As we begin the New Year, we spoke to industry leaders to reflect on the shifts that shaped 2025 and the forces expected to define 2026. For Promeet Ghosh, MD & CEO, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Limited, 2025 marked the moment sustainability moved from obligation to advantage—becoming a strategic core that drives differentiation, credibility, and long-term growth.
Speaking about the trend that defined 2025, Ghosh says, that the rise of sustainability was the strategic core. "In 2025, sustainability transcends mere compliance to become the core driver of brand strategy and market differentiation. The confluence of revised BEE 2.0 norms and a conscious consumer base mandates that energy efficiency is the new baseline. This year, Crompton announced its forward-looking action roadmap for sustainability, built on its Crompton 2.0 strategy and ‘TechWithHeart’ philosophy, committing to a 50% absolute GHG emission reduction by 2035 and 60% Emission Intensity Reduction per unit sales, focused on its highest-selling category – ceiling fans. This focus has driven global recognition: Crompton is ranked 2nd globally by the S&P Global CSA and holds the 1st and only CII-GreenPro Certification in lighting solutions, proving responsibility and performance are intrinsically linked. This strategic focus is driving business, with Solar becoming a key focus area and growth engine going forward."
Looking at what will shape marketing in 2026, he adds that three interlinked shifts will define how consumer durable brands win next.
Trend 1: ‘Many Indias’
In 2026 the defining trend is 'Mastering the Many Indias'—premiumization is accelerating beyond metros as digitally savvy, aspirational consumers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities demand feature rich durables. Winning this wave requires tailored channel strategies and a focus on localized marketing. Crompton’s 2.0 strategy is focused on driving portfolio premiumization, intensifying its distribution network, and localizing creatives with activations to meet the nuanced needs of these diverse, high-growth markets.
Trend 2: Digital is a key battlefield
Digital is the decisive battleground for consumer durables in 2026. With roughly 15 of 20 customer touchpoints now digital—and most research happening online (e.g., fans see ~65% online search)—consideration and trust are won digitally even when purchase often happens offline. This necessitates an uncompromising focus on omnichannel presence—seamless online discovery, in store conversion and real time inventory visibility—and invest in targeted content to conversion to shorten the path to purchase, and strengthen GTM excellence.
Trend 3: The Value Proposition Shift: Electronics as the New Core
The most significant trend driving durables is the systemic transition from basic electrical mechanics to advanced electronics, fundamentally redefining the consumer value proposition. This shift enables the adoption of smart features and hyper-efficiency (the core marketing story) while creating shorter replacement cycles—a major revenue opportunity. Crompton is mastering this by prioritizing self-reliance, demonstrated through the new greenfield for in-house PCB production. Our indigenous NUCLEUS (focused on high-efficiency performance) and X-TECH (for intelligent features and connectivity) platforms are the engines of this shift, ensuring our high-traction products in fans such as Niteo, Nucleoid and Fluido Series consistently deliver the superior performance, operability across varying weather & voltage conditions and smart connectivity consumers now expect.
(As told to Antora Chakraborty)
