The increasing air quality deterioration in some Indian cities is making headlines again and is a prime factor driving the sale of air purifiers. Industry players expect a 15-20 percent increase in sales with North India contributing a large proportion.
Air purifiers are mostly in demand during the winters since incidents like stubble burning worsen the quality of air in several cities.
Syed Moonis Ali Alvi, General Manager, Air Purifier Business, Panasonic India said the air purifier industry has seen a remarkable growth of 15 percent and is expected to grow at a similar rate this year.
“With the increasing pollution levels backed by the increasing awareness and growing preferences for health and wellness products, air purifiers have become a necessity today,” he added.
Companies are offering multiple price-points to cater to the varied customer segments. Industry insiders also said that contrary to a few years ago when air purifiers were only purchased by those with newborn babies or those prone to breathing ailments, this product has become a mass-market category.
Ajay Khanna, Vice President Marketing-Wellness, Amway India said the Indian air purifier market is highly underpenetrated and stood at Rs 351 crore in 2018. “Now, with the onset of winters and with Diwali around the corner, we are confident that our product's value proposition will help us grab a sizable market share. We aim to register Rs 100 crore sales to capture a market share of over 20 percent by 2020.,” he added.
In September, Amway India entered the home air-purifier category with the launch of an indoor air purifier Atmosphere Mini. Khanna said since the launch of Atmosphere Mini, the company has received an overwhelming response from consumers and direct sellers.
Air purifiers are estimated to be among the fastest-growing products in the home appliances space with an average 20 percent annual growth. Roughly 280,000-300,000 units are estimated to be sold each year.
Among companies, Samsung, Panasonic, Xiaomi, Blue Star, Kent, LG, Philips as well as UK-based Dyson offer products in the air-purifier category in India.
It is not a one-size-fit-all. For instance, Alvi said their air-purifiers come in a variety of price points that cater to room sizes ranging from 215 square feet to 452 square feet. The company, he said, has also introduced extended warranty and consumer finance options during the festive period to encourage customers to buy the products.
The need for a purifier
Air quality across cities in India have been on the decline in India, due to climate change as well as vehicular emissions. On the PM2.5 index, places like Delhi have consistently fared poorly. PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that have a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometers.
Delhi has an average PM2.5 level of 299-350 over the past few days whereas the safe level is 0 to 50. Longer exposure to polluted air leads to lung and breathing ailments, chest congestion among others.
Having a purifier will mean the air inside the premises is constantly filtered. Depending on the size of the room, the air is filtered within 10-25 minutes of switching on the device. On average, the price of air-purifiers ranges from Rs 8,000 to Rs 40,000 depending on the area that the product covers.
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