Air purifier sales offer hope for retailers

He added that the sales of Sharp's air purifiers in 2012 doubled from the previous year due to growing demand in various fields such as hospitals, museums, and even automakers such as Nissan Motor Co.

According to the London-based BSRIA Business Consulting Co Ltd, China now has more than 200 foreign and domestic air purifier brands such as Panasonic Corp, TCL and Yadu. However, not all foreign brands are suitable for Chinese consumers.

Domestic consumers are looking for multifunctional products, especially those that filter pollutants and absorb humidity, but most of the foreign products have single functions, said the consultancy.

"Philips, Panasonic, Yadu and Sharp are the favorite brands in Suning stores, and consumers usually buy machines that cost around 2,500 to 3,000 yuan per unit," said Suning.

"Most buyers are families with a pregnant woman or with infants, or they buy them right after they do interior decoration work," said Jiang Feng, president of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association.

"Most households cannot afford products that cost more than 10,000 yuan, so they mostly spend around 1,500 to 3,500 yuan."

"Although the market for air purifiers in China is still relatively small compared with the markets in Japan or in other countries, the high-end part of the sector, such as luxury hotels and private clubs, looks promising," said Jiang.