What moves Consumer Electronics shoppers to take action, and what happens before they do? How long do they research, how many brands and retailers do they explore, and where does AI fit into their decision-making?
To better understand the category’s evolving shoppers, Criteo’s Consumer Electronics Pulse 2026 brings together commerce data from hundreds of brands and retailers with survey insights from more than 6,200 consumers worldwide.
Here are five fresh insights into the Consumer Electronics shopper journey and what they mean for marketers.
1. Big CE upgrades start with big sales moments
Consumer Electronics shoppers are highly promotion-powered. Globally, 41% wait for promotions or major sales events before buying, and another 45% say these moments can influence when they purchase. Just 14% buy based on need alone, regardless of promotions.
Are you more likely to purchase Consumer Electronics during sales events?
That behavior shows up in peak shopping moments around the world. Last year, Black Friday delivered the strongest Consumer Electronics sales spike in both the Americas and EMEA, with sales rising 168% and 158% above the October baseline, respectively.
AMER & EMEA Daily Indexed Sales, Q4 2025
In APAC, demand centered around Double Date events, led by 11/11, when sales rose 74% above the October baseline, followed by 12/12 at 56% and 10/10 at 36%.
APAC Daily Indexed Sales, Q4 2025
Power up your strategy: Build campaigns around the sales moments shoppers already use to time their purchases. An always-on foundation can help brands stay visible before demand peaks, while event-based investment can capture shoppers when purchase intent is strongest.
2. The path to purchase needs time to charge
Consumer Electronics purchases are rarely impulse buys. Shoppers often take time to research, compare specs, read reviews, and validate that they’re marketing the right choice.
After beginning their research online, 39% of Consumer Electronics shoppers typically wait at least two weeks to purchase. That makes Consumer Electronics the category with the longest consideration window among those measured, compared with 20% of Fashion/Apparel shoppers and 16% of Beauty/Personal Care shoppers.
After first researching a product online, how soon do you usually purchase?
And shoppers aren’t relying on just one source. More than a third of Consumer Electronics shoppers consult four or more websites or sources before buying, showing just how much comparison goes into the final decision.
How many websites or sources do you usually visit to read reviews or compare prices before buying?
Power up your strategy: Use full-funnel, cross-channel campaigns to stay connected throughout the research process. Shoppers may spend weeks comparing options, so creative, product content, offers, and retargeting should work together to keep your brand in the consideration set.
3. App-connected journeys keep shoppers switched on
App engagement signals a deeper Consumer Electronics research journey. Journeys that begin or end in an app involve more browsing than journeys completed entirely on the web.
App-to-web journeys average:
- 32 days from research to purchase, versus 15 days for web-to-web journeys
- 29 product or listing page views, versus 19 for web-to-web journeys
- 10 distinct SKUs viewed, versus 6 for web-to-web journeys
- 2.7 brands considered, versus 1.9 for web-to-web journeys
Together, these behaviors indicate that app-connected shoppers are taking a closer look and actively comparing their options before purchasing.
Channel Path to Purchase Metrics – Global
Power up your strategy: Treat app engagement as a high-intent signal. App retargeting can reconnect shoppers as they move between environments, keeping relevant products and offers visible throughout their consideration journey.
4. Brand loyalty isn’t always hardwired
Even in a research-heavy category, brand loyalty isn’t guaranteed. Across the categories analyzed, about a third of Consumer Electronics shoppers globally purchased from a brand they had not bought from during the previous 12 months.
That new-to-brand behavior shows up across product types and markets. The share reached 35% for fans in the US, 38% for headphones and headsets in the UK, and 38% for vacuums in Japan.
Share of buyers who were “new to brand”
Shoppers that browse across multiple retailers also encounter more brands. This pattern appears in every market measured, with the widest gap in Japan. More retailers can mean more product exposure, more comparison points, and more opportunities for brands to make the shortlist.
Global — Avg. # of brands viewed across multiple retailers vs. a single retailer
Power up your strategy: Multi-retailer visibility can help brands show up in more discovery moments and turn category interest into new-to-brand growth.
5. Shoppers use AI, but keep their hands on the controls
AI is taking on a bigger role in Consumer Electronics shopping, helping consumers discover products and evaluate their options. Nearly half of shoppers, 48%, use AI assistants for Consumer Electronics purchases—the highest share among the categories measured.
That influence extends into consideration and purchase decisions. Among Consumer Electronics shoppers who use AI assistants, 61% say products featured in an AI response would influence their purchase decisions.
How influential would recommendations or featured products within an AI assistant’s response be on your purchase decisions in the following categories?
But shoppers still want control. Globally, 39% prefer to browse and filter through options by themselves when purchasing Consumer Electronics. AI may help shoppers narrow the field, but many still want to explore the assortment and make the final call on their own terms.
What’s your preferred shopping experience when purchasing Consumer Electronics products?
Power up your strategy: Prepare for AI’s growing influence throughout the shopping journey. Treat AI as a channel within your broader marketing mix, and consider how it can connect discovery and consideration with the retail and commerce experiences that lead shoppers toward conversion.
Plug into what’s next for Consumer Electronics
Discover more shopper trends and regional data in Criteo’s latest Consumer Electronics Pulse 2026 report. Then, talk to an expert about turning these insights into campaign strategies.
