NPDTechworld, a market information provider, reports that that dollar sales of retail computer software achieved “healthy gains” in the first half of 2002 compared with the first half of 2001, with significant revenue growth in business and gaming categories.
Retail revenues from the sale of operating systems, including Mac OS X and Windows XP, increased 40 percent during the first half of 2002. Also hot were virus detection software titles; retail sales of such software were 70 percent higher during the first six months of 2002.
“New operating systems help drive software sales as consumers look to upgrade their existing software to utilize the features of the new OS,” said Steve Koenig, senior software analyst, NPDTechworld. “The continuing proliferation of the Internet among U.S. households, broadband in particular, has elevated virus detection software from a valuable feature to a mandatory utility.”
In the overall retail software market, software dollar sales approached the US$3 billion mark, improving five percent when compared with the same period in 2001. Strong sales of operating systems and virus detection titles helped cultivate business software revenues over the past six months. Retail revenues in the business software category eclipsed the $1.5 billion level, improving by nine percent during the first half of 2002. Retail dollar sales of personal computer games climbed past the $600 million level for the first time in the first half of 2002, beating 2001’s same period results by $20 million.
“The first half of the calendar year is typically a slower period for retail software sales,” said Koenig. “Advancing revenues for the retail software market during this period is a sign of health and suggests further dollar expansion in the months ahead.”