Globally, consumers are becoming more intent-led about technology purchases, with the question shifting from whether they can afford an upgrade to whether the product will continue to feel “worth” the price after the initial purchase. The NIQ Consumer Tech Trends 2027 report identifies this as a shift in consumer mindset, with buyers placing greater weight on longer-lived value, including durability and trusted performance at a justified price. In simple terms, consumers are looking beyond the features that attract them at the point of purchase and asking whether the product will deliver enough value to justify the spend over time.
That shift is playing out alongside two seemingly competing forces in consumer electronics: rising input costs and continued premiumisation. The Economic Times reported in April that memory-chip prices had risen 1.8-2 times over the previous six months, with electronics companies also facing supply uncertainty as memory production was increasingly directed towards artificial intelligence (AI) data centres. The resulting cost pressures had already pushed up prices across smartphones, televisions and appliances. At the same time, another report indicated growing demand for premium products from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, suggesting that customers outside metros are also moving towards higher-value devices.
