Vacation Planners Look to Technology to Save Gas, Keep Entertained and Connected on the Road18 May 2006
Approaching the peak travel season, a new national survey reveals Americans are concerned about high fuel prices, but believe technology can help them avoid wasting precious gasoline this summer. Consumer research commissioned by electronics retailer Circuit City Stores, Inc. also shows vacation planners are considering a host of tech tools to carry along on their summer road trips.
Circuit City research* shows high fuel prices rank first among a list of common travel worries.
* Ninety-four percent of Americans planning summer road trips are
concerned or very concerned about gas prices
* Eighty percent are worried about bad traffic
* Fifty-four percent worry about getting lost
Sixty-one percent of survey respondents said they believe a GPS (global positioning satellite) navigation device for their car would help them avoid wasting gasoline on a summer road trip. Asked about features commonly available on GPS devices, eight out of ten respondents said they were interested or very interested in turn-by-turn directions to travel destinations. Respondents expressed similar high interest levels for nationwide street maps and gas station and hotel locators, also built into most GPS devices.
Other technology for the trip:
A GPS navigation system is not the only tech device that would come in handy on vacation. In additional research** commissioned by Circuit City, survey respondents were asked which tech item, other than a cell phone, they would most like to take on a summer road trip:
* Thirty-six percent chose a notebook computer
* Twenty-three percent would take a portable DVD player
* Eleven percent said an MP3 player (such as an iPod) was their top pick
* Satellite radio and handheld video games rounded out the list
Gear for the summer vacation:
Circuit City carries a wide selection of GPS systems from leading manufacturers including Garmin, Tom Tom, Pioneer, Eclipse and Sony. Handheld units, great for hiking, start at less than $100.00. Portable automotive GPS devices start at less than $300.00. Installed in-dash units start at $2,000.00. More information about GPS technology and products can be found at http://www.circuitcity.com.
*One-thousand people responded to the survey, which was commissioned by Circuit City Stores, Inc. and conducted online by Synovate, Inc. of Chicago, Illinois. The margin of error is plus-or-minus three percent.
**The national survey was commissioned by Circuit City Stores, Inc. and conducted on the Internet by Decision Analyst, Inc. of Arlington, Texas. The margin of error is plus-or-minus two percent.
About Circuit City Stores, Inc.
Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) is a leading specialty retailer of consumer electronics. The domestic segment operates through 630 Superstores and five other locations in 158 U.S. markets. The international segment operates through more than 950 retail stores and dealer outlets in Canada. Circuit City also operates Web sites at http://www.circuitcity.com and at http://www.thesource.ca.
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Source: prnewswire
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