Customers seek wiring devices that complement their walls and offer more features, without necessarily paying more
The humble white switch has moved up the wall. Customers now judge it the way they judge a luminaire: on how it looks and on what it can do. With retail sales of wiring devices at ₹1,900 crore in 1QFY’25-26, that upgrade is now a real battleground.

One upgrade, two levers

Designs are evolving faster, with price increases limited to recent material cost pressures. In the high-contributing series, about a third of the market, and amongst the 2026 launches:

• 1 in 3 leading ongoing series added matte, metallic, wooden and glass finishes in the last two years.
• 20% reworked the rocker into circular, fully flat or curved formats.
• 6 of 10 newly launched series carry finishes, and 5 of 10 are flat* or fully flat*

At the counter, the same conversation is turning to innovation. Market now hears two requests in the same breath: a better-looking switch with colour and finish going with their decor, and one that works from a phone –

"Customers are increasingly preferring flat switches, particularly in matt grey and gold finishes. Demand for smart switches has also picked up, and in larger projects such as villas, they are now almost a given" - Architect, Delhi NCR 

"The big change right now is in switches: maximum movement is toward automation, remote-controlled, Wi-Fi, IoT-based switches."  Delhi Retailer

"They want the latest sleek, innovative designs. The brand matters less if the look is attractive."  Mumbai Retailer

Customers now want more colour, black and grey especially. Beyond that, demand for smart switches is clearly growing."  Bangalore Retailer

Will your next switch do both?

Looks win the shelf and smart features will decide the upgrade. Which brands are getting the combination right, and where? Contact us to find out.

Source: Metrix R&A – MarketPulse Retail Measurement Services and Retailer Voice Survey;

Note: * Flat switch: slim, low protrusion plate, sits close to the wall; fully flat switch: refers to a flat plate along with a rocker flush to the plate.