Feb 1, 2008 6:01 AM, PROMO Xtra

Whichever team wins the Big Game on Sunday, retailers will be big winners with a windfall of product sales from Super Bowl promotions this year.

Marked increases in sales of televisions and furniture will top buyers’ wish lists, according to the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association’s 2008 Super Bowl Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey.

Consumers are projected to purchase 3.9 million TV sets in the run-up to the Big Game – a jump of more than 50% from last year’s 2.5 million TVs sold. They also plan to buy 1.8 million pieces of furniture, up from 1.3 million units sold during the same period last year.

Younger shoppers, ages 18-24, are leading the charge, with nearly one out of 10 (9.8%) planning a TV purchase and one in 20 (4.9%) eyeing a new sofa, or some other furniture item.

Approximately 158 million people will watch the Super Bowl, the survey reported, with consumers planning on spending an average $59.60 on Super Bowl-related merchandise, an increase from $56.04 last year.

The survey estimates that total Super Bowl spending will hit $9.5 billion.

“For many Americans, there is nothing better than watching football with friends and family—especially if they’re also showing off a new TV,” said Phil Rist, vice president of strategy for BIGresearch, in a statement.

While the game action itself is still the prime attraction for most viewers (46.7%), 41.5 million viewers (36.3%) indicated that they tune in to see the ads. The vast majority (75.7%) consider the ads to be entertainment, while a small group (11.1%) dismiss them for delay of game and a smaller group (4.3%) consider them annoying.

BIGresearch conducted the survey for the Retail Advertising & Marketing Association (RAMA).

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