Around 240,000 people from 155 countries attended the IFA Berlin 2026, one of the world's leading technology events, bringing together brands, innovators, and tech enthusiasts. The event had over 2000 exhibitors. The show floor continues to expand into new areas, from robots and exoskeletons to drones, wearables and AI-powered appliances.
New technology is moving from being a standalone product to becoming part of everyday life. AI is being built into smartphones, vehicles, and household appliances. Smart-home products are designed to work together. Wearables are moving beyond fitness into health and wellbeing. At IFA, even audio is being repositioned around everyday use, personalization and AI-powered functions.
For consumers, a new device competes with existing devices by making an experience easier, faster, more connected, or more useful. IFA's 2026 messaging reflects how the value of technology is becoming more closely tied to its role in everyday life.
For many brands, particularly those entering or expanding in Europe, IFA can be a point of entry. Products leave the show floor and enter the market, appearing on online marketplaces and comparison websites, and moving through retailers, resellers and other distribution channels.
As technologies evolve, so do the markets in which products compete. A brand entering Europe may find that its competitors can extend beyond its traditional product category. Different products can compete for the same consumer attention, budget, and retail space.
AI appliances, smart glasses, and robotics illustrate this change. IFA Next brought together around 300 exhibitors, covering technologies from humanoid robotics and smart glasses to AI wearables and smart-living solutions. These products combine functions that once belonged to separate categories, which can change both what consumers compare and the features they expect.
For brands, defining the competitive market means looking beyond traditional product categories and considering the benefits, features, and experiences that influence consumer buying decisions.
The changes visible at IFA are reflected in today's market. Once these products enter Europe, brands face practical questions about positioning, distribution, and brand protection.
A price that works in one market may create a very different position in another. A low entry price or narrow margin may help a brand gain market share, but it can also create opportunities for unauthorized resellers. If a product is sold at a lower price in one market while consumers are willing to pay more in another, intermediaries may buy it in the lower-priced market and resell it where the potential margin is higher. This can contribute to parallel distribution or grey market activity.
The products can be genuine and still reach consumers through other channels outside the brand's intended distribution strategy.
Once genuine products have been placed on the EU market, the brand may have limited ability to control where those products are resold or what price is set by an independent reseller.
The focus should be evaluating what the brand can change internally. A brand can reassess its own margins, pricing structure, distribution strategy, or positioning.
After a product becomes available through multiple channels, the network around it influences how a product is presented, what consumers expect from a brand, the price consumers see, the after-sales service consumers receive, and the relationship with authorized partners.
Identifying the following:
Answering these questions gives brands a clearer view of where their products appear after entering the distribution network and provides evidence for reviewing possible gaps in their distribution strategy.
Counterfeit products are one concern, but unauthorized resellers, misleading product information and unexpected distribution can affect a brand once products enter the market. Brand protection requires continuous monitoring across the channels where products appear.
There is a distinction between removing a listing and understanding why it appeared in the first place. Removing listings may be an immediate solution, but it does not explain where the product came from, how it reached that seller, or whether the same issue exists elsewhere.
Connecting online activity around the product with what the brands know about its product, partners, and distribution network, indicates where control is lost and where action should be taken.
A test purchase, for example, helps identify the actual product being sold and provides information that can be compared with the brand's internal records. Product identifiers such as serial numbers help distinguish individual units.
Together, these considerations are part of how a product operates in the European market. Understanding these connections allows brands to respond earlier to individual issues and improve their decision-making process as they grow.
As more international brands bring new products to Europe, their ability to grow will depend on what happens around those products once they enter the market. Factors such as: How products are positioned, distributed, and ultimately reach consumers will play an essential role in determining which innovations successfully scale across the European market.
Europe is large enough to attract innovation from around the world, but reaching consumers across the market requires brands to navigate different commercial environments, distribution networks, and competitive conditions. Alongside product innovation, the event brings together the retailers, brands and industry players responsible for bringing those products to market.
IFA offers an early view of the technologies and products that may shape the European consumer market. For brands, the challenge is to understand what happens to those products once they move beyond the show floor.
As new technologies enter Europe and traditional product categories continue to evolve, assessing how products move through the market becomes essential.
Pricing, distribution, and brand protection influence each other throughout a product's development in the market. Treating these areas as connected parts of the same commercial environment gives brands a more complete view of their European operations and a stronger basis for their own decisions as they grow.
Pricing decisions remain with each seller, as required under EU competition law.