The steady expansion, at a 14% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), will nearly double the size of the market from Rs 2.8 lakh crore in FY25.
The growth is expected to be driven by modernisation and advanced technologies while creating space for startups to build in niche segments in a market dominated by incumbents, according to executives.
“The growth will come from first-time adoption in underpenetrated categories and premiumisation as existing consumers upgrade to large and smart appliances. Categories like televisions, air conditioners, and refrigerators are expected to account for most of the purchases,” said Ashish Dhir, senior director, consumer and retail, 1Lattice.
According to the report, televisions are the fastest-growing category in the market with 17% CAGR projected between FY25 and FY30. Washing machines are next at 16%, followed by ACs at 15%, refrigerators at 11%, and major kitchen appliances at 10%.
Within these categories, 1Lattice’s research has found that there is a growing preference for smart, energy-efficient and premium appliances, thanks to rising incomes and urban demand.
Further, companies are focussing on creating local products specific to Indian use cases and tailored for Indian weather. This is reflected in the way new startups are building in the consumer durables segment.
Take Optimist and Helium, for instance; both startups are building smart, compact and Indian-climate friendly air conditioners. To fight the incumbents, these startups say they are building products that are affordable, energy efficient and designed for the realities of urban living.
“This is a growing market and has headroom for growth but most of these categories have large incumbents, which makes market entry difficult,” said Ashish Goel, founder of Optimist.
Per 1Lattice’s report, the AC segment will grow at 15% CAGR between FY25 and FY30, from Rs 43,000 crore to Rs 85,000 crore.
Scope for startups
Goel added that the scope for D2C brands lies in niche segments, which are often overlooked by the large incumbents.
“Legacy brands often bring global products with limited localisation, while low-cost players compete on price with minimal customisation. The real opportunity for startups sits in the middle, where they can build differentiated, India-first products for a more discerning, under-served audience,” said Naiyya Saggi, cofounder and CEO of EDT. She had previously founded BabyChakra, a parenting platform, and also served as a cofounder of the Good Glamm Group following BabyChakra’s merger with it.
According to Sibabrata Das, cofounder and CEO, Atomberg, the scope for startups in consumer durables exists where there’s genuine product differentiation and a consumer problem that has previously been overlooked. “We found ours in deep tech-driven innovations by putting the consumer at the heart of every problem,” he added.
Ecommerce growth
The report highlighted that consumer behaviour will be shifting towards buying consumer durable products from online channels. “Driven by better offers and convenience, consumers will also start to buy more from online channels like ecommerce. From FY20 when it was Rs 18,000 crore, the offline channel split has gone up to Rs 70,000 crore in FY25,” said Dhir.
Most startups prefer online channels for sales, brand visibility and awareness as physical retail stores would be cost-heavy.
Das said that e-commerce gave Atomberg faster consumer feedback, reviews, returns, and questions on product pages, which helped it refine products. Started in 2012 with energy-efficient fans, Atomberg has a large portfolio of products, including kitchen appliances, smart locks and water purifiers.
Fireside Ventures-backed kitchen appliances startup Beyond Appliances is manufacturing smart stoves and chimneys. It raised $4 million funding in 2025.
These startups have successfully attracted VC interest. Optimist raised $12 million from Accel, Arkam Ventures and others in January, while Jaipur-based Helium Smart Air raised $2 million from early-stage investor India Quotient last month.