The German home electronics market, as detailed in the HEMIX (Home Electronics Market Index), has experienced a notable downturn in the first three quarters of 2023. The market, which encompasses a broad range of consumer electronics, saw a 6.1% dip compared to the same period in the previous year, with sales for the sector hitting nearly 31.8 billion euros ($34.6 billion).
Diving into electronics, the sector’s nearly 20 billion euros ($21.8 billion) in sales marked a 6.5% decrease. However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as the sector witnessed varied trends across its segments. Consumer electronics, surprisingly, saw a 0.6% uptick to 5.4 billion euros ($5.9 billion). The picture wasn’t as rosy for privately used telecommunications and IT products, which plunged by 6.4% and 13.9%, respectively.
TVs, a mainstay of consumer electronics, also took a hit, with sales dropping 10.7% to almost two billion euros ($2.2 billion). In contrast, the photography segment showed resilience and growth, with action cams, digital cameras, and interchangeable lenses all seeing sales increases. The home audio segment didn’t fare as well, declining by 6.7%. In an interesting twist, audio/video accessories surged forward with a 4.3% rise in sales, reaching almost 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion). Video game consoles also saw a significant sales boost of 72.7%.
The telecommunications sector presented a mixed bag. Wearables like fitness trackers and smartwatches saw a 2.0% increase in sales, but unit sales dropped. Smartphones faced a tougher time with a 7.2% sales decline and a significant drop in units sold.
The computing segment also faced challenges, with desktop PCs, notebooks, and tablet PCs all seeing sales declines. However, average prices for notebooks and tablet PCs went up.
The electrical household appliances segment didn’t escape the downturn, with large appliances and small appliances both recording sales declines. Below is a breakdown on some key categories from the report.
| Nine Months Ended | Sept 2022 | Sept 2023 |
| TV-Display | 3,214 | 2,852 |
| Satellite/Set-Top-Boxes | ||
| – Sat. Systems/Antennas | 230 | 169 |
| – Set Top Boxes | 719 | 650 |
| Video Total | ||
| – DVD Players/Recorders | 149 | 113 |
| – Blu-ray Players/Recorders | 234 | 179 |
| – Media Boxes/Sticks | 1,350 | 1,144 |
| Action Cams (incl. Camcorders) | 199 | 209 |
| Digital Cameras | 510 | 467 |
| Interchangeable Lenses | 352 | 348 |
| Home Audio Total | ||
| – Individual Components | 230 | 232 |
| – Audio Home Systems | 421 | 353 |
| – Smart Audio | 747 | 557 |
| – Speaker Boxes | 871 | 728 |
| Nine Months Ended | Sept 2022 | Sept 2023 |
| TV-Display | €2,191 | €1,957 |
| Satellite/Set-Top-Boxes | €67 | €61 |
| – Sat. Systems/Antennas | €22 | €17 |
| – Set Top Boxes | €45 | €44 |
| Video Total | €125 | €111 |
| – DVD Players/Recorders | €7 | €6 |
| – Blu-ray Players/Recorders | €33 | €28 |
| – Media Boxes/Sticks | €85 | €78 |
| Action Cams (incl. Camcorders) | €61 | €67 |
| Digital Cameras | €377 | €401 |
| Interchangeable Lenses | €287 | €288 |
| Home Audio Total | €553 | €516 |
| – Individual Components | €97 | €102 |
| – Audio Home Systems | €87 | €76 |
| – Smart Audio | €92 | €90 |
| – Speaker Boxes | €277 | €248 |
| Nine Months Ended | Sept 2022 | Sept 2023 |
| TV-Display | $2,388 | $2,133 |
| Satellite/Set-Top-Boxes | ||
| – Sat. Systems/Antennas | $24 | $19 |
| – Set Top Boxes | $49 | $48 |
| Video Total | ||
| – DVD Players/Recorders | $8 | $7 |
| – Blu-ray Players/Recorders | $36 | $31 |
| – Media Boxes/Sticks | $93 | $85 |
| Action Cams (incl. Camcorders) | $66 | $73 |
| Digital Cameras | $411 | $437 |
| Interchangeable Lenses | $313 | $314 |
| Home Audio Total | ||
| – Individual Components | $106 | $111 |
| – Audio Home Systems | $95 | $83 |
| – Smart Audio | $100 | $98 |
| – Speaker Boxes | $302 | $270 |
| Nine Months Ended | Sept 2022 | Sept 2023 |
| Monitors | 2,185 | 2,037 |
| Projectors | 71 | 66 |
| Nine Months Ended | Sept 2022 | Sept 2023 |
| Monitors | €588 | €515 |
| Projectors | €45 | €40 |
| Nine Months Ended | Sept 2022 | Sept 2023 |
| Monitors | $617 | $541 |
| Projectors | $47 | $42 |
