Potential price hikes push buyers into overdrive, spark tech spending frenzy for Gen Zers

The news: Many US adults, especially Gen Zers, are feeling pressure to purchase tech items ahead of expected tariff-led price hikes.

• 38% of consumers feel influenced to buy tech before costs rise, per CNET’s 2025 Tariff Survey.
• That pressure has led 11% of shoppers to buy a high-ticket item over $500, though 27% said they will delay big purchases.

What’s at the register? About half (48%) of consumers have bought or plan to buy a smartphone as a result of tariff fears, compared with 42% for laptops, 39% for home appliances, and 35% for TVs and home entertainment. Only 28% of consumers have bought or plan to buy a wearable, and just 27% are considering video game consoles.

The interest in buying phones and computers now is unsurprising, considering that major companies like Apple, Google, Huawei, and Xiaomi manufacture or source those items from China. While most electronics from China currently have a 20% tariff rate, that could rise to the duty that’s on other goods—145% to 245%.

Generational attitudes: Older generations aren’t as worried about price hikes, potentially due to less peer pressure or FOMO.

• About one-fourth (21%) of Gen Zers and millennials have already bought tech items because of anticipated price increases.
• In comparison, only 15% Gen Xers and 13% of baby boomers have done so.

Saving versus spending: Despite the risk of tighter budgets as general costs rise, there’s a behavioral gap for some shoppers between financial anxieties and continued spending on nonessential tech.

• 60% of consumers are adjusting or will adjust their budgets and 40% are cutting back on nonessential spending.
• Still, 17% of all shoppers have panic-bought a product ahead of tariffs and about 1 in 10 plan to make a purchase over $500.

Our take: Products that feel indulgent in a tight economy—like the $3,499 Vision Pro and upcoming $450 Switch 2—may struggle to sell, even among anxious buyers.

More patient shoppers may wait for major sales events like Black Friday rather than rushing into purchases now. Being transparent about potential price hike plans could help maintain consumer trust in a time of market uncertainty.

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