After water purifiers, consumers electronics brands are now using their best knowledge to purify the air around you. The reason why you see so many air purifiers the moment you enter a multi-brand retail shop and not TVs. But sales figures state that consumers are not that afraid about the Air Quality Index (AQI). This is despite the fact that 10 Indian cities feature on the top 20 list of international cities with bad air quality.
Knowing that the air we breathe is harmful is one thing, but doing something about it is another. With very little tangible effort by the government, citizens might think of taking charge and install an air purifier in their home. But the price has been a major deterrent. Also, what happens when outdoors?
Air purifiers are known to be expensive home appliances. And not to forget the additional maintenance charge of replacing the filter every three to four months. For most middle-class households it's a big investment for something whose returns can’t be measured. Thus, the common belief—air purifiers are useless.
Shifting focus to the wearables market in the country, everyone loved the idea of tracking fitness parameters on a funky wrist band. However, very few were willing to pay upwards of Rs 10,000 for such devices. Fitness tracker might be important but the high price initially made tech-savvy consumers think twice.
A couple of years back the wearables market was still in an infant stage. But things changed after Xiaomi entered the space with its Mi Band fitness tracker at an affordable price of Rs 999. Suddenly, there was demand for a gadget that people otherwise thought was useless. The trend was visible globally and Xiaomi’s Mi Band became one of the most popular wearables.
Coming to the newly launch Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 2. This is the first indoor air purifier to carry a four-figure price tag. In fact, the Mi Air Purifier 2 is almost half the price of the next cheapest air purifier model in the market.
While the price of the filter, which needs to be replaced every six months, is similar to the competitor at Rs 2,499; the initial affordable price of Rs 9,999, might make many households curious. The Mi Air Purifier 2 might also make the market more competitive and force brands to launch cheaper alternatives.
After the Mi Band was launched, the price of other fitness band had suddenly dropped and consumers got several affordable options to choose from. We can only hope that the same happens to air purifiers as well because this is a gadget that really needs to reach the masses.
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