Pune: Price hikes have done little to dampen festive demand for consumer durables, with premium appliances and electronics, such as washing machines, TVs and refrigerators, driving a 15-20% increase in sales during the run-up to Dhanteras and Diwali. Front-load washing machines, air fryers, large-screen televisions and high-capacity refrigerators were among the preferred purchases as consumers opted for upgrades and took advantage of festive offers.For many households, the festive season was an opportunity to bring forward planned purchases. “We had planned to do our annual electronics purchases during Dhanteras and Diwali. We have bought two air-conditioners, one microwave and one mixer for the house,” said Kruttika Agarwal, a Baner resident.Krishna Talreja, who lives in Kharadi, said they had ordered a double-door refrigerator and a premium cooking range. “A lot of premium products have offers this year. We wanted to upgrade, and deliveries will be within this week,” Krishna Talreja, who lives in Kharadi, said.Retailers reported strong footfall and orders, including for products unavailable in stores. A manager at an electronics store in Wanowrie said demand was particularly robust for televisions, air-conditioners and refrigerators.Panasonic Life Solutions also reported strong festive demand for premium, energy-efficient room air-conditioners (up 65%) and microwave ovens (21%). A spokesperson said the company recorded 65% growth in air-conditioner sales and around 21% growth for microwaves this festive season.Cookware maker Wonderchef, meanwhile, saw consumers gravitate towards premium products such as tri-ply stainless steel ranges, air fryers and coffee machines, rather than sticking to traditional Dhanteras purchases. Founder and CEO Ravi Saxena said the company had registered an estimated 25% growth over last year. “The start of the season was lukewarm, but the week before Diwali made up for the sluggish growth and saw a sharp spike in sales,” he said.However, the growth was not uniform across price segments. Nilesh Gupta, managing director of Vijay Sales, said premium products were seeing stronger demand, while entry-level buyers were more cautious because of price increases and uncertainty. In value terms, Dhanteras sales were on a par with last year, he said.
