AHMEDABAD: Planning to buy an air conditioner for home? Well, be prepared to wait at least a week for delivery and installation from the date of booking. The heatwave has led to a huge rise in air conditioner sales, creating a wide demand-supply gap.
Estimates by electronics dealers suggest that sales may surge 50% as compared to the pre-pandemic period in the peak summer months of April and May.
"Due to the early onset of summer, with temperatures crossing 40oC by the end of March, the demand for air conditioners which was muted over the past two years has suddenly picked up. Moreover, due to supply side constraints amid increase in order volumes, the demand-supply gap has widened," said Bhavesh Waria, president, Ahmedabad Electronic Dealers' Association (AEDA).
Estimates by AEDA suggest that air conditioner sales may grow to 1.5 lakh units by the end of this season i.e for April and May. This will be around 50% higher than sales in April-May, 2019.
Interestingly, the demand is high despite the increase in prices. "This time around, air conditioner costs have shot up by 35%. Yet, the demand has been sizably good. In fact, companies are not able to meet the growing demand due to supply-chain constraints. A lot of raw materials which used to be imported from China are being locally procured now or from alternate sources, which is adding to the delay," said an Ahmedabad-based electronics distributor.
Demand for transporting air conditioners too has gone up. Mukesh Dave, an Ahmedabad-based transporter said, "The demand has shot up so much that we do not have adequate vehicles to meet the transportation requirements. This is causing a delay in deliveries across electronic retail stores."
