiday Shopping Survey

Valient Solutions Market Research conducted the Valient Poll(TM) U.S. Online Omnibus Survey among 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and over between October 12 and 15, 2009. These results have a sampling error of +/-3 percentage points and are representative of the total population of U.S. online adults.

About iLive and DPI, Inc.

iLive is a brand division of the Digital Products International (DPI, Inc.) family of consumer electronic products. iLive designs, manufactures, and markets a complete line of "Made for iPod(R)" and "Works with iPhone(TM)" products. The company's in-house team of industrial designers and electronics engineers combines the most innovative and performance-driven feature sets with trendy and unique designs focusing on today's style and performance. iLive delivers maximum audio/video performance with visual impact. iLive products are found at regional and national retail outlets. For more information on iLive and its products and services, visit www.ilive.net.

DPI, Inc.'s corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri houses its engineering, logistics and design groups as well as 190,000 square feet of domestic warehouse space. DPI, Inc. also has offices in Asia that provide engineering, design, logistics, quality control, and global product management services. Currently, DPI, Inc. is the corporate umbrella for the brands iLive, GPX, Capri, ZLive and WeatherX. DPI and its group of companies have formed an environmentally responsible alliance with a commitment to the development of energy efficient products, and innovative and responsible green programs designed to protect for today and sustain for tomorrow. For more information on DPI, Inc. and its products and services, visit www.dpi-global.com.

iPod is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.

    For more information, contact:
    Lorie Eigenrauch, 314.552.6783
    Leigenrauch@webershandwick.com
    John Lowrey, 314.657.2413
    jlowrey@dpi-global.com

SOURCE DPI, Inc.