It’s the end of an era at Best Buy stores across the United States, as the company will stop selling DVDs and Blu-rays at its locations starting in 2024.
The decision reflects a shift that is not only taking shape in consumer habits, but is also occurring at an alarming rate.
In fact, DVD sales reached their record high less than two decades ago, with sales in the United States reaching $16.3 billion (CAD$22 billion) in 2005. However, the numbers declined quickly and stood at just over $2 billion in 2018.
Blu-rays suffered a similar, if less drastic, fate, with record sales of $2.37 billion (C$3.20 billion) in 2013, followed by a slump to $1.8 billion (2 .43 billion Canadian dollars) in 2018.
According to the latest data, total sales of Blu-rays and DVDs reached $1.5 billion (CAD$2 billion) in 2022, evidence that consumers are increasingly abandoning these products.
“These products also took up space in stores,” argued Philippe Richard Bertrand, co-founder of Amplio Stratégies. “I think Best Buy just did a real estate move. They will use other types of devices, perhaps electronic devices, that sell better to replace these long lines of DVDs.”
This size change currently only affects stores in the US. However, it cannot be ruled out that a similar scenario could emerge in Canada in the coming years.
When interviewed by TVA Nouvelles, many Quebecers confirm that habits have changed.
Watch their answers in the video at the beginning of the article.
Originally posted 2023-12-04 02:00:43.