We know for certain that pandemic lockdowns drove big sales upticks for stay-at-home digital devices – from monitors to headsets. But GfK data shows that gaming-related hardware consistently beat even those elevated performances, with gaming-powered notebook computers leading the way.
Findings from GfK’s global (excluding North America) point-of-sale data show that sales for gaming notebooks increased 25% year over year*, outpacing non-gaming models. (See Table 1.)
In addition, while standard monitors posted a 9% revenue uptick, gaming monitors grew a stunning 52%. And traditional desktop PCs grew 3% – while gaming desktops gained 35%.
Gaming peripherals also turned in stellar numbers, with growth for gaming headsets, keyboards and mice roughly double that for non-gaming models.
Table 1. Growth for gaming vs. non-gaming hardware
% growth of retail unit sales*
|
|
Mobile PC |
Desktop PC |
Monitor |
Headset |
Mouse |
Keyboard |
|
Gaming |
25% |
34% |
48% |
36% |
29% |
25% |
|
Non-gaming |
14% |
3% |
8% |
21% |
10% |
15% |
Source: GfK Global (excluding North America) POS data – growth vs. pre-pandemic
“Even before the pandemic, sales of gaming units were posting strong gains,“ said Josh Wanderman, GfK´s Vice President of Global Market Insights. “With online games becoming more advanced and the rising popularity of Esports and gaming generally, these devices became the go-to choices when homebound consumers saw a need to upgrade their equipment.“
* Timeframe: February 2020 thru May 2021 versus prior 16 months (October 2018 thru January 2020)
Sales upticks in regions around the world
Gaming notebook growth was strong around the world, posting double digit percentage growth in every region GfK tracks (See Table 2.)
Table 2. Regional growth for gaming
% growth of retail unit sales*
|
|
Global |
Western Europe |
Eastern Europe |
Middle East/Africa |
Latin America |
Asia Pacific (w/o China) |
China |
|||
|
Gaming |
25% |
32% |
59% |
59% |
73% |
32% |
13% |
|||
Source: GfK Global (excluding North America) POS data – growth vs. pre-pandemic
“We saw growth for gaming devices accelerate in nearly every region GfK tracks around the world.“ said Wanderman. “With more advanced software development and cloud gaming expanding, we expect the need to update hardware will always be top of mind for gaming-focused consumers.“
Note to editors
As part of its retail panel, GfK regularly collects sales data in more than 70 countries worldwide for products in the consumer electronics, photo, telecommunications, information technology, office equipment, and major and small domestic appliance segments. Data for North America are based on estimates.
