May 29 Best Buy is set to post its tenth consecutive quarter of sales decline on Thursday when the U.S. electronics retailer reports quarterly results, as spending on bigticket electronics remains pressured despite easing inflation.

Although results from bigbox retailers Walmart and Target indicate that consumers have resumed spending on lessexpensive discretionary items such as apparel and accessories, they are still hesitant to go for TVs and washing machines.

I don39;t think there39;s any change in demand trends for electronics. I don39;t expect this to be a very big quarter for Best Buy, Telsey Advisory Group analyst Joseph Feldman said.

He said a recovery in demand at Best Buy is not expected until the second half of this year.

THE CONTEXT

In April, U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected, indicating that inflation had resumed its downward trend at the start of the second quarter, which means price pressures are expected to ebb further in the quarter.

Best Buy was one of the first among top U.S. retailers to see a slump in demand when inflation hit decades high in 2022 and customers cut back on bigticket expenses.

Those looking to buy a highend flatscreen TV in the current market have to shell out anywhere between 1,099.99 and 5,799.99, and about 1,499.98 for a smart frontload washing machine.

Analysts have also said that the rise of artificial intelligence may have delayed purchases as some higherincome shoppers await upgraded laptops with AI…