PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (PRWEB)
September 19, 2019

According to the newly released Future of Tech report from The NPD Group, consumer electronics revenue is expected to grow 3 percent annually through 2021 in the U.S. consumer marketplace. Desire for big screen TVs, product innovations in wireless headphones, continued home automation adoption, and rising interest in smart displays will fuel growth.

“Steady single-digit growth is notable in a mature market where consumers are not replacing or repurchasing items at the same rate they did in prior years,” said Stephen Baker, vice president, industry advisor for The NPD Group. “While some categories offer new, greenfield growth opportunities, the majority of revenue growth will occur from trade-ups and average sales price (ASP) increases, as opposed to rising unit volume sales.”

In mainstay categories consumer expectations are changing the product mix, and the movement to large screen TVs is raising category revenues, despite expected flat unit sales overall. By 2021, one in four TV unit sales will be for a screen size larger than 65-inches, and those will account for 60 percent of the category’s sales dollars.

In audio, true wireless headphones have become the format of choice for consumers and are expected to see tremendous growth over the forecast period. Based on Future of Tech report findings, true wireless headphones will hold three-quarters of the headphone market dollar share by 2021.

“True wireless earbuds have evolved into virtual must-have mobile phone accessories, and many products now offer features such as hands-free digital assistant access and touch/tap controls for interfacing and controlling smartphones. This bond between headphone and smartphone will help drive new sales in the future,” noted Ben Arnold, executive director, industry analyst. “Headphones is just one example of a mainstay category that is driving growth through new feature sets, we expect brands in other segments will take a similar approach to find growth in this competitive environment.”

While smart home technology will begin to slow compared to recent years, NPD expects it will remain an area of strength as decreases in ASPs will make products more accessible and drive acceptance among consumers. Home automation revenue is expected to grow 40 percent from 2018 to 2021. During this timeframe smart display dollar sales are expected to triple as they become more available and serve both as a smart home interface device and a point of modern convenience.

The Future of Tech report is a 36-month tech industry forecast released biannually with analysis and insights that cover over 200 technology categories[1]. To show what lies ahead, this report combines point-of-sale data, consumer information, and industry expertise to help companies across the industry maximize their potential.

[1] Based on forecasted sales of technology products captured in The NPD Group Retail Tracking Service point-of-sale data. This does not include mobile phones or Amazon-branded products.

About The NPD Group, Inc.

NPD offers data, industry expertise, and prescriptive analytics to help our clients grow their businesses in a changing world. Over 2000 companies worldwide rely on us to help them measure, predict, and improve performance across all channels, including brick-and-mortar and e-commerce. We have offices in 27 cities worldwide, with operations spanning the Americas, Europe, and APAC. Practice areas include apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, books, B2B technology, consumer technology, e-commerce, fashion accessories, food consumption, foodservice, footwear, home, juvenile products, media entertainment, mobile, office supplies, retail, sports, toys, travel retail, video games, and watches / jewelry. For more information, visit npd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgroup and @npdtech.

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