Tier-3 cities and beyond accounted for a majority of the demand for large appliances, according to a report by Flipkart.
As per the report, over half of overall demand for large appliances such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, etc. in the second half of this year came from these cities.
“This comes on the back of changing consumers’ lifestyle, the work from home scenario and the wide availability of products offered online in an affordable manner,” the homegrown e-commerce major said.
According to insights by Flipkart, 53 per cent of the demand for large appliances on Flipkart has come from Tier-3 and beyond cities during the festival season in 2021 while metro and Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities accounted for 47 per cent of the overall demand.
In 2019, the demand from Tier-3 and beyond cities stood at 46 per cent. Cities such as Bhagalpur, Patna and Lucknow have also replicated similar demand trends as seen in metro cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata, as per the report.
“The availability of affordable payment constructs such as No Cost EMI, Debit Card EMI, Buy Now Pay Later also complemented the shift,” it said.
“Nearly a fifth of all customers opted for affordable payment constructs during the festival season,” it added.
A significant number of customers from smaller towns also opted for prepaid modes of payment this year with about 75 per cent of TVs and Appliances purchased via prepaid modes.
Hari G Kumar, Vice-President, Large Appliances at Flipkart said, “We have witnessed a significant shift in customers’ preferences in the past two years with various new trends emerging around adoption from smaller towns, preference for energy efficient appliances and affordability payment constructs, which in totality hints towards the growing trust on e-commerce.”
“Flipkart continues to expand its selection, offer greater affordability and seamless delivery to its customers. We have also deployed several tech capabilities such as augmented reality features and expert chat to ensure a seamless e-commerce experience for our customers,” added Kumar.