Offline, ecom, qcom platforms witness surge in N95 masks, purifier sales

Toxic air levels across northern India are pushing consumers to stock up on N95 masks, home and car air purifiers, driving a major surge in sales across e-commerce, quick commerce, and offline stores

Amidst rising pollution levels, air quality charts across northern India are sliding into scarlet, like a giant stain on the map. The worsening situation, which has led to doctors ringing alarm bells, is pushing consumers to stock up on pollution-protection essentials. As a result, e-commerce (ecom) and quick commerce (qcom) platforms are witnessing a sharp surge in demand for such products - air purifiers, N95 masks, and car cabin filters, among others.

 

The demand for air purifiers are also seeing an uptick in the offline segment and in areas other than just the National Capital Region comprising New Delhi and its surrounding cities.

 

Devendra Meel, chief business officer of Zepto, said the qcom firm is stocking up its dark stores as the demand for pollution-protection essentials is soaring. "As witnessed on our platform, demand for N95 masks is up 3.5 times from last year, while air purifiers have grown four times. Our sellers have already surpassed last season's total sales," he said. In addition, the company's pharma vertical, Zepto Pharmacy, is also seeing a spike in preventive and recovery-focused products.

 

As for ecom platforms, Amazon India's K N Srikanth, director of the home, kitchen, and outdoors category, said the platform is noticing an increasing preference from customers for wellness-focused products. "We have witnessed a strong five-time increase in air purifiers compared to typical days. The growth spans across Amazon's wide selection of air purifiers with the economy range (below Rs 10,000) growing 75 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), the mid-range (Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000) rising 70 per cent Y-o-Y, and the premium segment (above Rs 20,000) surging 150 per cent Y-o-Y, reflecting strong customer preference for solutions to improve indoor air quality," he said.

 

Similarly, qcom platform BigBasket said the company is recording a strong rise in sales of N95 masks and air purifiers across the NCR. Seshu Kumar Tirumala, chief buying and merchandising officer, said: "We have experienced strong sales of air purifiers across Delhi-NCR since Diwali. As this is the first year that air purifiers are available on our platform, we don't have previous data for comparison. However, N95 masks continue to be a regular and consistently sold product on our platform."

 

Not just home air purifiers, for which Delhi-NCR witnessed a notable 20-fold surge over last year, the city also noted a rising demand for car air purifiers, which has seen 2.5x growth. "Delhi-NCR leads with 2.5 times growth, followed by Mumbai at 1.75 times. We are also seeing strong adoption in non-metros like Chandigarh, Pune, Ludhiana, and Ahmedabad," Srikanth said on sales of car air purifiers.

 

While Flipkart, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart did not share exact sales or demand numbers, a quick check shows that these platforms have stocked up on pollution-control products - air purifiers, masks, and anti-pollution skincare products - from several brands.

 

Demand for air purifiers is not limited to Delhi-NCR, but extends to several cities in Punjab and Haryana. Demand is rising among offline sellers too.

 

“We usually sell two units a day on an average during the winter months, starting from October. As incidents of stubble burning start to rise in the state, people rush to buy air purifiers. This is a yearly trend and we generally stock up brands like Philips and Honeywell much in advance,” said a Jalandhar-based retailer who did not wish to be named.

 

In Chandigarh, too, demand for air purifiers is starting to pick up slowly.

 

“While Chandigarh is seen as a clean and green city, it also has a big population of senior citizens. That is probably why we now see a clear demand for air purifiers emerging during the tail end of every year. Stubble burning instances in Punjab also play their part and we have sold around 10 purifiers this year itself,” said another retailer in the city, who did not wish to be named.

 

Other areas in Northern India are also seeing traction in air purifier sales, not just those hit by stubble burning.

 

“Demand for air purifiers has increased, reflecting heightened consumer focus on health and air quality. Premium and mid-range models, especially those with smart features, are witnessing strong sales. Both in-store footfalls and online inquiries have increased, indicating sustained interest across segments," said Deepak Pahwa, director, Lotus Electronics, which is present in cities like Jaipur, Jabalpur, and Indore.

 

"Customers are becoming more aware of the importance of clean air at home and work, driving continued momentum in this category,” he added.

 

Hazardous air is not simply an inconvenience anymore. Data from the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation noted the country has witnessed a staggering 43 per cent rise in air pollution-linked deaths since 2000, when the toll stood at 1.4 million. In 2021, India alone accounted for 2.1 million of the 2.6 million air pollution-related deaths reported across South Asia.