Mondial, Black Friday… then Christmas: why it’s best to buy a connected TV

This is extra time for telemarketers, a period that will determine their season. After a rush of record sales in 2021 (4.8 million units sold), the market woke up in 2022 with a serious hangover: -14% of sales by volume and value since the beginning of the year, according to the GfK Institute. “The backlash must have come after the mind-blowing levels of previous years, and TVs are only updated every 6-7 years anyway, compared to three years for smartphones or ten years for refrigerators,” sums up Jeremy Barraud, TV product manager at LG. . Electronics France.

The prospect of a World Cup in Qatar brightens the horizon, at least in the short term. “This is a real magic card for manufacturers because it means 200,000 to 400,000 additional TVs will be sold compared to a year without such events,” said Rémy Journet, director of sales for TVs and household appliances at Hisense France. “Consumers have already started buying in anticipation of this competition and have preferred large sizes because it is an event watched by many and historically triggers the act of buying before or on time,” adds Guillaume Rho, vice president of Samsung France. number 1 in sales in France.

Distributors need to sell

Fully-competed Black Friday shopping (Friday, November 25) should boost initial sales before the fun takes over from Christmas shopping. All the planets have aligned so that the end of the year benefits the barge in search of a new aircraft. According to UFC Que Choisir, TVs were originally one of the few electronic goods to avoid inflation, and their price rose by only 2% in a year. “The planned inventory of TVs is currently high and competition is fierce, especially as brands, and especially distributors, win back their year in two months,” explains Rémy Journet of Hisense France. And predict: “It offers lower prices to the consumer and promotions that run everywhere.”

“This fourth quarter is more strategic than previous years as it has several major events in a row and will have to smooth out the drop in sales,” confirms LG France’s Jérémy Barrault. “That’s why there will be great deals on 2022 models and on the latest Oled TVs, which are less often sold,” he foresees. The best-selling models in France with a 55-inch screen (139 cm diagonal) deserve special attention on the shelves, as well as during online sales.

This proliferation of promotional offerings could cause a generational shift towards 4K picture quality and a thinner, more impressive screen as all upgrades now go beyond 32 inches (81 cm). Televisions sold within 5 years also have nearly all Internet connectivity, which has become essential for viewers who no longer want to participate in programming.

“The TV is no longer just a glass slab in the living room that broadcasts what is happening, but a window with unlimited content designed for everyone,” said Sebastien Mino, TV product manager at Sony France. The potential is there to replace an aging model. “Of nearly 50 million TV sets in France, half are not connected or do not have smart features,” says Guillaume Rho, vice president of Samsung France. “There are better technologies, especially in the field of sound, and real progress has been made in power consumption, optimized compared to the latest generations,” also notes Sebastian Mino from Sony France. Marketing and technology arguments that an entire industry wouldn’t want you to miss because it relies on them to limit damage.