Air purifier sales soar as Delhi chokes on pollution

As Delhi-NCR chokes on post-Diwali pollution, demand for air purifiers has spiked with manufacturers such as Eureka Forbes, Blueair, Kent RO and Panasonic expecting up to four-fold jump in sales.

The makers are witnessing a sudden surge in the sales after Diwali as particulate matter levels have crossed far beyond desired limits.

Shapoorji Pallonji Group firm Eureka Forbes, which is segment leader with over 40 per cent market share, admitted that sales have shot up sharply.

"Sales have increased multi-fold but since this is a closed but competitive category, sales numbers cannot be divulged," Eureka Forbes CEO Marzin R Shroff said.

Expressing similar views, Kent RO Systems Chairman Mahesh Gupta said consumers have been affected by the rising air pollution and sales have jumped as people want to get relief from it.

"There has been a sudden surge post Diwali in sales of Air Purifiers. We have sold about 100 pieces in last 2 days. We are hopeful that this demand will increase in near future," Gupta said.

Air purifiers are providing relief to people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses in a big way, he added.

"If pollution continues, then sales might increase. At this moment, getting relief from this vicious circle is the priority. So, if government can take steps to reduce pollution then that will be a real help," Gupta said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Panasonic India GeneralManager, Water Purifier & Air Purifier, Syed Moonis Ali Alvi said: "With persistent smog over Delhi since Diwali, and increasing awareness of air pollution across India, sales of air purifiers will surely be seeing a remarkable spike in the next two months."

Stating that sales have started picking up from last week, he said: "We are expecting to see 400 per cent jump in the sales of air-purifiers post Diwali. Of the total sales, 60 per cent of the sales come from B2B and 40 per cent from households."

According to Blueair Business Head in India Vijay Kannan, post Diwali could be turning point for the air purifier industry.

"After Diwali, there has been a good jump in sales. Although the numbers are small but we have more than 100 per cent jump this year as compared to last month," he said.

Presently, the air purifier industry is at a very nascent stage, somewhere between Rs 150 to Rs 200 crore. According to Techsci Research report, the total market size for the air purifier segment in FY16 in India was 40,000 units.

The national capital is facing the worst smog in 17 years with peak level of respirable pollutants PM 2.5 and PM10 crossing the safe limits by over 15 times at places like R K Puram.

According to Alvi, earlier customers were not so convinced to buy air purifier but with increasing attention on air quality in urban centres, it has indirectly led to an increase in sales in India on a year-on-year basis.

Air purifiers, which were limited only to selected metro markets with affluents and expats being major consumers, is now getting traction from across the country due to growing awareness on pollution.

"The demand of air purifiers from across India has been growing at more than 100 per cent month-on-month owing to the worsening air quality. This has been observed specifically in the metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata," said Shroff.

Besides, people who suffer from respiratory disorders, today is a large set of consumers who are health conscious and believe in healthy living are also buying air purifies, he added.

"Besides this, there is a demand we are observing in offices, hospitals and other hospitality sectors," Shroff said.