A Surprisingly Robust US Retail Environment

What Display Daily thinks: Most data seems to suggest that consumers in the US are continuing to borrow money for purchases, that the economy refuses to fall into recession, despite the prognostications of phlegmatic pundits, including me, and entertainment seems to be doing well, in general, which should have a knock-on impact for TV sales.

The fact that high ticket items continue to be purchased and the growth in sales is palpable is good news for TV manufacturers. The US market can, however, turn on a dime, and any pullback would be immediately because of the tightness of supply and reduced inventories. Is this a trend or should you be cautious about building a strategy around US consumer sentiment? Probably both.

US Retail Sales of Electronics and Appliances

A report by Hana Securities in Korea said that the prices of all TV panel sizes have seen incremental increases, with the largest percentage rise observed in the 32-inch category. The expected upward trajectory in TV panel prices is said to be due to the performance of the US electronics retail sector.

US retail sales of electronics and appliances. (Source: US Census)

Looking at the data for the month of June, there does seem to be a robustness to the sales figure, despite obvious glitches during what would have been the busiest time for consumers, the Thanksgiving to end of year sales period. If you go back to the peak of sales activity, during the pandemic, the existing monthly results are not that far off from those heady days of consumerism and disposable income.