Air purifier demand increases 30-40% in India due to bad air

The sale of indoor air purifiers has gone up 30-40% across India in view of deteriorating air pollution, according to spokesperson of different companies selling the product.  

Companies such as Acer, Zeco Aircon, and Phillips among others have witnessed a sudden increase in the sales of air purifiers during the 15 days which is twice the numbers as compared with last year during this period.  

Air purifier firms say that due to the high AQI levels across major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai; most people are demanding air purifiers in the economy range, with the manufacturers expecting the sale to go up in the coming days.  

As per industry experts, India’s air purifier market is expected to register a CAGR of 34.6% and reach about $597.11 million by 2027.  

“Air purifiers are no longer considered a luxury good; rather, they are now essential for every household. The rise in pollution has us realized the importance of air purifiers. We are seeing more uptake in metros cities air pollution and other respiratory illnesses are comparatively more. Our product comes with best technologies starts below Rs 10,000. We are seeing demand couples with young children and families with elderly dependents. Air purifiers have become a basic necessity as it protects from pollution, respiratory diseases, allergens etc. We have reported growth is 160% YoY during the month of Oct’22,” Sooraj Balakrishnan, Head of Marketing, Acer India told Mint.  

With rising air pollution leaving national capital and across north India, people are gasping for breath. Medical experts have called it a “medical emergency in air” with the Central government taking stringent steps to control the crisis. In the interim, the Delhi government has ordered for immediate closure of school across the national Capital. Besides, the government has banned entry of truck traffic into Delhi except for trucks carrying essential commodities.  

“During the festival season, the market of air purifiers have expanded rapidly. Given that indoor air is 100 times more contaminated than outdoor air, there is a utmost need of air purifying solutions. We at O2 Cure have well-equipped technologies certified by various global labs on diseases like Tuberculosis, Bronchitis, Swine Flu, etc. that result from inhaling bad air quality. As expected, post-Diwali the AQI levels jumped drastically and we saw a 25% increase in sales,” Kartik Singhal, Founder, O2 Cure & Managing Director at Zeco Aircon Limited.  

The Air Quality Index (AQI- PM2.5) in the national capital at 7am was at 450 in severe category which doctors say that it is equivalent to smoking more than 18 cigarettes a day. Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad indicate ‘moderate’ air quality on Friday.  

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), stubble emissions with a fire count of 3068 contribute 30% to PM2.5 in Delhi.  

“After Diwali, sales of air purifiers have definitely shot up by 30-40%. Every day, we are getting huge queries for air purifiers both offline and online. We have at least 26 outlets in India and each store is selling around 5-6 air purifiers per day. I am sure our competitors must also get the similar queries for the product,” said Roopa Modi, Manager at Vijay Sales based in Saket, New Delhi.  

Dr. Animesh Arya, Sr Consultant and HOD, Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, Delhi said that elderly, people with co-morbidities and children should stay indoors. “One must avoid exercises and jogging early morning or late evening. At this point Air purifier could play a vital role in order to protect from toxic air. Air purifiers are principally work by sanitizing the air, which may include pollutants, allergens, and venoms,” he said.  

Post Diwali, we are witnessing a surge of upto 30% in the sale of air purifier. This was not the scenario in October. We have good range of air purifiers and mostly people are buying the product for their family members who are suffering with respiratory illnesses. We are selling 20-30 products in per day including filters and machine, said Prath Ahuja from Ahujason Electronics at Khan Market who deals in Dyson Air purifiers.  

Meanwhile, Pooja Baid, Head of Marketing, Philips Domestic Appliances India said that demand for air purifiers have increased in the last few days.  

“This season, we expect a considerable uptake amongst consumers for a robust air purifying solutions. We have launched a new range of air purifiers with 5 stage purification, a convenient wall mountable feature to save floor space and limited sound emission,” said Sudhir Patil, Commercial Director, Electrolux India.