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Front-end retail sales or customer interaction is nothing new to Vikas Bysani. The youngest family member of Viveks, a Chennai-based consumer durables and electronics retail chain, Bysani used to sell mobile phones and home appliances from Viveks’ landmark T Nagar showroom in the city even when he was in Std IX.
That was more than a decade ago. The whole landscape of retail sales and consumer shopping behaviour has since witnessed a paradigm shift. From e-commerce to rising brand consciousness to demand for new product lines and personalised shopping experience, the preferences of the new-age, discerning consumers are ever expanding.
One such latest trend is the demand for premium kitchen appliances. Ahead of this year’s festival season, a report from GfK Market Intelligence said premium home appliances and electronics would predominantly drive sales.
Acknowledging the growing demand, Bysani said there is no dedicated player to meet it. Three months ago he decided to step up. A third-generation entrepreneur, Bysani launched Off & On, a dedicated platform for premium small home and kitchen appliances.
Pandemic impact
“During Covid, we saw a huge spike in interest for premium kitchen appliances. It was also a period when a lot of people started spending more time at home and in the kitchen. Once they started realising how important the kitchen space really is, the appetite for premium kitchen appliances started increasing,” he says.
According to a market research by IMARC Group, the Indian kitchen appliances market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12 per cent during 2022-27. The report noted that the market in India is primarily driven by the rising trend of modular kitchens, increasing number of nuclear families, inflating disposable incomes, and changing lifestyles. It also said that the growing demand for premium kitchen appliances and the easy availability of products across offline and online retail channels are a boost for the market across India.
Off and On
From American home appliance brand KitchenAid to South Korean brand Hurom, which pioneered the cold press juicer, a range of premium brands are retailed by Off & On, covering products such as air fryers, blenders, coffee machines and mixer grinders. “We have products priced from ₹8,000 to ₹1-lakh,” Bysani said.
As Vice-president of e-commerce , Bysani had spearheaded the six-decade-old Viveks’ e-commerce foray right before the pandemic. While Off & On was started as an online platform, Bysani said the brand will be an omni-channel for premium kitchen appliances.
“All these premium products require training and education, so we are planning to open concept stores in key cities where people can experience the products before making purchase decisions.”
He said that Off & On will add 2-3 offline stores a year from next year, with Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai as key markets for the offline expansion.
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