Spotlight on growth areas in Home Entertainment and Gaming, Smartphones, Health Tech, and Workplace Tech
- Global value growth will be led by emerging markets, including +5% growth projected for China.
- AI has potential to drive premiumization but requires increased focus on raising consumer awareness of “visible” benefits.
- Consumers continue to demonstrate purpose-driven spending.
Chicago, April 1, 2025: NielsenIQ (NIQ), a leading consumer intelligence company, today released its Consumer Tech Industry Trends 2025 report, forecasting global Consumer Tech & Durables sales to reach $1.29 trillion—driven by emerging markets, replacement cycles, and premium innovation—in the year ahead.
“To grow in 2025 and beyond, manufacturers and retailers must lead with value—real innovation that resonates with today’s purpose-driven consumers,” says Julian Baldwin, Global President of Tech & Durables, NIQ. “The opportunity lies in products that improve performance, enhance everyday experiences, and offer visible returns on investment. Premiumization, especially through AI, is a key growth lever, but only if it’s intuitive, accessible, and clearly beneficial.”
Top 2025 Tech Trends:
- Home Entertainment and Gaming: Immersive Wins, But Timing Matters.
- TV upgrades will lag until 2026, with innovation and replacement of broken TVs being the key 2025 drivers.
- Demand for 70-inch-plus TVs surged 25% in 2024—a continued push toward immersive, in-house experiences.
- Gaming PCs are entering replacement cycles, with 2025 lockdown-era purchases now due for upgrades.
- The Audio category rose 3% globally, fueled by demand in emerging markets alongside popularity of wireless headbands and open ear headphones.
- Smartphones: Premiumization with a Purpose
- Most consumers (71%) now keep their smartphone for 3+ years, up from 52% in 2020.
- Sales of > $600+ smartphones jumped 6%, while lower-priced phones demand declined 1%.
- AI remains a latent differentiator. Only 7.8% of global buyers cited AI as their purchase driver, though this is up YoY (from 6% in Q224).
- Power packs sales grew 7%, driven largely by demand in Europe.
- Health Tech: Top Performer with Premium Potential
- Wearables posted 4% growth in 2024 and are expected to accelerate in 2025.
- AI-powered predictive health features and personalization will drive premium growth in this category.
- Workspace Tech: Time to Replace
- A new wave of PC/laptop replacements is underway, tied to 2020 pandemic purchases aging out.
- Consumers are prioritizing memory (55%), operating system (50%), and battery life (49%) when upgrading.
- Black Friday 2024 laptop sales grew 173% YoY in key markets like Brazil, Czechia, EU5, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
- Promotional Events: Deals are Driving Tech Purchases
- Major events matter: 33% of tech sales in 2024 occurred during seven key promotions, up from 29% in 2021.
- Expect shoppers in 2025 to plan around seasonal deals more than ever.
- Regional Outlook: Emerging Markets to Lead Growth
- China (+5%) and Emerging Asia (+4%) will lead global growth, followed by Middle East & Africa and North America.
Why These Trends Matter for 2025
NIQ’s Consumer Tech Industry Trends 2025 report equips businesses with a forward-looking roadmap to unlock category growth, target evolving personas, and drive revenue through data-backed innovation.
Download the full report to explore consumer tech’s most promising sectors and strategic imperatives.
About NIQ
NielsenIQ (NIQ) is the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. NIQ combined with GfK in 2023, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. Today NIQ has operations in more than 95 countries covering 97% of GDP. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™.
For more information, please visit www.niq.com
