Demand for niche kitchen appliances increased in 2020, says Flipkart

There was a 52% growth in the demand for regular kitchen appliances including refrigerators, juicer mixer grinder and OTGs among other things.

Cities such as Guntur, Kottayam, Agartala, Cachar, Medinipur, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Bankura are among the fastest-growing cities as far as the niche kitchen appliances are concerned. (REUTERS)

A lot has changed in the past one since the Covid-19 pandemic forced people to stay inside their homes for extended periods of time. For the past year, while some focussed on improving their health, others focused on improving their culinary skills. Now, a new report by Flipkart says that this chain of events has increased the demand for niche kitchen appliances in India.

Flipkart says that this is on the back of an increasing number of customers being hesitant to step out and are experimenting with new cuisines at home, leading to greater adoption of niche appliances.

The e-retailer also said that the demand for niche kitchen appliances including electric tandoor, hand blender, waffle makers, pizza makers, popcorn makers and cotton candy makers among other things has grown by over 200% in the first few months of 2021 as against the same period last year. During the same time, there was a 52% growth in the demand for regular kitchen appliances including refrigerators, juicer mixer grinder and OTGs among other things.

While the demand from metros continues to be high, the share of tier-2 and tier-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 as far as the niche kitchen appliances are concerned.

“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,” Hari G Kumar, Vice President, Large Appliances at Flipkart said on the occasion.

“This demand has been equally distributed across metros and non-metros with the latter growing at a faster pace,” he added.