The Economic Times Product of the Year Awards 2026: Enterprise, Commercial & Horizontal, 27 Categories of Product Excellence

A good product solves a problem. A great product changes the way people work, spend, communicate or live. But in a market crowded with launches, rapid innovation and increasingly discerning consumers, building a product that stands out is only the beginning. The larger challenge is creating something that delivers sustained value, earns trust and sets a benchmark for its category.

That is the thinking behind The Economic Times Product of the Year Awards 2026, a platform that brings the spotlight to products creating meaningful impact across business and consumer markets.

The awards bring together 27 categories across three segments: Enterprise, Commercial, and Horizontal. Together, they offer a broad view of product excellence across some of the fastest-evolving sectors of the economy.

Enterprise: Powering the Business of Tomorrow

The Enterprise segment features eight categories focused on products that help businesses operate, innovate and scale.

• Enterprise SaaS
• FinTech Infrastructure
• Cybersecurity
• Developer Tools and Platforms
• Vertical SaaS
• Data and Cloud Infrastructure
• HR and WorkTech
• MarTech and SalesTech

From strengthening digital infrastructure to enabling smarter workflows and specialised business solutions, these categories reflect the growing role of products in enterprise transformation.

Commercial: Products Shaping Everyday Choices

The largest of the three segments, Commercial, features 17 categories spanning products that influence how consumers manage money, use technology, shop, travel, stay healthy and make everyday choices.

• Banking Products
• Credit Cards
• Payments and Consumer Fintech
• Insurance
• Wealth and Investment Platforms
• Smartphones
• Consumer Electronics
• Home and Kitchen Appliances
• Wearables and Hearables
• Consumer Apps
• Quick Commerce and Retail
• Electric Vehicles
• Food and Beverage
• Beauty and Personal Care
• D2C Products
• Healthcare and MedTech
• Wellness and Fitness

The breadth of the segment reflects a market where product innovation extends well beyond technology, touching almost every aspect of consumer life.

Horizontal Awards: What Sets Products Apart

Rounding out the framework are three Horizontal Awards, which cut across individual product categories:

• Make in India Product of the Year
• Sustainable Product of the Year

These awards recognise products for attributes that go beyond their primary category. Eligible products can enter these awards alongside their main category, creating an additional opportunity to be recognised for their wider impact, appeal or contribution.

A Broader Definition of Product Excellence

Together, the 28 categories capture how the definition of a successful product is changing. Features and functionality remain important, but they are no longer enough. Products must solve genuine problems, create measurable value, earn user trust, and demonstrate relevance in a constantly evolving market.

The ET Product of the Year Awards 2026 are built to bring those products into focus the products that are not simply responding to the market, but helping define what comes next.