Air purifying ACs, convertible refrigerators in demand with

Air purifying ACs, convertible refrigerators in demand with
rising mercury in Chennai: Flipkart Insights

With the temperatures soaring across the country, customers are increasingly seeking cooling appliances to create a comfortable environment at home. This has also led to the rise of various new age cooling appliances to cater to health and hygiene requirements of customers.

According to insights by Flipkart, the current heat wave has significantly increased the demand for cooling appliances which includes ACs, refrigerators, coolers and fans across the country. In Chennai, the overall cooling appliances segment saw a growth of 1.2x with ACs, seasonal appliances (coolers and fans) and refrigerators seeing 1.3x, 1.3x and 1.1x growth respectively.

Increased focus on health and hygiene and cost savings have led to customers opting for appliances with anti-bacterial, air purification and energy-efficient features. While these functionalities existed even before, it is witnessing greater traction among customers with the growing focus on the air quality. A consumer survey conducted on the Flipkart app also confirmed this shift with a large number of surveyed customers preferring built-in air purifiers as one of the top functionalities in their ACs. This has led to more brands launching ACs with similar functionalities including Samsung, Haier, Whirlpool, Daikin, Bluestar, Voltas and Godrej who are expanding their selection of cooling appliances on Flipkart.

As far as refrigerators are concerned, there has been an increase in the demand for energy efficient and convertible variants offering higher storage refrigerators along with multi-functional features such as curd maker. As the usage of freezer is limited in India as compared with other parts of the world, convertible options are witnessing greater adoption which transforms the freezer section into a normal fridge. This apart, customers are seeking appliances with higher storage space as they continue to work and learn from home for a longer period of time. Furthermore, a higher percentage of customers are opting for replacement options while purchasing a refrigerator since the launch of product replacement construct on Flipkart. Also, there has been an almost 20% increase in the adoption of No Cost EMI in the past one year, highlighting the growing importance of affordability for customers. Through these constructs, Flipkart is able to help customers to upgrade their appliances in an affordable manner.

In addition to this, customers are also opting for energy efficient ACs and refrigerators to save on electricity bills and reduce cost of operations. While the former saw a jump of upto 40% in the demand for 5 star high capacity, high energy efficient AC's, refrigerators adoption too reflected a similar trend.

Interestingly, the above mentioned trends are not only concentrated in metros but smaller cities and tier 2 and 3 cities are also contributing to this growth. This clearly indicates a change in sentiment and buying preference in the smaller towns.

Hari G. Kumar, Vice President – Large Appliances, Flipkart, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically transformed the priorities for customers who are now looking for appliances with air purification, expandable storage and energy efficiency functionalities. This is indicative of maturing of the cooling appliances market in India which is expected to witness significant growth this year. As a homegrown e-commerce marketplace with a nuanced understanding of customers evolving needs, we will continue to collaborate with leading brands and sellers partners to bring the best products to the millions of Indians customers at their doorsteps, no matter how far they are.”

Demand for wider screen laptops and tablets grow with

Demand for wider screen laptops and tablets grow with online learning taking precedence: Flipkart Insights

 

With schools taking education online and the growing opportunities for e-learning, students are also upgrading their education essentials to make the learning process more intuitive and impactful. This has led to a rise in the demand for wider screen laptops and tablets along with other electronic devices.

 

According to search insights by India’s homegrown e-commerce company Flipkart, there has been a significant increase in the demand for laptops and tablets in the past one year with a jump of 200% and 90% respectively on a pre and post lockdown basis. Additionally, the demand for wider screen tablets has increased with the share of 10 inches tablets growing to almost 11% from 2% in December 2020 alone. While customers, particularly students, earlier preferred 8 inches tablets, they are now seeking larger sized screens that are visually appealing and offer a better experience as they spend more time in front of their screens. Furthermore, a review analysis done by Flipkart revealed that an increasing number of customers preferred laptops with larger screens for a better experience.

 

To improve customer experience, Flipkart has created a curated set of offerings across laptops, tablets and IT peripherals on its platform on the occasion of World Education Day which falls on January 25th and has launched initiatives such as the Student Club Program to make it easier for them to access their learning material in an affordable manner.

 

Commenting on this trend, Rakesh Krishnan, Senior Director, Electronics, Flipkart said, “As a homegrown e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart has a nuanced understanding of customers and is always looking for ways to fulfill their evolving needs. We have worked on a curated set of selection along with our brand partners to bring the best products for the customers work and learning activities. While the demand for learning essentials such as laptops, tablets, routers have been growing significantly over the past one year, customers are preferring to purchase wider screen computing products to complement their learning experience. This is also a testament to the evolution of the computing products market where experience is gaining equal prominence as of performance.”