Small Appliances And Gadgets Contribute Nearly 15% to the Overall Sales on Snapdeal

E-commerce in India is growing fast, not only into smaller cities but also in terms of new and innovative products.

Products such as pocket washing machines, inverter bulbs, portable mini air-conditioners, USB-powered food juicers, portable heater fans, folding sewing machines are a hit with buyers looking for good-quality products that serve their needs and also fit their budget.

The selection of innovative and compact products priced below Rs 3000 has grown more than four times in the last 12 months alone. In order to help users, understand the features of such products, Snapdeal is adding hundreds of product videos to such listings.

Interestingly, most of such listings are by existing retailers from the physical bazaars in India, who are well conversant with the latest products - both Indian and imported. They also have a good understanding of the value-pricing strategy, given the competitive pricing that is the norm in the numerous wholesale and retail bazaars across the country.

According to Snapdeal, "the value-conscious buyers are very savvy about their requirements - they focus primarily on the functional aspects of their purchase and are less inclined to pay brand premiums where they don't see the additional value."
In many cases, the buyers currently live in rented accommodation and do not wish to purchase expensive and heavy gadgets that need to be shifted intermittently. Items like mini-ACs, portable heater-fans and multi-function kitchen gadgets serve the needs well, without requiring large investments.

Other examples of small and pocket-friendly products are compact LCD Writing Tabs (priced below Rs 500), Neck Fans for exercising (Rs 999), Compact Irons (Rs 600) and mini room air purifiers (Rs 1200 onwards). For the kitchen, products like 12-in -1 choppers (Rs 450), Mini-Geysers (Rs 1500) etc are popular choices. A feature phone with a built-in 8000 mAH power bank is a high selling item for those using multiple phones.

This is the first leg of Snapdeal's three mega festive sales and will be live till 6th October. The next two sales will run in the second and third week of October. The sale aims at offering special deals on a wide range of its bestsellers from Indian bazaars, including products for home, fashion and fitness. Snapdeal has more than 500,000 registered sellers on the marketplace.