This might be your best chance since the start of the pandemic to buy a computer online

 

By Michael Grothaus

It seems that all we’ve been hearing about for the past year is runaway inflation. But if you’re in the market for some goods—and are happy to buy them online—there’s never been a better chance since the start of the pandemic to get the lowest price possible. That’s according to the latest data from the Adobe Digital Price Index, which tracks the prices of online goods.

Adobe’s latest data from May 2023 shows that a number of popular online goods are continuing to fall in price—with many reaching a 36-month low. Perhaps the most welcome price drops to parents and those heading back to school in a few months are those in the computer categories. Adobe found that in May 2023, the average price of computers bought online had fallen 2.4% from a month before. Better news? The average price of computers bought online is down 16.5% from their prices a year earlier.

Electronics and appliances also saw drops, according to Adobe’s data. The average price of electronics bought online was down 1.8% month-over-month and 12% year-over-year. The average price of appliances bought online was down 2.4% month-over-month and 7.9% year-over-year.

Overall, the latest Adobe Digital Price Index, which tracks 18 product categories, found 11 of the 18 saw year-over-year price decreases. But even of the seven categories that saw price rises (online groceries rose 8.2% year-over-year), the rate of those price rises has slowed.

 

The Adobe Digital Price Index is modeled after the Consumer Price Index and analyzes 100 million SKUs across one trillion visits to online retail sites. 

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