Bengaluru lapped up maximum consumer durables last year

Amid concerns of depressed consumer demand taking a toll on the Indian economy, a study by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) has found the demand for consumer durables rising in major cities in the past year.

The survey sample of a thousand rural and urban poor across the cities showed that the highest number of respondents (72%) who had bought consumer durables in the last year were from Bengaluru followed by Kolkata at 62% and Delhi at 52%. Bhopal reported the lowest, with just about one-third (38%) having made any such purchase.

Even in a tepid automobile sale market, two- and three-wheeler purchases were highest in Bengaluru at 23%, followed by Delhi at 17%.

City-wise analysis of items bought suggested that mobile phone purchases were the highest in Mumbai (78%) followed by Bhopal (68%). But kitchen and home appliances purchases were second highest in Bengaluru at 48%, only next to Kolkata at 58%.

Consumer spending surveys produce a most accurate result when conducted among middle and low-income group as these are the most price-sensitive consumers.

On credit availability for such purchases, 67% of middle income group and 44% of low income group consumers were aware of and availed personal loans to purchase durables. Again, Bengaluru had the highest number of 74% respondents, who were aware of loans by banks and NBFCs (non-banking financial companies) while only 31% of respondents in Bhopal were aware of the existence of loans through NBFCs.

Bengaluru also had the highest proportion of respondents who had taken loans; 70% (belonging to different income slabs) said they had availed themselves of such loans in different slabs. The quantum of consumer loans taken by the respondents showed that in Mumbai, 95% of respondents had not taken any such loans in the last year.