The Brazilian electronics retail sector began 2026 with moderate growth, with increases in revenue and units sold, even in a still volatile economic scenario. The data and trends were detailed exclusively by Mateus Bando, Customer Success Sr. Manager – Leader of Tech and Durables Brazil at NielsenIQ, in an interview with Eletrolar News Magazine.
According to the executive, categories such as IT and white goods remain among the main drivers of the sector’s expansion. In both cases, the above-average performance is sustained by replacement cycles and the advancement of higher value-added products. The digitalization of consumption continues to gain strength, with e-commerce growing at a much faster pace than physical stores.
The difference reinforces a structural change in the purchasing journey, increasingly driven by price and convenience, especially in technological categories. For the remainder of 2026, the expectation is for slight and uneven growth across categories, with emphasis on “premiumization” and price pressure in some segments. The sector should continue a positive trajectory, but with signs of adjustment after a more heated start to the year.
Eletrolar News: What is the outlook for Brazilian electronics retail in the first months of 2026?
Mateus Bando: Even though this year has all the specific issues, the dollar that rose and then fell, and the electoral scenarios, which involve a lot of the dynamics of the financial market, companies become a little more inflated. We feel a slightly warmer economic outlook looking at the Ibovespa, but not necessarily within the overall scenario. With all this happening, we have a good start scenario for Brazilian retail, especially when we talk about the electronics market. And when we talk about the sale of electronic products within retail, we have a growing market.
Which categories are driving this growth?
Speaking of the total number of stores, we have growth of 6.5% in revenue and 5.3% in units. It’s interesting to look at the units and revenue in this total, due to the dollar exchange rate and financial impact. So the average prices are going up a little, which is why revenue increases more.
Speaking of 2026 numbers (between January and February), when we look at IT (connected devices geared towards office use, such as mice, keyboards, notebooks, monitors, tablets), the market grows 8.4% in units and 8.8% in revenue.
This is an interesting point because it grows more than the market average. And this is largely due to premium products and the increase in the price of memory, which makes PCs more expensive. There is also an increase in demand, mainly for tablets and monitors, which have grown by more than double digits in two years and are driving this growth.
The electronics basket (brown goods) grows 12.8% in units and 9.4% in revenue. Because it’s a FIFA World Cup year, there’s always a heavier sales volume of televisions in retail. Even so, this year tends to have a significant increase, but more moderate than in previous years due to economic circumstances. The telephony basket, on the other hand, is stagnant. When we talk about cell phones, even though it’s the most important category in retail, it only increases by 2.2% in units and 5.1% in revenue.
White goods grow by 10.8% in units and 8.1% in revenue. The categories that are advancing the most are refrigerators, which are growing by 22% in units and 15% in revenue. This category has been growing for the last 3 years, from traditional refrigerators to premium models, such as threedoor refrigerators, accelerating very rapidly. Washing machines grew by 8% in units and 9% in value, and the growth is very strong in washer-dryers.
The portable electronics basket includes all small appliances, such as hair straighteners, fans, shavers, among others. This category represents almost 40% of retail units, but it has been declining over time, increasing 3.2% in units but decreasing 0.7% in revenue. Highlights include vacuum cleaners, especially robot vacuums, and food processors, which grew 14% in units and 17% in value.
How do you see the main changes in Brazilian consumer behavior?
This is interesting because the units of products sold in physical stores fell 4.1%, while the units in online stores grew 13.3%. This shows that online retailers tend to have more aggressive prices, and the journey continues to move towards this digital side.
Physical store revenue is close to -0.2%, while online stores show an advance of 13.5%. Consumers find alternatives to prices online, and in Brazil, prices vary greatly according to what happens globally and the products of technology.
Could you describe the profile of the Brazilian consumer?
In our consumer profile research, 25% of Brazilians are brand enthusiasts. These are consumers who trust brands and buy both physical and online channels. Another 24% are what we call “digital receptive” consumers. They are not necessarily attached to brands, although they still consider them important. These consumers are strongly influenced online, whether through social media or internet browsing, when researching and purchasing products.
In addition, 12% are digitally agnostic consumers, who naturally search online from the very beginning without focusing on a specific brand. They seek product information while browsing the internet and eventually make their purchase.
Combining these last two profiles, we reach 36% of consumers who naturally follow a fully digital shopping journey — a percentage much higher than European or Asian averages, where consumers still visit physical stores more frequently.
What are the forecasts for the second half of 2026?
Even though this is a complex year, Brazilian retail should continue growing, though at a slower pace. We believe the market will remain relatively stable overall. However, segmentation will play an important role.
TVs are expected to gain prominence this year, while some other segments may face more challenges. Certain portable appliance categories may not grow as much. In IT, once memory price increases become stronger and passed on to consumers, the category may also slow down. Since TVs should drive sales, telecommunications will likely remain stable, as average prices are expected to increase due to memory costs.
On the other hand, we still see major appliances performing strongly this year, meeting a pent-up demand that has been building over recent years. Consumers are gradually replacing products such as refrigerators, stoves, and washing machines. We still see a positive trend for this category. Overall, retail is expected to remain stable with slight growth between 2% and 3%, alongside some price increases. At the same time, premium products should continue advancing across nearly all segments.
