Gfk-Key trends for the electronics industry in 2022

by Leda Cavalcanti

The year 2022 presents challenges, but the perspective is for improvement in the second half of the year. “Exchange and input supply issues, and the socioeconomic scenario are among the main obstacles foreseen for the electronics sector”, says Ricardo Moura, head of marketing intelligence Brazil at research firm GfK. “The segments focused on the consumption habits acquired during the pandemic should continue to play a prominent role, especially with the arrival of new brands and more accessible products”, he adds.

A big trend for this year is the affordable premium. Consumers will purchase premium products in segments with better prices. For example, a larger-inch TV, but with simpler technology. Another trend is the exploration of niches (categories and features) as a strategy to reach the consumer, especially in a challenging year. Products aimed at practicality and the experience outside the home are also a trend. “Consumers will not abandon what they learned in the pandemic”, says Ricardo.

“A big trend for this year is the affordable premium. Consumers will purchase premium products in segments with better prices. For example, a larger-inch TV, but with simpler technology.”

In addition to the more affordable premium products, which have been gaining strength in terms of sales since last year, some categories considered as consumer desires should move the market in 2022. Among them are Beer fridges, wine fridges and dishwashers.

TVs

Year of the World Cup, 2022 will have a different edition from all the others, as it will be held in November, and not in the middle of the year, because of the heat in Qatar, host of the event. The country’s capital, Doha, is six hours ahead of Brazil, which will make the game times in the first phase more accessible to Brazilians: at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm. Is this the year of televisions?

“The expectation is that 2022 will continue as the year of the big screens, with an even stronger appeal close to the World Cup. The premium OLED/QLED segment should continue to gain ground, not only among ultra-definition displays but in the display market as a whole. It is expected that the market will recover from the second half of the year, not only due to the expected recovery of the local economy but also due to the normalization of supply and production of screens at factories in Asia. The exchange rate is one of the main points of attention for this industry”, warns Ricardo Moura.

The stimulus to sales of TVs should occur with the World Cup, but other events will move this period, says the head of marketing intelligence at GFK. “With this, the sales of these devices can be more dispersed in relation to previous years. Consumer desire can also turn to other segments related to the in-home experience. There are expectations of good sales, yes, but there is also a lot of uncertainty about what could happen due to Black Friday, held at the same time. The beer fridges are a bet for this more homely World Cup.”

IT and White line

Overall, the pandemic brought an unexpected volume of sales to the IT market. In addition to the pent-up demand, people felt the need for more modern equipment to adapt to the new reality of remote work and study. “Growths above double digits were recorded in 2020 compared to 2019, and a reasonably stable number in 2021 compared to 2020. This demand, however, should slow down in 2022”, says Ricardo.

In computing, there is a tendency to move towards the intermediate lines of laptops. The SKUs built in the new lines bring important elements to improve the user experience, such as faster processors, larger RAM memories, SSDs to speed up simple processes and W11, says the head. In 2022, with the maturity of the category, upgrades and replacements should be the biggest motivators for the exchange of devices.

For the white line, this semester can be challenging, but there is an expectation of improvement towards the end of this year. “In addition to the socioeconomic issues that still persist, we have high inflation, and the jobs generated are of low compensation. The level of occupancy has improved, but largely due to informal jobs, which do not increase purchasing power. The premium products in the category are expected to be stable in relation to 2021”, explains Ricardo.

“Products aimed at practicality and the experience outside the home are also a trend. The consumer will not abandon what they learned in the pandemic”

Source: Eletrolar News #147