Personal Care
It sems Keeping up appearances also means investing in personal care products, which range from shaving cream to toothpaste to perfume. From November 2007 to November 2008, U.S. sales of shampoo, acne treatments, skin care gift sets and grooming products increased by 18%, 14%, 11% and 15%, respectively, according to Karen Grant, senior beauty analyst at NPD.
Smart Phones
From Apple's iPhone to Blackberry's Bold, smart phones continue to increase in popularity. From November 2007 to November 2008, the number of smart phones purchased increased from 13m to 24m.
Video Games & Consoles
Consumers today desire affordable escapism, and videogames fall into that category. Two top-selling games -- "Madden NFL '09" and the "Wii Fit" -- sold 5 million units combined in the third quarter of 2008, according to NPD.
Gym Memberships
Just because you've been let go doesn't mean you have to let your appearance go. That's the sentiment many Americans are taking on this year, as total gym memberships are estimated to increase by 4% in 2009, according St. Louis, Mo.-based market research firm Stifel Nicolaus.
Toy Building Sets
It's hard to say no to your kids, even when times are tough. That's why toys like building blocks -- which often last and keep kids occupied longer than other games -- saw an increase of 30% from October 2007 to October 2008, according to NPD. Lego, arguably the king of building blocks, says that 2008 year-over-year sales increased by more than 12%.
