Indonesian Consumers Delay Purchases of Electronics Like ACs and TVs, Raising Concerns
The national electronics industry is facing new challenges amid weakening public purchasing power. In addition to competition with imported products, business players are beginning to see a change in consumer behaviour, with people now preferring to delay the purchase of electronic goods, especially high-value products.
Businesspeople say this condition is evident from public spending patterns that have yet to return to normal. According to them, market demand is still moving in a fluctuating manner, making it difficult for manufacturers to predict consumer needs.
"In reality, our buyers usually tend to delay a little," said Deny Irawan, Chairman of the Indonesian Electronic Commodity Entrepreneurs Association (APKONIK), to CNBC Indonesia on Monday (27/7/2026).
He explained that the delay in purchases does not occur across all categories of electronic products. According to him, people are now more selective in spending their money and tend to postpone buying relatively high-value items.
"For unit goods like air conditioners or televisions, which fall into the household needs category, it is rather difficult, so people delay. However, what remains stable are electronic goods like gadgets and laptops, which are still safe because people have no choice but to buy them to support their work," he said.
This situation means industry players must be more careful in managing production. Unstable demand prevents companies from aggressively increasing production capacity to avoid a build-up of stock in the market.
"Speaking about the buying and selling cycle in the electronics industry process, it is still fluctuating, so we are still reflecting on the demand from public purchasing power," he said.
The industry’s recovery is highly dependent on an improvement in household consumption. As long as the public continues to hold back on spending, the electronics industry is expected to continue facing challenges in increasing sales.
"All these elements, whether good or bad, once again depend on the public’s demand itself," said Deny.