Riding high on the uptick in demand for automotive accessories in the wake of easing of restrictions and people turning back to regular commute for various purposes including work, Snapdeal saw its volume growth in such market spiking 110 percent in 2021-22 with the demand coming from all parts of the country.

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While bigger cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru with large vehicular populations accounted for a majority of orders, small cities like Kekri (Rajasthan), Junnar (Maharashtra), Tohana (Haryana), Silvassa (Dadra & Nagar Haveli), Palanpur (Gujarat) and many others also accounted for growing and diverse demand, the e-commerce firm said in a release on Wednesday.

Also, during the just-concluded fiscal year, users bought automotive accessories for three main purposes, including personal safety, automotive care, and regular cleaning and maintenance, it stated. India was the fifth-largest auto market in 2020, with 3.49 million passenger and commercial vehicles sold, Snapdeal said, citing an IBEF report.

Despite the industry's challenges, passenger vehicle sales have made a strong comeback as factory operations have returned to near normal and states have eased restrictions. A similar upward trend can be seen in the segment of car and bike accessories and related products, it said.

Snapdeal over the years has broadened its automotive category by bringing in a number of products and brands, it said, adding, at present, there are over 30,000 SKUs from the category that are sold on Snapdeal.

These include some major brands for products such as cleaning solutions, car fresheners and perfumes, vehicle protectors, car mobile holders, microfibre cleaning cloth, among others.

"Today's buyers are much more at ease shopping for aftermarket auto accessories and parts online, which presents a huge opportunity for companies like Snapdeal to meet the growing demand with a user-friendly shopping experience that caters to this customer segment," said Saurabh Bansal Chief Merchandising Officer, Snapdeal.

According to the company, anti-glare glasses for night driving, LED indicators for bikes, fog lights for cars, Balaclava masks, and cotton arm sleeves for UV and pollution protection were amongst the top-selling products in personal safety gear. Popular products for automotive care included tyre puncture repair kits, flat tyre inflators, lube-based multi-utility spray for moving parts, scratch removers, and dust covers for bikes and cars, it said.

Users also explored and bought a wide range of cleaning products for their cars and bikes- from lint-free microfiber gloves, waterless car shampoos to windshield cleaning tablets, from high-pressure water spray guns to clean the exterior to dust brushes for cleaning AC vents.

The e-commerce firm also said that ramping up for the growing demand for automotive accessories, it has also on-boarded a range of products from technology-enabled end-to-end after-sales auto service and spares provider, Go Mechanic that sells a wide range of OEM spares and consumables.

First Published:Apr 6, 2022 9:23 PM IST