India Witnesses a Shift in AC Consumption During the Pandemic

KOCHI:
Voltas Limited, the undisputed market leader for room Air-Conditioners in India, rolled out a nationwide poll to understand the changing consumer behaviour triggered by the pandemic. The study unveiled how the Indian consumer uses various remote features of Room Air Conditioners.

Keeping customer-centricity at its heart, the survey was conducted using the brand’s own social media platforms. The survey reflected growth in the usage of the ‘Eco-Saver mode’ while working from home. 73% of consumers used the Eco-Saver mode while working from home, further emphasizing the importance of such features for long hours of usage. The lockdown period also witnessed that 56% percent of Indian consumers started using the eco/saver mode every single day.

There was a relative rise in the number of consumers who have gained awareness about the ‘anti-fungal’ feature in ACs indicating the need for having ‘clean air’ in their surroundings. 71% of consumers understand the importance of the ‘Anti-fungal’ feature. On the other hand, the study also revealed that 86% of users understand the function of Super-dry mode. Besides that, 63% of users use this mode during Monsoons followed by Summer and Winter indicating the relevance of All-Weather Air Conditioners.

Commenting on the study, Pradeep Bakshi, Managing Director and CEO at Voltas said, “At Voltas, we have always believed in listening to our customers to ensure our
solutions and products provide comfort and convenience, and stay relevant to our consumer’s needs. The ‘U & A study for AC Remote” was conducted with the objective to understand the awareness level of the features that are today available in an AC and its remote, and the role that these features are playing in a customer’s day to day life. While the industry has come a long way in introducing differentiated features that a customer can avail of to ensure energy savings and performance efficiency, the study reveals that it’s important to build more education around the same.”

He further added, “As a market leader, Voltas has always taken the lead to introduce products and solutions that have disrupted the market, with the core objective of bringing more value to customers. With these compelling insights, we hope that we can further help our consumers make the most of all the features in their AC remote.”

The reports have reflected a clear shift of priorities among consumers depicting increased consciousness towards energy efficiency, convenience, need for clean air and, using advanced technology features for comfort. Consumers are also looking at advanced features such as ‘ADJ’ feature that allows one to choose the tonnage of the AC as per their need.

The central takeaway from the Voltas survey is that consumers are now adopting to more energy-efficient and advanced technology cooling appliances. Thus, making it imperative for appliance brands to design products keeping sustainability as a top priority.

During the pandemic, Voltas heavily invested in its Research & Development (R&D) initiatives to introduce solutions that provide comfort and convenience to its consumers. In October 2020, the company launched Voltas Pure Air AC, a UV based split inverter AC. Voltas has also launched a new line of Ultraviolet Light (UV) powered offerings for Duct, Air and Surface disinfectant solution to help the nation fight against Covid-19. These initiatives are in sync with Voltas’ commitment towards serving the community and making a positive social impact.