Consumer Electronics

During the review period, consumers across South Africa became more aware of the importance of leading healthy lives. This trend was facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic which gave them more time to reflect on their lifestyles. Such a development…

Volume sales in wearable electronics are on the marginally-positive side of flat in 2023, which is slightly lower than the volume sales seen in 2022. The main trends in the category are connected to the shift from activity wearables to the greater…

Wearable electronics is seeing small positive volume sales in 2023. 2022 was a hard year for almost all consumer electronic categories in China, as the government’s tightened pandemic control measures, thus limiting economic activities. Wearable…

Sales of wearable electronics continues to see strong growth in retail volume terms despite the challenging economic environment. The category received a boost during the pandemic as consumers became more health conscious and showed an increased…

Sales of portable players is recording growth in retail volume terms in 2023, but this being fuelled entirely by the growing demand for wireless speakers. E-readers continue to lose appeal while portable multimedia players have now largely…

During the review period, South Africa faced repeated interruptions to the power supply, known as load-shedding. This had a significant impact on businesses, including consumer electronics, as well as consumer lifestyles. However, these intermittent…

Portable players would be an overall ailing category, was it not for the relative success of wireless speakers. In line with cross-category trends, consumers are rejecting sole-use devices for those which offer multifunctionality and convenience…

Portable players continues to see weak demand overall and remain in a negative figure slump, albeit volume sales have improved from the steep declines seen in 2022. Overall, the advances in technology seen in multifunctional consumer electronics such…

Portable players is now limited to sales of e-readers and wireless speakers in Australia with the latter dominating category sales and driving growth in 2023. Wireless speakers are marketed towards younger consumers, who place a high value on…

Sales of smartphones continue to decline in retail volume terms in 2023 with several factors weighing on demand. Firstly, this stagnation reflects the increasing maturity of the category with very few consumers still without a mobile phone, unless by…

During the review period, there was a clear trend towards smartphones with larger screen sizes in South Africa. This was driven mainly by technological advancements which allowed consumers to perform multiple functions, which until relatively…

Mobile phones remains in a volume decline in 2023, albeit less severe than seen in 2022. The slow sales are attributed to models’ longer lifecycles meaning elongated periods of time between replacements, in addition to the weak economic climate…

Mobile phones is still struggling to recover from the aftermath of the pandemic impacts in 2023. 2022 marked a historic year when sales for mobile phones in China underwent a double-digit decline in volumes sold, amounting to less than 290 million…

Sales of smartphones have seen a small decline in retail volume terms in 2023 with this being driven in part by category maturity but also the economic pressures facing the country. High inflation, an increase in the cost of living and rising…

Sales of in-car entertainment continue to record a steep decline in 2023 with these products increasingly losing relevance in Sweden. New vehicles are introducing ever more advanced built-in entertainment, while for many consumers their smartphones…

The emergence of products with multiple functions across the consumer electronics industry continued to have a negative impact on in-car entertainment in South Africa in 2023. In-car navigation, for example, is increasingly affected by the fact that…

In-car navigation systems continue to be cannibalised by the ubiquitous use of smartphones. Indeed, with the ongoing developments seen in smartphones and associated features and apps, there is a lessening need for consumers to purchase additional…

With advances in technology regarding multi-functional in-vehicle systems, the improvement of industrial policies, and consumers’ increasing demand for in-car entertainment equipment, the penetration of pre-installed in-car entertainment has grown,…

Smartphones are increasingly being used by consumers to guide them while driving thanks to their built-in GPS function. As such sales of in-car navigation in Australia are coming under mounting pressure with the category continuing to record heavy…

Sales of imaging devices are seeing a sharp decline in retail volume terms in 2023 as the category continues to lose its appeal. Consumers are increasingly satisfied with the growing sophistication of the imaging capabilities of smartphones and thus…