The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced projections for record retail revenues in the U.S. consumer technology industry, with an expected growth of 3.2% over 2024, reaching $537 billion in 2025. This announcement was made during the CES 2025 Tech Trends to Watch event.

However, the CTA has raised concerns about potential threats from proposed tariffs by President-elect Trump. According to a report titled "How Proposed Trump Tariffs Increase Prices for Consumer Technology Products," these tariffs could significantly impact consumer purchasing power, potentially leading to a decline of $90-$143 billion.

The report suggests that purchases of laptops and tablets could drop by as much as 68%, gaming consoles by up to 58%, and smartphones by up to 37%. Gary Shapiro, CEO of CTA, emphasized the importance of the tech sector as an economic driver in America and expressed concern over the impact of tariffs on innovation and job creation. He stated, "Tariffs are a tax on American businesses and consumers."

Ed Brzytwa, CTA Vice President of Trade, highlighted the need for the incoming administration to consider how tariffs affect American businesses and consumers. He noted that retaliation from trading partners could raise costs and disrupt supply chains.

The CES Research Trends presentation is available for replay at CES.tech for those who missed it.

The CTA's U.S. Consumer Technology One-Year Industry Forecast is updated biannually with input from members, industry experts, and third-party data sources. The report on tariff impacts was commissioned by CTA and conducted by Trade Partnership Worldwide LLC.

CES remains a significant event in the tech industry calendar, with CES 2025 scheduled for January 7-10 in Las Vegas.