Fair
More than 2000 exhibitors at the IFA Berlin
Fewer washing machines were sold in the first half of 2023 than in the same period of 2022. Photo
© Monika Skolimowska/dpa
The market for electronic household appliances and consumer electronics boomed during the pandemic, also because no money could be spent on tourism, for example. In the meantime the situation has turned.
Europe’s largest trade fair for consumer electronics and household technology, the IFA Berlin, is starting this year with significantly more exhibitors than in 2022. The industry organization gfu expects significantly more participants, especially from Asia. In the previous year, the corona rules in China, some of which were still very strict, prevented numerous manufacturers from arriving.
The fair is fully booked this year, 2059 exhibitors from 48 countries presented their innovations from September 1st, said IFA boss Oliver Merlin on Thursday in Berlin.
High expectations
The industry’s expectations of the trade fair are high – the manufacturers can look back on a mixed first half of 2023 with significant losses in sales. In the corona pandemic, manufacturers of electrical appliances such as washing machines, computers and smartphones were still experiencing an “enormous boom,” said gfu Managing Director Sara Warneke. Due to the corona restrictions, people were no longer able to travel or sit in restaurants and pubs as much as usual. Instead, many beautified their homes and invested in newer technology.
That has now changed again, Warneke spoke of a budget shift and catch-up effects in the areas of tourism and gastronomy, which can be seen. She also pointed out the problems in construction, which also affected the business with household appliances. “Every house that is built needs a kitchen. If the number of building permits decreases, people no longer renovate, maybe they are still in wage negotiations, then there are uncertainties,” said Warneke. Large expenses would be deferred.
However, she expects an upswing in the second half of the year, and according to the forecast by the Society for the Promotion of Consumer Electronics (gfu), there could even be a small increase in sales over the year as a whole. “People are very focused on themselves and busy with themselves. This means that products in the field of hygiene and smartphones play a greater role, and the brand itself has come to the fore again,” said Warneke. In some areas, higher prices are now being paid for higher quality products, for example cordless vacuum cleaners.
Customers pay attention to sustainability
Sustainability is also an increasingly important factor in purchasing decisions, and this should also become visible at the IFA from September 1st. Several associations, including the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE), now want to focus on smart applications that can help with medical or nursing care for people in their own homes. The IFA lasts until September 5th.
In the first six months of the year, people in Germany bought significantly fewer electronic devices than a year earlier. Sales amounted to 21.3 billion euros, which is 6.4 percent less than in the same period last year. While sales of entertainment electronics and electronic devices rose slightly by 0.6 percent, the drop in electronic household appliances was 6.2 percent and in the case of privately used IT products it was even 15.3 percent.
Those responsible for the IFA are already planning the 2024 edition – the electronics trade fair, long marketed as the International Consumer Electronics Fair (IFA), will then be 100 years old. Details for the anniversary edition have not yet been revealed, but there is close contact with the state of Berlin.