Washing Powder Sales Drop Despite Increase In Hygiene Consciousness Among Indians

National, January 2020: From time immemorial elders have advised the younger ones to wash their hands after reaching home and before each meal. And hygiene has always been a part of the culture that our parents have tried to imbibe in us. But the pandemic has brought a renewed emphasis on the importance of hygiene. So much so that hand sanitizers which were never a part of an Indian household has now become the omnipresent companion in our fight against COVID-19. But despite this, sales of washing powder has dropped drastically ever since the lockdown.

The drop in washing powder sales is owing to the work-from-home culture with people ditching uniforms and office wears. As people hardly socialize these days, casual and formal wears too are left in the wardrobe in favour of the comfortable lounge wears. Experts are of the opinion that lounge wears are easier to wash and don’t require extensive care like pre-soaking, which requires more detergent.

In the April- September period, the sales growth of powder detergents nearly halved to 7% as compared to 12% growth in the year earlier. Sales of fabric softeners and stain removers too have seen a drastic dip in the previous quarter as high maintenance office wears and uniforms are hardly used by the major chunk of the population.

Though the sales of washing powder have dipped, top washing machine brands have seen double-digit sales growth since the lockdown. Brands like LG, Bosch and Samsung have seen a profound increase in their online sales. With families trying to balance household chores and office work, home appliances that ease up the burden have seen a renewed demand.

In fact, in the earlier days of lockdown, dishwashers were out of stock with most manufacturers and retailers. There were even cases where retailers were offering dishwashers only on upfront cash or bank transfer and denying payment through credit card. Dishwasher brands like Bosch often sell out within hours of replenishing the stock on online portals.

With vaccines around the corner and the general population in lockdown fatigue, it is expected that the demand will stabilize to normal this year. But if the work from home culture is here to stay, the needs and wants of Indian families are likely to change forever.