Consumer Electronics

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the most severe global recession since World War II. In Q4 2020, the end of the pandemic started as countries began administering effective vaccines among the population; however, vaccine distribution…

The global outlook has improved as of Q1 2021, thanks to vaccination progress in many developed countries. Nevertheless, the recovery prospects remain distant for most economies in the face of the spread of new, more infectious variants of the virus.…

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in business models and consumer behaviour, as well as altering the ways and the geography many of us live, work, study and play. Understanding what changes will stick after the pandemic…

The report examines inflation level and drivers globally and in the key countries. Global inflation is forecast to accelerate due to higher energy and commodity prices, disruptions in supply chains and weaker business confidence. Impact varies…

The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

Sales of in-home consumer electronics in Latin America continued to fall in 2022, driven mainly by another big decline in Brazil. However, Mexico continued to see positive growth in 2022, and is expected to soon become the region’s biggest market.…

This report analyses the global production, consumption and prices of copper. While leading copper production countries Chile and Peru are facing challenges in 2022 from rising social backlashes and environmental concerns, global production of copper…

The report examines key factors in supply chain risks in metals, energy and agricultural commodities. Production, market supply concentration and political risks analysis can help to better identify potential risks and prepare for potential…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. In 2023, global inflation is expected to ease from its peak in 2022, but remaining significantly above-trend. Geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market are…

Consumers are facing increased pressure from rising prices as global inflation reaches 7% in 2023. The impact of higher costs of living is felt from top earners in developed markets to struggling households in emerging and developing countries.…

Although the initial forecast for 2022 was for slow growth in volume sales, the reality of that year was more complex and challenging than previously expected. 2020 showed a huge increase in sales of computers and peripherals, and growth continued in…

After seeing exceptional growth during the pandemic, when consumers had to adapt to life indoors and needed to have the proper IT set-up both for their home office and studying from home, computers and peripherals saw a significant decline in the…

Although the contraction seen in desktops and peripherals is modest in 2023, the factors that led to the decline in 2022 are still present. These are the devaluation of the Colombian peso against the dollar, spiralling inflation and the loss of…

Retail volume sales of consumer electronics experienced an overall slight decrease in Brazil in 2022, primarily due to the global economic crisis, worsened by the war in Ukraine, and the zero-COVID policy in China. High inflation within Brazil also…

In 2022, most pandemic restrictions were lifted, and a strong negative impact was seen on volume sales of consumer electronics in Chile, with decline set to continue in 2023, although at a slower rate. These declines have been caused by a fall in…

2022 into 2023 has been difficult for consumer electronics in Colombia, with a contraction in both volume and current value sales. Internal and external factors influenced shrinkage in many categories. Among the most significant was the fact that,…

Headphones experienced dynamic retail volume growth in Brazil in 2022, and this is set to continue in 2023, driven primarily by the increasing popularity of True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds and, to a lesser extent, wireless headbands. As more…

Headphones is set to return to minimal growth in 2023, after seeing a slight retail volume decline in 2022, although continuous growth has been seen in current value terms due to price rises. The strong positive volume performance during the pandemic…

Although wireless headbands and TWS earbuds performed well in 2023, sales in these subcategories have not been enough to offset macro category decline.

Consumers in general are no longer interested in most of the categories within home audio and cinema, with practically all of them seeing double-digit declines in both retail volume and current value terms in 2022, and this is set to continue in…

There is a continued high consumer focus on improving life in the home, which is a residual effect of the pandemic, which led Chileans to purchase consumer electronics to make their lives at home more comfortable. Nevertheless, home audio and cinema…

The decline of home audio and cinema in 2023 is due to its inability to compete with wireless devices with greater technology and functionality. Colombian consumers are increasingly familiar with smart systems, which has led to home audio and cinema…

Home video in Brazil has been badly affected by global price increases, especially considering high inflation in Brazil, which contributed to the decline of the category in 2022 (and also expected in 2023) even as it experienced a temporary sales…

Home video experienced strong retail volume growth during the pandemic in 2021, when consumers had the opportunity to increase their discretionary expenditure, given the withdrawal from pension funds and direct government help. However, with most…

Retail volume sales of home video declined in 2023, as local consumers faced significant constraints on household spending in the wake of rising inflation and low economic growth. Additionally, in the 12 months from March 2022 to March 2023, the…

