How glass has gone from a low involvement category to an enabler during the pandemic

The glass industry in India is quite old and well established, with the first glass plant set up in 1908. The glass industry is divided into different segments such as Container Glass, Specialty Glass, Flat Glass, Fibre Glass, Automotive Glass. According to Mordor Intelligence, the Indian flat glass market was valued at over $2 billion in 2020 and the market is projected to register a CAGR of more than 4% during the 2021-2026 period. Flat glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windscreens, the Mordor Intelligence report explains. For modern architectural and automotive applications, the flat glass is sometimes bent after the production of the plane sheet.

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Today, glass has become a great enabler, especially in the construction sector, enhancing the beauty of houses, commercial complexes and shopping malls. Especially in commercial construction, glass is replacing the brick-and-mortar walls with transparent glass facades that allow in maximum daylight indoors while restricting UV radiation and solar heat to a great extent. Today, technologically advanced glass products are available to keep indoors cool and save electricity and power. There is continuous R&D and innovation happening in this sector to bring in new products with advanced features.

Changing trends in glass in the pandemic times

Several changes have taken place in the pandemic era – entire work forces have shifted to working from home, and many companies are shifting to shared workspaces. While people have got used to working from the comfort of their homes, there is a greater need to have spaces that enable acoustic solutions, privacy and at the same time have big openings or windows that allow people to stay connected with the outside world, while staying safe inside.

New trends and innovation

Over time, the expectations from glass have only grown. From a pure functional and decorative usage, architects, interior designers, builders and consumers are looking for energy efficient glass that also offers acoustic and anti-pollution solutions. Glass is also now being used for facades on an unprecedented scale to create remarkable designs and yield eco-savings. Use of glass in façades gives a dramatic effect and elegant appearance to the tall buildings.

The latest trend is that of ‘smart glass’, which turns translucent from transparent at the touch of a button. It is an excellent replacement for curtains and blinds at stores, pubs, bars, clubs, hospitals, salons, spas, business centres, and conference rooms. AIS Glass is offering such a product under the brand name AIS Swytchglas.

Purchase Behaviour and Brand Promotion

Being a low involvement category, the end customer is not so aware about the choice of brands or the type of glass, with most trusting their interior decorator or architect. Also, most of the consumers depend on the carpenters for small requirements and replacements. In the case of housing construction and large turnkey projects, it is the architect and project consultants who are key decision makers. The category also depends a lot on its strong dealer network at the retail level, but it is mostly the architect and interior decorators and designer who are the key influencers in deciding a particular brand.

While advertisements create some brand visibility and awareness, but since architects and interior decorators are the key influencers, the communication is more one-on-one through and through meetings and seminars. Sampling and cataloguing are an important tool for promotion to build engagement with the audience and hence, a lot of emphasis is given to this to stay connected and engage with architects and project consultants.

Commenting on how glass as a category has evolved, Shailesh Ranjan, Head - Business Planning & Operations – Architectural Institutional Business, Asahi India Glass Ltd, said, “Glass has come a long way from being a low involvement product to an era when most people are inclined towards using it for their home and office décor. However, many people are still unaware of the various solutions that glass can provide – be it safety and security, energy efficiency, acoustics, anti-pollution, etc.”

"Glass has come a long way from being a low involvement product to an era when most people are inclined towards using it for their home and office décor. However, many people are still unaware of the various solutions that glass can provide – be it safety and security, energy efficiency, acoustics, anti-pollution, etc"

Continuing further, he said, “AIS has pioneered innovations in glass processing technology to develop both single-glazed and double-glazed products with the best ‘green’ parameters by continuously studying Indian climatic conditions and developing new products. This is giving developers and architects a greater choice and the ability to explore more possibilities with AIS glass. Though there is a huge potential in the market for growth, the industry still faces challenges, such as low awareness levels among stakeholders, especially in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities about selection of the right glass product, codes and guidelines formulated by government bodies like NBC and ECBC, etc.”

Amid evolving consumer aspirational needs, value-added glass is fast picking up demand and gaining popularity in residential buildings, too, apart from the retail and commercial spaces. The ongoing shift towards Green Buildings is expected to give a further boost to demand for high performance glass, opening up a huge opportunity for expansion in the architectural segment in the future.

Anand Santhanam, National Head - Sales & Marketing, Saint-Gobain India - Glass Business, noted, “Today, glass can be classified based on appearance, and can be utilised as per need – clear, tinted, reflective, textured, stained, frosted, toughened, laminated, fire-safe, vandal-proof among others. It could be scorching hot outside and you wouldn’t even know, all thanks to the solar control glass that is designed to keep your home cool. With the advent of lacquered glass, living space can now have more added colour. The versatility of glass is that it can be used anywhere – wall and pillar claddings, doors, kitchen and wardrobe shutters, splashbacks, table tops, counter tops, etc. Glass, being environment friendly, is going to be the ubiquitous material of the future, be it for B2B or B2C. I think the differentiation here is the versatility in the product offering and its application possibilities that a brand offers to match with the evolving needs of the customers, and we at Saint-Gobain are already doing that.”

"The versatility of glass is that it can be used anywhere – wall and pillar claddings, doors, kitchen and wardrobe shutters, splashbacks, table tops, counter tops, etc. Glass, being environment friendly, is going to be the ubiquitous material of the future, be it for B2B or B2C"

According to Santhanam, the biggest challenge today is the lack of awareness on the usage of glass. He added, “We at Saint-Gobain are addressing this challenge by showcasing the many applications possible in glass through our digital assets – our website and social media handles. Going forward, for a generation that has an ever-evolving interest in technology and a curiosity for new trends, continual innovation is the best way to reach out to them. And for glass that has been constantly reinvented to suit every evolving need, we have examples of LED mirrors, embedded with the latest in LED technology. These mirrors combine clarity and illumination to take lifestyles to a whole new level. Imagine an electronically tintable glass for windows, skylights and curtain walls! It tints automatically or on demand to control sunlight and reduce energy consumption. This is the innovation of today. The modern-day privacy glass is one that lets you switch from transparent to opaque mode or vice-versa. Glass has seen many levels of innovation over the years. And perhaps, it would not be wrong to say that the evolution of glass has just started.”

(Edited and Additional inputs by Shanta Saikia.)