Digit Research: More Indians prefer robot vacuum cleaners, after-sales falls short

Digit’s latest consumer survey, which ran alongside the Digit India’s Top Appliance Awards 2026 or DITAA 2026, gathered close to 6,000 responses across four categories, vacuum cleaners, water purifiers, security cameras, and air purifiers. The findings offer a clear insight into how Indian households are approaching buying small appliances this year, from key preferences and expectations to privacy concerns around connected smart devices. 

Last month, we asked our audience about large appliances, including refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers and microwave ovens, and the responses indicated a clear finding. Which was: Appliance buyers want more smart features but less energy bill. 

Let’s deep dive into what matters to Indian appliance buyers when it comes to the following categories…

Vacuum cleaners: Robots lead, after-sales still a weak spot

In terms of vacuum cleaners, it was a surprising revelation but robot vacuums today are the most common format among owners, it was chosen by over 56% of respondents. The corded upright models came at around 19%, while cordless stick vacuums accommodated for 15% of the votes. Last but not least, wet-and-dry vacuums trailed at around 10% votes.

In terms of brand preference, Philips led the race with around 37% share, followed by the fragmented “Others” category at 31% suggesting that smaller players in the space hold a good amount of market share. Dyson held around 15% share, with Eureka Forbes and Agaro closely following by 9% and 8% respectively. 

After sales was an interesting aspect. While 50% of the respondents suggested that their after sales experience has been good. However, more than 32% respondents remained neutral on this front. The number worth looking at is the more than 17% figure, as these respondents remained dissatisfied with their experience, suggesting that after sales is one aspect brands should work on. 

Water purifiers: RO still the default choice, Pureit leads the brand race

Moving over to Water Purifers, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise but RO purification remains the clear default, used by around 41% voters. The closet after that was hybrid RO+UV systems coming in at around 26% votes. Given India’s water quality, standalone UV purifiers came in lower around 14%. Meanwhile, UF and Alkaline purifiers made up the rest of the list. 

Coming to brand preference, Pureit leads the race with over 35% votes. After that was Aquaguard with 26% votes and Kent accounted for around 21% votes. One of the newer players in the market, Native by Urban Company is getting quite popular as it has already picked up 13% market share.

Security cameras: Privacy has become a major concern

Security cameras was quite an interesting category as data privacy is now top of mind for security camera buyers. Over 51% called it “very important,” while only 16% said they don’t care. Given all this, it’s safe to assume that in today’s day and age it’s important for brands to do well in data encryption, local storage options, and clear data policies. 

Air purifiers: Clean air remains a priority

Lastly, we also asked a few questions about air purifiers, and the insight here was that outdoor air pollution remained the single biggest driver of air purifier interest, as chosen by over 43% of respondents. Other reasons included pet dander (9%) or odour control (11%). Meanwhile, allergy and respiratory concerns also carried over a big chuck (26%) making it the second-largest motivator, ahead of general wellness (12%).

Together, these findings point to a market where the overall innovation of the format, brand trust, and privacy are increasingly the factors in appliance purchase decisions.