A clean win
Reassuringly for bathroom cleaning, 27 million adults put product performance first, while 24 million are price conscious but more likely to look for special offers than cheapest price, reports Mintel.
Print16 August 2009
At a glance: BATHROOM ESSENTIALS
- Killeen is the number one brand in household cleaning (AC Nielsen)
- 64% of Irish consumers would choose natural cleaning products over standard cleaning products, if they were more readily available (Green Works)
- The multi-usage cleaning sector has continued to flourish, with expected growth of around 2% for 2009
- In a UK survey, more than 5 million adults spend no time at all on cleaning the house, up by 900,000 in the last five years
- 10 million people blitz clean at the weekend and only do basic tidying up during the working week
- 27 million adults put product performance first although best price is the primary purchasing reason for just over 12 million shoppers
- 24 million people are price conscious but are more likely to look for special offers than cheapest price (Source: Mintel)
The economic downturn has presented the household cleaning product market, and household cleaning appliances segment, with both challenges and opportunities, according to a recent UK report by analyst Mintel.
Advertising budgets have been cut, so heavy price promotions and extra product offers at the point of sale are being used by the big brands to try to deter consumers from buying own-label. This has significantly impacted on the value of the market, which is expected to be worth some £540 million/€635.4 million in 2009 compared to £552 million/€649.4 million in 2008.
Multi-usage flourishes
However, pressure on time and the tendency to clean ‘little and often’ has meant that the multi-usage cleaning sector has continued to flourish, with expected growth of around 2% for 2009. Innovation levels are high in the market as manufacturers vie to produce the most effective product and to add value by increasing the tasks a product can do. Manufacturers are also increasingly trying to understand how the emotional factors at play when doing the housework can offer new opportunities within the household cleaning industry, particularly by looking at past product performance to help people view doing housework as less of a chore.
Mintel’s latest report also found that population increases are masking a decline in the use of household cleaning products. The proportion of households regularly using cleaning products is actually in decline, but more people and smaller household sizes have increased sales between 2004 and 2008. However, consumers have cut back on spending on household cleaning products over the last 12 months, which caused the market to contract.
Blitz clean big news
Research also revealed that more than 5 million adults spend no time at all on cleaning the house, up by 900,000 in the last five years. Mintel claims that this cannot be explained by an increased use of cleaners though, as the number of households with a cleaner has dropped.
In the current economic climate, consumers are increasingly socialising at home to save money. People are therefore keen to give their homes a “blitz clean” before such social occasions. Mintel’s latest research accords with this growing trend as the analyst has found that people blitz clean at the weekend and only do basic tidying up during the working week. It writes that working pattern demographics are key to understanding household cleaning product use. This information will aid manufacturers in new product development, with a particular emphasis on convenience, which will subsequently drive growth in the cleaning category.
Killeen is the number one brand in household cleaning (AC Nielsen) and provides a best-selling bathroom cleaning range
Killeen is the number one brand in household cleaning (AC Nielsen) and provides a best-selling bathroom cleaning range
Performance over price
A good piece of news for brand sales moreover is that product performance is more important than price for the majority of household cleaning product users. In fact, 27 million adults put product performance first although best price is the primary purchasing reason for just over 12 million UK shoppers.
Special offers are also fundamental to purchasing for more than half of all adults: 24 million people are price conscious but are more likely to look for special offers than cheapest price. Wary of a false economy, they are not prepared to compromise on performance by buying the cheapest products.
Consumers are also increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of the products they use. Research by the manufacturer Green Works has shown 64% of Irish consumers would choose natural cleaning products over standard cleaning products, if they were more readily available.
Killeen-ing up nicely
As the number one brand in household cleaning according to AC Nielsen, Killeen continues to provide best-selling bathroom cleaning products to the retail trade. Along with Killeen’s popular bathroom sponge, the bathroom range includes high quality, value for money products, including anti-bacterial cloths, micro-fibre cloths, and ‘Soft Active’ for dual cleaning power.
A staple in Irish homes for the past 25 years, Killeen cleaning products are the real deal, and, Killeen claims, will drive retailers’ profits.
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