Consumer spending on appliances and renovations has increased the most this year, with an increase of 5% and 4%, respectively, according to the new edition of the ‘Spain Consumption Study’ by the Cetelem Observatoryin which consumer habits and trends are analyzed.
Specifically, this report highlights that spending in the household appliances sector grew the most, with an average of 470 euros per consumer, which is 5% more than in 2023; followed by the reform sector, with a average disbursement of 3,835 euros and an increase of 4%.
For their part, those that have suffered a greater decrease in average consumer spending They are the kitchen and the optical sector, with a disbursement of 886 euros and 303 eurosrespectively, and a decrease in both cases of 7% compared to the previous year. The rest sector, for its part, remains stable compared to 2023, with an average disbursement of 365 euros.
On the other hand, the document has indicated that, contrary to what happened in the previous year, in 2024 the percentage of buyers has decreased in all the sectors analyzed, with the exception of rest elements, which, with 38% of the mentions, increased by four points compared to the 2023 data.
The most purchased products correspond to the sports sector, with 83% of the mentions, two points less than in 2023; trips, with 73% of consumer mentions and a drop of one point; household appliances, with 63%, mobile devices, with 58% and, finally, furniture and decoration elements, with 52%, four points less than in 2023.
As far as purchase intention is concerned, travel and sports are the sectors in which Spanish consumers show the greatest interest, which is why 80% of Spanish consumers surveyed claim to have intention to purchase a travel-related service, three points more than the previous year. This is followed by 79% who plan to make some disbursement in the sports sector, also with an increase of three points.
How AI influences the purchasing process
For the first time, said observatory has asked Spanish consumers how Artificial Intelligence influences the purchasing process, reaching the conclusion that more than half would be willing to implement it, although only 14% of consumers are determined to use AI to improve your shopping experience. For their part, 33% are reluctant to do so.
Asked about the usefulness of this new tool, for 46% of respondents it is a technology that can help find products quickly, while 39% who believe it helps find personalized productsand another 22% believe that AI can help make payment processes more secure and efficient.
Regarding the interaction with ‘chatbots’ in their purchasing process, five out of ten consumers surveyed reject it as a means to make their queries, while another 40% declare that it would depend on the type of consultation they want to make, viewing them as a favorable option if it is a simple query. Only 7% prefer to talk to a ‘chatbot’ during their purchasing process, as it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Concern regarding data processing
Another conclusion reached by the document is that there is “some concern” on the part of consumers regarding the processing of data that can be done for the Personalization of advertising through Artificial Intelligence.
Thus, 39% of those surveyed acknowledge having certain concerns in this regard, but consider that the benefit of personalization outweighs these, while another 34% do admit to being “very concerned” about their privacy and prefer not to receive personalized advertising. On the contrary, 27% say they feel “very comfortable” with this technology as long as their information is handled securely and privately.
There are also doubts regarding the security of online transactions with AI, since 40% of Spaniards surveyed confess to being unsure of How Artificial Intelligence affects the security of your transactionsthe same percentage of those who say they prefer traditional security methods without AI. 20%, however, trust that this technology improves the security of online transactions.
