How Air Fryers Captured CN¥ 4.8B in China's Cooking Market

Executive Summary

Air fryers dominated China's desktop cooking appliance market in 2022, generating CN¥ 4.79 billion in sales on Taobao (淘宝) and Tmall (天猫)^[1] -- more than double the second-largest category -- while achieving +52.5% year-on-year (YoY) growth. The category's five-year trajectory from CN¥ 312 million in 2018 to CN¥ 4.79 billion in 2022 reflects a 15.4x revenue expansion driven by health-conscious consumers, social media amplification, and rapid price democratization. This analysis examines the structural forces behind the air fryer phenomenon and the brand strategies that captured this explosive demand.

Five-Year Explosive Growth Trajectory

The air fryer stands as the definitive growth story in China's desktop cooking appliance market. Revenue grew 15.4 times over five years, while volume expanded from 675,000 units to 13.1 million units -- a 19.3-fold increase that signals deep structural demand rather than cyclical momentum. The acceleration in 2022 (+52.5% YoY) demonstrates that growth has not yet plateaued, even at the category's now-dominant scale.

Air fryers achieve explosive five-year growth from CN¥ 312 million to CN¥ 4.79 billion

Three Structural Growth Drivers

Three converging forces explain the air fryer's breakout trajectory, and each reinforces the others:

• Health positioning: Air circulation heating enables "oil-free" cooking that aligns with the government's "Healthy China 2030" initiative^[2] and rising wellness consciousness among urban consumers
• Social media amplification: The "everything can be air-fried" content trend on Douyin and Xiaohongshu generated sustained organic discovery, converting curiosity into purchases
• Price democratization: Leading brands competed aggressively at accessible price points, expanding the addressable market from early adopters to mass-market consumers

The volume growth outpacing revenue growth (19.3x versus 15.4x) confirms that Average Selling Price (ASP) declined modestly as the category moved from niche to mainstream pricing. Brands such as Shanben (averaging CN¥ 310) and Aux (averaging CN¥ 296) led growth through value positioning. However, the sheer scale of demand growth more than compensated for ASP compression.

Market Dominance in Context

Air fryers captured CN¥ 4.79 billion of the total CN¥ 12.28 billion desktop cooking appliance market in 2022, representing approximately 39% of category Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). This dominance is remarkable given that the category barely existed five years earlier.

Air fryers dominate desktop cooking appliances with CN¥ 4.79 billion in sales and +52.5% growth

Brand Competition at Scale

The air fryer brand landscape reflects an intensely competitive category where four of the top five brands achieved positive growth in 2022. Shanben led with CN¥ 550 million (+65.3% YoY), leveraging aggressive value positioning at CN¥ 310 average price. Supor followed at CN¥ 502 million (+22.3%), while Midea reached CN¥ 483 million (+28.5%).

Aux delivered the most explosive growth at +146.0% YoY, operating at the lowest ASP of CN¥ 296 -- confirming that the mass-market price tier drove the highest incremental demand. Joyoung's -10.2% decline as the only contracting top-five brand suggests that mid-price positioning without clear differentiation faces squeeze pressure from both premium innovators and value competitors.

The competitive intensity at the top underscores that air fryers have entered a volume-driven growth phase where scale, distribution efficiency, and cost competitiveness determine market position.

Key Takeaways

• Air fryers grew 15.4x in five years to reach CN¥ 4.79 billion (+52.5% YoY) in 2022, capturing ~39% of the desktop cooking appliance market
• Volume expanded 19.3x to 13.1 million units, confirming deep structural demand rather than a cyclical spike
• Three converging forces -- health positioning, social media amplification, and price democratization -- created a self-reinforcing growth cycle
• Shanben led brands at CN¥ 550 million through value positioning, while Aux achieved +146.0% growth at the lowest ASP
• The category directly substituted for electric ovens (-35.0%), which peaked in 2020 and declined as consumers shifted to more compact alternatives

## About the Data

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence data covering the 2018-2022 period. Moojing tracks 400,000+ brands across 30+ e-commerce platforms, representing 58-65% of China's online retail GMV. For full methodology and additional insights, see the complete Desktop Cooking Appliances whitepaper.