Major blow to household budgets ahead of the festive season
As India gears up for the festive season, buying new home appliances is set to become more expensive. With celebrations like Diwali around the corner, demand for televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines traditionally surges. However, this year consumers will have to shell out more money as major electronic manufacturers prepare to hike prices starting October 1.
According to reports and industry insiders, increasing raw material costs and global geopolitical uncertainties are heavily impacting the consumer electronics sector. Companies state that rising production costs have left them with no alternative but to pass on the burden to end-users.
Third major price revision of the year
This upcoming price hike marks the third instance in 2026 where consumer electronics are getting costlier. Industry experts point out that continuous surges in key raw materials like copper, steel, aluminum, and crude oil derivatives, alongside mounting freight charges, are the primary catalysts behind this trend.
Major brands including Blue Star, Godrej Appliances, Haier, Daikin, and Super Plastronics have either confirmed or already initiated price adjustments ranging between 4 to 10 percent across various product categories.
How much more will you have to pay?
Market analysts project that prices of home appliances could see an overall increase of up to 8 percent during the festive sales. Air conditioners are expected to witness an immediate surge of 5 to 8 percent, while washing machines, refrigerators, and LED TVs will likely become 3 to 4 percent costlier.
"Global supply chain pressures and soaring costs of copper, steel, and plastics have pushed manufacturing expenses significantly higher, creating sustained margin pressures for the industry." — B. Thiagarajan, Managing Director, Blue Star
Industry leaders remain optimistic that despite these hikes, consumer enthusiasm during the festive period will remain robust, though families will need to allocate a slightly higher budget for their appliance purchases this year.
