2026 Outlook for Home Appliances: What Consumers Want

With the economic environment gradually warming up, consumers are becoming more "savvy" in their choice of home appliances. Recently, the "2026 Outlook for Home Appliances" jointly released by NIQ and GFK shows that in 2025, the global sales of consumer technology and durable goods (including home appliances) increased by 4.6% year - on - year, and China's trade - in policy has become an important driving force. In 2026, "sense of value", "practicality", and "health and intelligence" will become the core keywords driving the market, and trends such as the overseas expansion of Chinese brands, the purchasing power of Generation X, and the omni - channel shopping experience will also profoundly affect the industry landscape.

From the perspective of the 2025 market, consumers are not "buying less" but "buying smartly". The global sales volume of consumer technology and durable goods only increased slightly by 1%, but the sales amount rose by 5%, indicating that people are willing to spend more money on "worthwhile" home appliances. Among them, major home appliances (such as refrigerators and washing machines) are still affected by price pressure, and consumers tend to choose cost - effective basic models. Small home appliances (such as vacuum cleaners and coffee machines), on the other hand, have become the first choice for upgrading due to the popularization of innovative functions. Many people will replace their old home appliances for a more convenient experience even if they are not broken. The Chinese market is particularly outstanding. The trade - in policy has directly driven the sales of key home appliance categories. 71% of the respondents used subsidies to replace their old home appliances, but 34% of them did not participate temporarily due to the complex process or waiting for a larger discount.

In 2026, six major macro - trends will reshape the home appliance market. The globalization pace of Chinese brands will be further accelerated. With their high cost - effectiveness and innovation ability, their market share in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe and other markets continues to increase, and they are even breaking through to the high - end market from the cost - effective track. For example, in the field of small home appliances, Chinese - brand vacuum cleaners and air purifiers have occupied a certain high - end share by virtue of their technological advantages. The adjustment of US tariffs may push up local home appliance prices. Whether it is locally - manufactured or imported products, consumers may need to pay an additional $50 - 70. This also prompts international brands to accelerate the development of alternative markets such as Europe and Southeast Asia.

Consumers' "replacement rhythm" will also be divided. The average replacement cycle of major home appliances is as long as 8 - 12 years. In 2026, it will still be mainly故障 - based replacement, and large - scale upgrading will have to wait until 2028. The replacement cycle of small home appliances is only 5 - 6 years. The products purchased after the epidemic have entered the replacement period. Coupled with the commoditization of functions (such as affordable smart toothbrushes and multifunctional cooking pots), the sales volume is expected to continue to rise. In addition, Generation X aged 45 - 60 has become the core consumer group. They not only buy home appliances for their own homes, but also take into account the needs of their parents and children. They attach more importance to durability, quality and brand. 25% of Generation X will spend more than $650 on a washing machine, far exceeding 17% of Generation Z.

From the demand - side perspective, "sense of value" no longer means "low price", but "worth the money". 60% of consumers globally list "cost - effectiveness" as the top consideration, but durability, convenience and energy - saving performance are the key factors determining "worth". Smart home appliances should be "practical" rather than "showy". For example, a扫地机器人should be able to automatically identify the floor type and avoid obstacles, and a washing machine should use AI to optimize the laundry process to save water and electricity. Products that only have a "smart" label but no actual use are difficult to be favored. Multifunctional home appliances will also be more popular, especially in markets with a high concentration of small - sized households such as China and Japan. Machines that combine "vacuuming + mopping + steam cleaning" or composite major home appliances such as "refrigerator + wine cabinet + sterilization" can solve the space pain points.

Health and environmental protection needs will also be more deeply rooted in people's hearts. 45% of consumers will consider the environmental protection attributes of home appliances, and the proportion of the "green action - oriented" population has reached 21%. They are willing to pay more for energy - saving and repairable home appliances. The energy - saving performance of major home appliances is still the core selling point - after all, 90% of their energy consumption is generated during use, and energy - saving models can save a lot of electricity bills in the long run. Small home appliances pay more attention to material environmental protection, such as pots made of recyclable materials and coffee machines without capsule designs. Health functions have also become standard. Products such as washing machines with steam cleaning, water purifiers that can monitor water quality, and air fryers for low - oil cooking will continue to lead the growth in demand.