Smart kitchen appliances lead consumer durable demand ahead of festive season

Pune: Consumer durable companies are witnessing growing interest in smart kitchen appliances, such as air fryers, induction cooktops, multi-cookers, OTGs, dishwashers and microwaves during the monsoon sale and ahead of the festive season.“We are upgrading our kitchen and are looking for energy-efficient alternatives. We will also be using induction cooktops in a big way now,” said Nikita Solanki, a resident of Wanowrie.AI-enabled and connected appliances are also seeing strong demand.“There are many offers and EMI schemes that are making appliances more affordable. We plan to take advantage of festive sales and new launches across the home appliances category,” said Siddharth Kulkarni, a resident of Pashan.Many electronics retailers witnessed phenomenal sales of air conditioners and cooling products during the summer and are now banking on new launches in the run-up to the festive season to drive growth in the second half of the year.“We are expecting 10-20% growth during the festive season. Demand is strong across categories, and we expect several new launches, particularly in the mobile phone segment,” said Nilesh Gupta, managing director of Vijay Sales.“We expect new launches across key consumer electronics and durable categories, particularly smartphones, premium televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and connected smart home products. Innovation will increasingly focus on AI-enabled features, energy efficiency, smart connectivity and premiumisation,” said Premchand Devarakonda, CFO of Electronics Mart India.Following the strong performance of air conditioners during the summer, Panasonic expects kitchen appliances, particularly microwaves, to witness healthy demand.“We have seen encouraging demand for our microwave range and are preparing to introduce a new series designed to meet the evolving needs of modern Indian households,” said Sandeep Sehgal, director and head of sales at Panasonic Life Solutions India.“We are seeing strong demand for electric cooking appliances amid the ongoing uncertainty in oil supplies. Air fryers, induction and infrared cooktops, ovens, toasters and electric pressure cookers are performing well. We are also launching new blenders, high-powered mixers, upgraded versions of our Chef Magic robot and roti makers,” said Ravi Saxena, CEO and founder of Wonderchef.Kamal Nandi, business head of appliances business at Godrej Enterprises Group, said,“We recorded healthy growth of over 30% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year across categories, including air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines. During the monsoon and the upcoming festive season, we aim to sustain this momentum across both premium and mass segments. Washing machines and frost-free refrigerators typically see higher demand during this period.”