Inside Brandwatch’s 2025 Consumer Tech Report: A Smarter, Sharper Market Emerges
▼ Summary
– Consumers are increasingly skeptical of AI implementation in tech, with 57% of mentions expressing frustration over inconsistent experiences and ethical concerns.
– Budget-friendly gadgets are booming due to social commerce platforms, with consumers prioritizing practical, affordable devices over luxury branding.
– Retro tech is resurging as consumers seek simpler, focused devices that offer nostalgia and tangible interaction over hyperconnected complexity.
– Repair fatigue is driving growth in refurbished device ownership, viewed as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to new purchases.
– Wearables are evolving toward discreet, fashion-forward designs like smart rings that balance health tracking, payments, and seamless integration into daily life.
A new report from Brandwatch titled “Consumer Skill Trends: What’s Changing in 2025?” offers a clear-eyed look at how global consumers are reshaping the tech market. Based on 261 million online mentions spanning social media, blogs, forums, and review sites between January 2022 and November 2024, the report captures a turning point in how people perceive and purchase technology.
The modern buyer has become more discerning. They’re skeptical about how Artificial Intelligence is used, attracted to practical and affordable gadgets, nostalgic for simpler devices, and mindful of sustainability. The age of passive consumption is ending, replaced by a sharper, values-driven market.
1. AI Meets the Skeptical Consumer
Artificial Intelligence has become inseparable from consumer tech, yet Brandwatch’s findings suggest growing impatience with how it’s being implemented. According to the report, 57% of emotion-categorized mentions about AI in tech expressed anger, a reflection of frustration with clumsy, inconsistent experiences.
One user quoted in the Brandwatch study summed it up succinctly:
“Immediately disliking the stapled-on AI assistant in every product. Unpredictable experience so I’d rather not bother.”
The same sentiment is appearing in entertainment. Some gamers now boycott titles that rely on AI-generated voices, like the indie game Liar’s Bar, rejecting what they see as the erosion of human creativity.
This signals a deeper shift: consumers no longer celebrate AI by default, they evaluate how thoughtfully it’s used. Ethical integration, transparency, and purpose are now selling points. Brands that treat AI as a feature rather than a foundation risk alienating the very audiences they aim to impress.
2. The Rise of the Budget Gadget
The report highlights a boom in budget-friendly electronics, driven by social commerce platforms like TikTok Shop and Temu. These marketplaces have normalized the discovery of compact, affordable gadgets, mini projectors, smart lamps, handheld cleaners, that solve real problems for everyday users.
Brandwatch’s analysis shows that conversations around these devices often center on practicality. Words like “easy,” “time,” and “clean” dominate discussions, revealing that consumers prioritize usefulness over luxury branding.
This trend reflects a maturing audience: one that values function, not flash. In an era where product discovery is one swipe away, reputation now grows from honest performance and relatable marketing, not prestige.
3. Retro Tech Makes a Comeback
Among the report’s most unexpected findings is the resurgence of retro tech. Mentions of nostalgic gadgets, flip phones, Game Boys, analog cameras, spiked to around 1.3 million in September 2024. (Brandwatch Report)
Consumers appear to be rebelling against the complexity of hyperconnected devices. Retro products offer something today’s tech often lacks: focus. They’re simpler, tangible, and refreshingly limited.
Brands are already responding. Nokia’s reissues of its classic models and Fujifilm’s continued success with the Instax line show that nostalgia sells when paired with authenticity. The opportunity lies in blending retro aesthetics with modern utility, a space where emotion meets efficiency.
4. Repair Fatigue and the Rise of Refurbished
Device longevity has become another flashpoint in tech conversations. The Brandwatch report logged over 1.72 million mentions of repair-related topics, yet much of the sentiment reflects frustration with long turnaround times and lackluster support.
As one passage from the Brandwatch study explains,
“Whether it’s the time lost from broken products to the time it takes to get them fixed, downtime is causing upset among tech-reliant customers.”
In response, more consumers are turning to refurbished devices, which have grown in ownership by roughly 70% in the two years leading up to 2024. Buyers are no longer viewing refurbished tech as a compromise, it’s now a smart, sustainable choice that aligns with both budget and environmental awareness.
Manufacturers that support certified refurbishing, transparent warranties, and trade-in programs are building loyalty in a cost-sensitive market. The message is straightforward: time, value, and trust are the new luxury.
5. Wearables Get Smaller, and Smarter
The wearables category continues to expand, but its shape is changing. Brandwatch identifies a shift toward discreet, fashion-forward tech, noting that “smart rings are all the rage.” These compact devices merge function with form, tracking health, enabling payments, and fitting seamlessly into daily attire.
This aligns with projections from NielsenIQ’s 2025 Global Tech and Durables Report, which forecasts worldwide sales of consumer technology to reach $1.29 trillion this year, with wearables among the top-performing segments.
The next evolution in wearables won’t just measure data, it will merge into identity, balancing personal privacy, design, and seamless interaction.
A Sharper, More Conscious Market
The 2025 Brandwatch report captures a tech culture growing more deliberate and self-aware. Consumers no longer buy innovation blindly, they question its purpose, its ethics, and its impact.
Brands that thrive in this new era will be those that listen first. From responsible AI design to fair pricing and sustainable models, success depends on aligning with human priorities, not just technological capabilities.
Tech in 2025 isn’t about having more features, it’s about having better reasons.
