The fully automatic machine was not very popular mainly in the earlier years due to the high price differential between the two. In addition to this, just as we saw above, the washing machine per se, is not as popular as a television or a refrigerator. Thus, most of the buyers have preferred to make smaller investments in this product category. However, with the washing machine becoming a widely accepted consumer durable and the price of the fully automatic machines being slashed, the demand for fully automatic machines is slowly picking up. Moreover, the replacement buyers who already have a semi-automatic washing machine, are the ones who prefer the fully automatic washing machine.
Top loading is preferred by most due to the reasons of convenience and safety.
Front loading model has not picked up at all in India. In the survey conducted, all the respondents cited top loading as the preferred model. The market for washing machines in India has been growing at a significantly slow rate. In the survey conducted, the dealers were asked to rate the popularity of the various washing machine brands based on the sales turnover at their dealerships. Their responses indicate the following trend.