The forced extended stay at home due to COVID-19 last year is driving the demand for niche kitchen appliances across the country. This is on the back of an increasing number of customers being hesitant to step out and experimenting with new cuisines at home, leading to a greater adoption of niche appliances.
According to insights by homegrown e-commerce marketplace Flipkart, the demand for niche kitchen appliances including electric tandoor, hand blender, waffle makers, pizza makers, popcorn makers, cotton candy makers etc., has grown by over 200% in the first few months of 2021 as against the same period last year. During this time, this was also coupled with a 52% growth in the demand for regular kitchen appliances including refrigerators, juicer mixer grinder, OTGs etc., during the same period. While the demand from metros continues to be high, the share of tier-2,3 cities has increased to 55%, registering a 2x growth on a yearly basis in the first few months of this year. This has also led to an increasing number of brands launching new products in the new kitchen appliances, translating into a 2x growth in launches. Interestingly, cities such as Guntur, Kottayam, Agartala, Cachar, Medinipur, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Bankura are among the fastest growing cities for niche appliances.
Flipkart, which is celebrating its Grand Kitchen Days from February 16-19th, is bringing a wide selection of regular and niche kitchen appliances to cater to the growing customer demand. These products help customers in cooking faster, innovate with new cuisines and make a host of healthy food options, the company said in a statement.
Commenting on this trend, Hari G. Kumar, Vice President, Large Appliances at Flipkart said, “The concept of a fully functional kitchen has gained significance across the country as customers look for smarter and efficient solutions to ensure work-life balance. This has augmented the growth of kitchen appliances, large and small, with a special focus on niche kitchen appliances as a substitute for stepping out for food, resulting in a growth of nearly 200% in the first few months of 2021 on our platform. This demand has been equally distributed across metros and non-metros with the latter growing at a faster pace. As a homegrown company with a nuanced understanding of the customers’ evolving needs, we are working closely with our partners to make available the best-in-class technological solutions for customers across the country in an affordable manner”.