laundry ‘More choice than ever’
A necessity in the modern home, laundry products have superb household penetration in the UK. IER spoke to category experts to learn what trends are driving the market
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busy and diverse market, laundry appliances both large and small are necessities in homes up and
down the country. But which trends have been capturing the consumer imagination and enjoying the strongest performances at retail?
“2016 was a very good year according to the
latest GfK research,” says Beko home laundry product manager Laura Selten. “Total sales of laundry products in 2016, including washing machines and washer dryers, amounted to £1.25 billion, an increase of 13% in overall sales, returning to pre-recession sales levels for the first time. “Despite a reported lack of consumer confidence in the economy due to Brexit, white goods have shown that they are far less affected by economic turmoil, which hopefully puts us in a positive position for 2017.” With consumer need for laundry appliances and household penetration extremely high, there are understandably many players in the market. Montpellier marketing manager Gabriella
Fryer comments: “Although some would say the laundry market is somewhat saturated from a manufacturer’s perspective, in terms of the consumer, it offers them more buying choice and, in turn, power, than ever. This buoyancy in the market has made laundry products more accessible to all budgets with a wide offering of features and benefits to suit all. “We’ve seen consumers become more savvy when it comes to choosing their appliances and that gives us as manufacturers vital information on what their buying criteria are, so that we can fine tune our products at the development stages. Consumers no longer tend to spend days researching and comparing various models, but they tend to have an idea of the load capacity, RPM and features they want their appliance to have before they start their buying journey.” There are plenty of consumers in the market
who have to give due consideration to price too, notes Hotpoint senior brand manager Jennifer Spragg.
“Sales of major domestic appliances in the middle segment of the laundry market often compete with purchases such as the
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annual family holiday, and are not aspirational purchases,” she says. “Purchases are, therefore, mostly based on energy efficiency, capacity and functionality.”
Market trends With a vast customer base, there are a wide variety of segments to explore and products which fit with consumer needs. Some product innovations are about
delivering specific consumer benefits. “i- dos is our main feature story,” comments BSH freestanding laundry category manager Ros Collins. “It allows perfect wash performance by the correct dosing of detergent and ensures the minimum usage of water. Drum Clean and hygiene programmes are very important. “BSH’s built in laundry models also offer
large capacities: washer dryers are now 7kg/4kg and washing machines are 8kg, perfect for larger families as more garments can be washed in one cycle. Additionally, we’ve introduced new quick wash functions and our washing machines now come with VarioPerfect, giving fast washing or more economical washing but still with the same great performance; great for busy lifestyles and the hectic schedules of family life.” Taking good care of clothes is another
trend that will appeal to many. Electrolux UK and Ireland fabric care product manager Lisa Keogh comments: “There is a growing desire for laundry appliances that provide optimum fabric care. Steam is rising in popularity as consumers continue to invest in expensive garments that need delicate care. Steam is a great way to ensure our customer’s garments are kept in excellent condition as steam is much gentler on clothes. Plus customers should keep an eye out for a washing machine with Woolmark accreditation as this certifies that ‘hand-wash only’ woollen garments can be washed or dried safely, even if the label forbids it. “For tumble dryers, look out for machines with heat pump technology. Heat pump ensures that fabrics are handled incredibly gently and are subjected to less heat during the drying process, meaning they are much less likely to shrink and go out of shape. The main benefit of heat pump technology is that
Bosch’s i-dos technology helps consumers by releasing the correct dose of detergent and ensures the minimum usage of water
it enables drying at much lower temperatures than standard condenser dryers.” Capacity is an important consideration
for many consumers, especially those with larger households. “While the 7kg and 8kg models are still the biggest sellers in terms of capacity, many consumers are looking for and buying the larger 9 and 10kg models with bigger drums as they offer much more flexibility to families,” says Glen Dimplex Home Appliances laundry product manager Jacqueline Bell. “But the real trends come in the shape of features and programmes, especially those that use less energy, offer really good stain removal or dedicated cleaning cycles for things like delicates or jeans. “Relatively new features such as Pluswash - that allows you to add items to the load mid- cycle, customisable programmes, which let you adjust the wash depending on soil level, and timesavers that allow you to complete a standard wash more quickly are proving to be great selling points for consumers. Usability is very important.” Laura believes that built-in will be a continuing trend for the foreseeable future too. “We believe the gradual pick up in the housing sector over the past two years has directly led to an increase in the number of built-in laundry product sales in 2016, with
March 2017
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