It’s not exactly a household name (yet) like some of the big guys, but Vizio was the leading LCD-TV brand sold in North America in the second quarter of this year, thanks primarily to its products’ relatively low prices and their ubiquitous presence in big-box stores like Wal-Mart and Costco.
According to a new report released this week by analyst iSuppli, Vizio shipped more than 600,000 LCD HD units in North America—an increase of more than 76 percent over Q1, when it shipped fewer than 344,000 LCD sets.
As a result, the Irvine, Calif.-based firm watched its North American LCD market share climb to 14.5 percent—up more than 5 percent compared to Q1. The LCD sales surge in Q2 pushed Vizio past such established past leaders as Sony, Samsung, Philips and Sharp.
According to iSuppli, Vizio seemingly came out of nowhere to jump to the head of the LCD pack by expanding its retail presence to Wal-Mart and Sears last winter. Those two retailers apparently gave the firm the push it needed to excel in its quarterly performance, while maintaining a constant presence in such big-box outlets as Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Despite its impressive LCD numbers, Vizio also manufactures HD plasma monitors.
