Acceleration Partners’ e-commerce growth study—conducted in partnership with 2 Visions—explores the opportunities, strategies, risks and challenges associated with the consumer electronics industry.
Here’s everything you need to know about consumer electronic industry trends shaping the way your brand succeeds in 2025.
This year’s consumer electronics industry trends report identified a few interesting takeaways. Here are a few factors we anticipate shaping e-commerce and marketing for the consumer electronics industry.
Overall, nearly 82% of respondents indicated they were open to future consumer electronics purchases. Male buyers were more likely to do so, with 88.75% of male respondents indicating a likelihood to make a future purchase compared to 73.79% of female shoppers.
Openness varied between generations, though baby boomers, Gen X, and millennials all indicated at least some interest in purchasing consumer electronics in the near future. Millennials ranked as the most likely, with 83.08% indicating they would make a future purchase compared to 78.18% of Gen X respondents and 77.78% of baby boomers. Female shoppers showed the most hesitancy toward a future consumer electronics purchase, with 26.21% suggesting they would not buy any electronics.
That said, there was a high rate of recent electronic purchases across all markets, with 71.19% noting they had made an electronic purchase recently.
While online consumer electronics purchases have increased in popularity, respondents leaned slightly toward in-store purchases overall. Male shoppers were more likely to make an in-store purchase than females (53.43% vs. 51.88%). Baby boomers indicated an obvious preference for in-store shopping, with 60.93% of respondents shopping in-store—9.06% more than the overall average.
Surprisingly, Gen Z agreed—if slightly, with 53.97% of Gen Z respondents opting in-store when buying an electronic device. Of those asked, 68.57% of Gen Z respondents believed an in-store option would result in a higher-quality purchase.
Millennials were more likely to purchase online (50.85%), while Gen X showed a slight preference for in-store buying (48.38% online vs. 51.62% in-store).
Over 62% of respondents said price was the key driver behind an online purchase. Other factors influenced the decision to make an online purchase—including greater selection, the ability to research and compare options and convenience. Still, deals and promotions won out with 60% of millennials and Gen Z buyers and 59.26% of baby boomers.
On that note, price was shown to be the most important loyalty factor across all responders as well. 65.82% prioritized cost, with a whopping 77.78% of baby boomers rating it as the most important factor. Female shoppers consider prices 3.39% more than males, too.
Our study found that friends and family members, as well as ads and content on social media platforms, often led to consumer electronics purchases.
55.34% of females mentioned discovering new products through friends and family, while Gen Z turned to YouTube, TikTok and Facebook for recommendations, product reviews and more.
Ad campaigns have proven to be successful with Gen Z as well, with 42.86% of respondents discovering new products through advertisements. Still, almost 50% of respondents still turn to Google search for product discovery, making search engines a valuable channel in 2025 and beyond.
If your brand is looking to win new customers in 2025, here are four tactics to help you succeed.
Shoppers of all ages value high-quality consumer electronics and positive purchasing experiences. With that in mind, emphasize quality at every stage of the buying experience. And, for those buyers who generally prefer an in-store experience, consider investing in virtual reality experiences that merge the convenience of an online purchase with the hands-on quality of an in-store buy.
Free shipping and easy returns continue to be buyer favorites. With that in mind, consider emphasizing the ease of your purchase process—and implementing free, flexible returns in your 2025 marketing campaigns.
With Google continuing to be a top discovery channel, investing in your search engine optimization and marketing efforts may lead to a strong return. Consider search engine ads and optimized product listings on Google and Amazon to target shoppers across the web.
Social media platforms have proven themselves as winners when it comes to converting shoppers—especially those in the millennial and Gen Z age brackets. From advertisements to affiliate marketing strategies, influencer campaigns and more, you can get your products in front of potential buyers—then leverage the trust they have in established influencers to drive more conversions.
In addition, with so many different types of affiliate partners to consider, you can find an influencer who aligns with your vision and product. If you’re not sure how to start building scalable partnerships and leveraging influencer services, turn to Affiliate Partners. Our partnership management firm can help connect you with the right influencers to target users and drive lasting customer acquisition and revenue.
Despite the numerous opportunities 2025 presents for the e-commerce landscape, there are some risks consumer electronics brands should be aware of.
At Acceleration Partners, we know how much goes into crafting a marketing and sales strategy for your consumer electronics brand. Pivoting your strategy based on data and staying ahead of trends can require careful coordination, too, especially when considering expansion into markets like affiliate publishing as you broaden your brand’s reach.
Fortunately, our team at Acceleration Partners can help. With unrivaled insights into consumer trends and a vetted network of influencers and affiliate publishers, we can craft a winning strategy that drives more conversions and increases your ROI.
Contact us today to learn how we can help.