When you think of home appliances, what probably comes to your mind are products such as microwaves, refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines that are more or less designed to carry out a single purpose. However, as square footage gets more expensive, and urban lifestyles more quick-footed, homeowners are now opting for multipurpose appliances that can perform several functions simultaneously.
“This shift is being driven by evolving consumer lifestyles where convenience, efficiency, and space optimisation are becoming essential across every part of the home,” says Gulbahar Taurani, MD and CEO of Versuni India (formerly Philips Domestic Appliances), a specialised player in small domestic appliances, manufacturing and selling products under the Philips, Preethi, and Saeco brands.
Philips’ OneChef, launched in March, for instance, is a comprehensive step in this direction, as per Taurani. You can now steam, stir-fry, air fry, sauté, boil and more (33 cooking functions in all), with one single device. OneChef is priced at Rs 19,995.
For the kitchen, there are now also pressure cookers that double up as steamers and yoghurt makers like the Nutri-Pot, and ‘kitchen robots’ that can perform a range of culinary functions (18 in all) from chopping to sautéing and stirring like the Chef Magic, both from the house of Wonderchef, a premium cookware and kitchen appliance brand. Chef Magic, launched in 2024, is an all-in-one kitchen robot, “which represents the pinnacle of our smart appliance range… and has over 500 recipes from Chef Sanjeev Kapoor”, as per Ravi Saxena, CEO and founder of Wonderchef.
A visit to multi-brand digital gadgets and home electronics retailers like Croma will introduce you to a wide range of multipurpose appliances such as sandwich makers, OTGs, hand blenders, rice cookers, air fryers, food processors and multi-cook kettles. “These products combine functions like boiling, steaming, baking and blending, making them highly relevant for modern, space-conscious households,” says Shibashish Roy, CEO and MD of Croma (Infiniti Retail).
Beyond the Kitchen
For home care and cleaning, you can now make use of multifunction devices like the Purifier Hot+Cool HP2 De-NOx (HP12) from Dyson that not only heats and cools your room, but also purifies the air. Priced at about Rs 68,900, “it senses indoor air quality in real time, captures pollutants, and keeps rooms comfortable year-round, all with one device”, as per Asaph Ooi, head of new product development, floorcare engineering, Dyson.
When it comes to air purification, another consumer electronics company Karban offers the Airzone Pure (Rs 18,999), a device that brings together air purification, bladeless airflow, and a chandelier-grade lighting system in a single ceiling installation. Karban also has Airzone (Rs 14,999), a 2-in-1 appliance that is focused on airflow and adaptive lighting without the filtration layer.
Samsung, one of the world’s largest companies for electronic appliances, also has an impressive range of multipurpose products. The RF71, a convertible 3-door refrigerator, for instance, has a convertible freezer that can be turned into a fridge depending on storage needs. There are many other products such as the MC32 microwave oven with multi-mode cooking options, and AirDresser, an ‘ultimate clothing care solution’ with features like ‘JetSteam’ for deep sanitisation, Jet Air for dust removal, and low-temperature drying for delicate fabrics. These products are available at prices ranging from Rs 22,700 for the microwave to Rs 3,86,990 for the convertible refrigerator.
Similarly, multipurpose appliances are a core and fast-scaling segment within EPACK Durable’s small appliances portfolio. “This growth is being driven by consumers prioritising versatility, efficiency, and ease of use, making this category a strategic focus area for us going forward,” says Ajay DD Singhania, MD and CEO, EPACK Durable, a company manufacturing consumer durables, working with Voltas and Hisense, among others.
Growing preference
Multi-purpose kitchen appliances are gaining strong traction, with demand growing over 70% year-on-year on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.in. “Customers are increasingly searching for premium, all-in-one solutions, while affordable options, especially multipurpose kettles, continue to drive overall category growth given their accessibility and ability to meet essential cooking needs like boiling, steaming, and basic preparation,” says an Amazon India spokesperson.
Speaking of a similar demand, Roy of Croma adds, “We have seen steady growth across this category, with strong traction for products like hand blenders and multi-cook kettles.”
For EPack Durable, the demand has translated into strong growth in volumes. “Our small domestic appliances (SDA) segment recorded a 30% year-on-year growth in Q3 FY2025-26, driven by rising demand for products such as air fryers and induction cooktops,” adds Singhania.
“The growing relevance of smart home technology is reshaping the way we live, with multipurpose devices leading the charge,” says Ghufran Alam, vice-president, digital appliances business, Samsung India. “These products not only simplify daily tasks but also elevate the overall home experience.”
Ooi of Dyson calls multipurpose machines “a smarter answer to modern living”. “As homes become smaller and busier, people want technology that does more, not more devices,” he adds.
As per Saxena of Wonderchef, the market for multipurpose appliances took some getting used to. “Initially, these products required significant consumer education to help users move away from traditional, single-use tools.” However, he says, “Through demo-led marketing and digital storytelling, we have successfully built a high-intent demand. Our sales have grown parallelly with this awareness.”
For Karban, the demand for such products is the strongest in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru, which isn’t surprising given that air quality concerns and design awareness tend to be sharper there, as per a spokesperson for Karban. “But we’re seeing meaningful traction in Jaipur, Pune, and Hyderabad too. The conversation around air and space isn’t limited to the top metros anymore. In northern India specifically, the 3-in-1 system (AirZone Pure) stays in consistent demand because the air quality problem there isn’t seasonal, it’s year-round.”
Karban will soon come out with the AirZone+, which will be “built on the same integrated approach of purification, airflow, and lighting but designed for larger, open-plan spaces where one source isn’t enough to cover the room”