Flipkart Insights Finds Demand for Air Purifiers Grew 1.4x YoY in November

With the air quality index touching alarming levels across several cities in the country, consumers have been increasingly investing in air purifiers online. While the demand for air purifiers as a category remains highest in the north owing to the increase in pollution, however with the rise in health-conscious consumers the demand for air purifiers is stretched around the year where air purifiers are needed for allergies.

According to the latest insight from Flipkart, the air purifier segment has grown by 1.4x in November as compared to the same period last year. Air purifiers are witnessing three times more demand in November as compared to the previous months on the platform.

From a demand standpoint, both metros and large cities such as New Delhi, Bangalore, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, some parts of Mumbai, and tier 2 cities such as Chandigarh and Ludhiana have been witnessing significant demand for air purifiers. Delhi and Gurugram alone contributed to 50% of demand in the month of November where customers are leveraging next day delivery from Flipkart. Air purifiers as a category have multiple use cases depending on the geography. While the demand may surge in the North because of pollution and crop burning during the last few months of the year, cities like Bengaluru on the other hand may see year round demand to counter pollen or pet dander which consists of microscopic flecks of skin shed by pets with fur or feathers and can cause allergies.

Hari G. Kumar, Vice President – Large Appliances, Flipkart, said, “Over the last few years, customers are increasingly investing in health and wellness products which enable them to lead a healthy lifestyle. In this regard, air purifiers have become a popular choice among households across metros and tier-2 cities who are witnessing a degradation in air quality index. We are working with our seller partners to bring the widest selection of Smart and intelligent air purifiers to fulfil customers’ evolving requirements. As a customer-focused organisation, Flipkart is at the forefront of making available the widest selection of air purifiers across price points and deliverable at the customers’ doorstep.”

With the steep rise in demand, there has been an inflow of air purifiers with new technology innovations catering to customers' evolving needs. This includes air purifiers equipped with smart connectivity features such as app-enabled controls, higher capacities to cater to larger homes and circulates both hot and cold air. This becomes pertinent as air purifiers, whose demand increases during winters, are known to route cold air in the room and has been a pain point for customers, so, air purifiers with both cold and hot air circulation patterns are increasingly being preferred by customers. Companies like Sharp, Bluestar and Dyson are among many others who are making available their new range of air purifiers with intelligent features to meet the evolving demands of customers.

Amidst the pandemic, air purifiers equipped with the absorption of microns in the air, garnered more demand as compared with general high-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA). This trend has lately changed, where consumers demand for both HEPA filters and air purifiers treating dust, virus, bacteria, smoke particles, pet dander, and pollen.