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Informist, Friday, Mar. 6, 2026

 

By Diksha Tripathy 

 

MUMBAI – Demand for consumer durables in India has not been affected signifcantly by the military conflict in West Asia after the US attacked Iran last weekend, officials at three outlets of two large consumer durable retail chains told Informist Friday. The sales, however, were down in the first week of March largely due to 'Holi' holidays and the exam season. These factors had a visible impact on customer footfalls as well.

 

"Usually, sales in first 10 days of March is 10-12% (of the monthly total) but this year it was 7-8% only," the sales manager at a large consumer durable retail chain said. Another dealer affirmed this but attributed the fall in sales to the US-Iran conflict. Sales of consumer durables, which are already down nearly 5-7% on year, will fall further if the West Asia conflict continues, the dealer said. "If the war continues, the sales can go down by up to 20% in this month. This will be because of increase in raw material prices," the manager said.

 

A continued war will "certainly" impact the prices of goods in this segment. Prices could go up by as much as 30%, a sales manager at another retail chain said. "The company (the retail chain) is expected to increase prices by INR 2,000 for products up to INR 50,000 and INR 4,000-5,000 for products worth INR 100,000, if the war continues," he said.

 

The war unfolding in West Asia could push up prices of consumer durables as companies and retail chains start factoring in potential supply disruptions. A dealer explained that while the company currently holds inventory purchased months earlier, pricing strategies tend to change when supply risks emerge. For instance, a product with a maximum retail price of INR 60,000 is typically sold at a discounted in-store price of around INR 52,600, but if supply constraints are anticipated, the selling price may be raised to about INR 56,000 even on existing stock.

 

The move reflects a basic demand–supply dynamic, where companies moderate discounts and increase effective selling prices in anticipation of tighter availability and higher replacement costs. "We will reduce our stock size by 20-30% if the war continues because purchases will go down," a dealer said. 

 

The official at a large Mumbai-based retail chain expects sales to go up sharply in the week starting Mar. 16 owing to 'Gudi Padwa', the Marathi new year. "The customers usually wait for such occasions for offers or cashbacks and discounts," the official said. Demand for consumer durables such as air conditioners and refrigerators is expected to rise due to a rise in temperatures across the country. This will provide relief to retailers even amid the military conflict. 

 

For February, sales of consumer durables were robust due to pre-booking of the newly-launched Samsung Galaxy S26 series and Vivo V70 series. This was the first time Samsung has launched a product in February, making the month profitable for the retail chains. The Apple iPhone 17e, launched three days ago, is expected to make the monthly sales figure better for dealers as expectations for pre-booking are high. Mobile phones are one of the hottest-selling products which contribute nearly 35-45% to total sales, the officials said. If the military conflict continues, it will impact consumer durables sales by up to 5-7%, the official said. 

 

Air conditioners are another key product for retailers as these contribute nearly 20% of total sales. A continued war will put pressure on the segment with expectations that sales could decline up to 10% even during the peak season, the dealer said. Sales of refrigerators, which contribute 15% to total sales, are also expected to take a 10% hit.  End 

 

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