Hi,

Welcome to the first edition of The Durables Brief newsletter, your monthly look at what's happening across durable goods.

To kick things off, I flew out to Denver to meet up with our CEO,Greg Munves, for our quarterly State of Durables update. We cover where the economy stands heading into Q2, what’s real versus noise in the latest data, and how factors like consumer resilience, productivity gains, and energy prices are shaping the outlook for durables.

In each monthly newsletter, you'll see a macroeconomic update from me, plus major category highlights from our expert analysts, and top resources our customers are using.

Thanks for reading, and see you next month. 

Ralph McLaughlin

Chief Economist, OpenBrand

_______

The Impact of Energy & Oil on Durables: 4 Things to Monitor

Ongoing volatility in energy and oil prices is creating ripple effects across costs, pricing, and demand in durables. Here’s what to watch:

1. Margin pressure is rising: Higher energy costs are squeezing margins, making pricing and promotion strategy more critical.

2. Demand signals may shift quickly: Changes in inflation, productivity, and geopolitics can rapidly impact consumer spending.

3. Competition for spend is intensifying: With more cash in the market, brands that clearly differentiate will win.

4. Supply chains are under strain: Fluctuating energy costs are increasing transportation and logistics risk.

▶️  Watch the Q2 State of Durables update for a deeper breakdown

Monthly Category Briefs

_______

Major Appliances: Best Buy Major Appliance Share Drops

Analysis by Bryce Tecson, Home Appliance Analyst 

In Q1 2026, Best Buy experienced a year-over-year (YoY) decline in unit share across major appliance categories, signaling slower momentum versus other major retailers.

• Losses were consistent across laundry, refrigerators, dishwashers, and ranges, with share decreases ranging from roughly 2 to 3 percentage points (ppts) YoY.

• These declines widened the gap between Best Buy and Home Depot and Lowe's.

• The lost share was largely absorbed by Home Depot and Lowe’s, with Lowe’s strengthening its position in refrigerators and ranges, while Home Depot made notable gains in dishwashers.

What this signals: Competitive retailers capitalized on Best Buy’s softer performance in Q1 2026, reshaping share dynamics in the major appliance market.

What to watch: Share is shifting. As 2026 progresses, watch Best Buy's strategy around promotions, pricing, and assortment to see what moves will counter this share loss.

Hear more about Best Buy's share loss in Bryce's analyst spotlight video.

SOURCE: MAJOR APPLIANCES, TOTAL MARKET INSIGHTS, Q1 2026

_______

Outdoor Power Equipment: Retail Trends for 2026

Analysis by Adrienne Spear, Senior OPE Analyst

Our OPE analyst delivers 5 insights in 5 minutes, highlighting what OPE manufacturers and brands need to pay attention to this year. 

One takeaway: Consumers are prioritizing value, leading to less spending on higher-ticket items despite rising prices. 

_______

Lawn & Garden: Promotions & Private Labels Drive Share

Analysis by Stacie Hughes, Marketing Data Analyst

1. Walmart is winning on promotion not price. 

Walmart saw the largest gains across both units and dollars (+1.5 ppts YoY) in Lawn Products (e.g., garden hoses, grass seed, fertilizer, pesticides), likely driven by the highest discounting and promo value in the market. Strategic promotions, not base price, are fueling their growth. 

2. Private label is a key growth driver.

Walmart’s Expert Gardener continues to be a major factor in the overall growth. Expert Gardener was among the top brands with the biggest increase in share overall. Spectracide and Pennington also saw positive gains alongside Expert Gardener signaling that both private label and promoted brands are benefiting from Walmart’s merchandising strategy.

3. Home Depot is losing share despite strong traffic.

Home Depot saw the largest decrease in share YoY (-0.7 ppts unit and -1.1 ppts dollar) despite their strong consumer draw in the category. Notably, 20% of Home Depot’s lost shoppers purchased at Walmart contributing to their success. Declines in Vigaro (Home Depot’s private label) and Pennington further pressured performance highlighting gaps in conversion and promotional effectiveness.

What to watch: As Walmart continues to gain, success will depend on aligning promo strategy with conversion and role clarity – whether that means winning through promotion or differentiating beyond private label pressure.

SOURCE: LAWN & GARDEN, TOTAL MARKET INSIGHTS, Q1 2026

_______

Consumer Electronics: Apple AirPods Discount Depth

Analysis by Nick Harpster, Tablets Analyst 

How has discount depth varied on Apple’s AirPods? 

What to watch: Monitor Apple's AirPods share growth to see if how this discount depth impacts market leadership.

SOURCE: HEADPHONES, TOTAL MARKET INSIGHTS, ALL IN-STOCK PROMOTIONS FROM MAY 2023-APRIL 2026 ACROSS AMAZON, BEST BUY, COSTCO, SAM'S CLUB, STAPLES, TARGET & WALMART

For more free Consumer Electronics data: check out our public Computing market dashboard.

Retail Leakage: Understanding Where Your Lost Shoppers Go

Retail leakage is one of the clearest indicators of missed opportunity. When shoppers don’t convert, they are often captured by someone else. Understanding where that demand is going, which competitors are benefiting, and whether the breakdown is in consideration or conversion gives brands a precise view of where they are losing share.

With that clarity, teams can move beyond guesswork and take targeted action to win those shoppers back and drive more efficient growth. Check out our recent retailer and brand reports below to see the value of leakage data and read more about retail leakage on our blog.

If you have any feedback or suggestions, please reach out. I read every reply. 

P.S. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here