The rapid advance of technology has led to a significant decline in the popularity of and demand for imaging devices, as they are gradually being replaced by smartphones. With their ever-improving camera capabilities, smartphones have become the…

In 2023, the increase in mobility after the pandemic ended is set to help decelerate the retail volume decline that imaging devices had been suffering, as consumers have returned to enjoying life outdoors. Nevertheless, the substitution trend pushed…

In 2023, a decline in consumer purchasing power amid rising inflation and the devaluation of the Colombian peso in relation to the dollar is impacting sales of imaging devices, though not to the same extent as other consumer electronics. The biggest…

Retail volume sales of in-car entertainment decreased in 2022, and this trend is set to continue in 2023, as other products have been becoming more popular to meet such demand. Meanwhile, retail current value sales increased in 2022, a trend which is…

The historical decrease in volume sales caused by the advance of technology and the popularisation of smartphones as an entertainment centre is expected to continue to hit in-car entertainment in Chile in 2023. Nevertheless, high inflation is set to…

In-car entertainment in Colombia is seeing double-digit volume decline in 2023 as these products become ever more obsolete as the technology and functionality of smartphones improves. Most smartphones currently available have a preinstalled…

The global economic crisis and its ripple effects in Brazil led to decreases in both retail volume and current value terms for mobile phones in 2022, and this is set to continue in 2023. As consumers have tightened their belts and prioritised their…

Extraordinary growth was experienced by mobile phones during the pandemic, when consumers had access to more money, given the help from the government, and the withdrawal of part of pension funds. In a year of normalisation, 2022 saw a significant…

Smartphones continues to see a decline volume sales in Columbia in 2023, in tandem with the pressure on consumer purchasing power. The strong devaluation of the Colombian peso against the dollar has made these products more expensive, and this is…

Wireless speakers is set to continue its aggressive growth trajectory amongst the Brazilian population in 2023, representing a dynamic shift in the way that people consume and enjoy audio content. With their seamless connectivity and wireless…

Portable players is set to return to growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023. This growth will mainly be driven by the largest category, wireless speakers. Despite seeing a decline in 2022, caused by the exceptional growth in…

Wireless speakers is driving growth in portable players in 2023. The key factors behind this are connectivity, portability, and specific functions such as voice assistants. Wireless speakers can synch with multiple smart devices – a must-have in…

In Brazil, wearable electronics has exhibited remarkable resilience in terms of volume growth, even amidst a challenging economic environment characterised by high inflation. Despite the rising costs of living and the overall impact on consumers’…

Wearable electronics in Chile is set to continue to see solid retail volume growth and dynamic current value growth in 2023, as consumer awareness and penetration increase. Despite seeing a deceleration of growth in 2022 and 2023 compared with the…

In 2023, wearable electronics is seeing modest growth in retail volume terms, thanks to the resumption of physical activities in gyms and public spaces post-pandemic. Wearables are now regarded as an important training aid and they can also track…

Computers registered further double-digit volume sales declines in 2023 after very strong performances in the category during 2020 and 2021, followed by falling demand in 2022. The three constituent categories of computers – desktops, laptops and…

Retail volume sales of computers and peripherals are projected to continue to decrease over 2023, after the spike recorded in the wake of the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, when consumers were forced to fall back on the home…

Consumer spending generally remained under pressure in Argentina during 2023. Suppressed commercial activity flowed from an even worse economic performance than what had been expected at the beginning of the year. The main issues include stubbornly…

In general, consumer electronics continued to be affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in the final year of the review period. There was a level of stabilisation in many categories in 2022 and 2023, especially those that had seen spikes in…

2023 saw volume sales of headphones in Argentina increase for the fifth consecutive year. The main reason for the strong positive sales performances being seen in headphones is rising consumer demand for TWS earbuds. Despite wireless headbands and…

Retail volume sales and current value sales of headphones are set to continue to grow over 2023, and at their fastest rates of the review period. During 2020 and 2021, the demand for headphones was strongly supported by the fact that many more people…

During 2023, demand for home audio and cinema remained on a downtrends trend. Volume sales have been falling in the category for many years, although 2020 was an exception as the strict approach taken to social distancing and home seclusion at the…