Christmas shopping is on the brink
Retailers in many industries are currently worried about the scarce supply of goods, and with them customers too. Consumer electronics are hit particularly hard, and hardly any dealers in televisions, game consoles and the like are not affected. But it can be even worse.
Anyone who is currently looking to buy a new television or are speculating on one of the next-gen consoles that are rarely offered anyway should be patient. Hopes of a lucky hit with current game consoles or a great TV offer are fading in view of the latest figures (source: ifo institute).
From Smart TV to Playstation: Almost all retailers complain about shortages
Accordingly, retailers of consumer electronics are currently the third most severely affected by the global shortage of supplies. 97 percent complained about delivery problems of consumer electronics retailers surveyed in September. According to the Institute for Economic Research, not every order can be fulfilled.
The global shortage of goods only affects two sectors even worse: 99 percent of the DIY stores surveyed are currently unable to guarantee their supplies. Inglorious The front runner is bicycle retailing. Without exception, all of the respondents stated that they could not serve all customer requests.
Furniture dealers (95 percent) and car dealers (88 percent) are also hit hard. The Grocery retail At 47 percent, the restricted availability still affects relatively little, but the computer and software area is also hit with 78 percent.
The reasons are the supply chains, which are still under pressure as a result of the pandemic. In addition, there is the persistently high demand, there are always factory or port closings in China, sometimes due to illness, and recently production has also been reduced in order to save expensive electricity.
If goods are available, it will be expensive
Particularly bitter for customers: the long-awaited time of the price increase is now within reach. There is no specific date, but: “The industry has announced price increases and this is now inevitably reaching the retail sector ”, says Klaus Wohlrabe, head of the ifo surveys. The situation comes to a head at an inopportune time: With the pre-Christmas business, demand will increase – and may drive prices up for end customers.
If you are still lucky enough to find a decent TV offer, you should see our tips on buying a TV – available at the Video – take seriously:
It is still unclear how high the price increases will be. At LG and Samsung, rising prices can already be observed, in some cases they have already increased by more than 20 percent. Since the situation has not relaxed so far, but rather worsened larger price increases realistic.
