Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- COVID-19 disrupts a static market
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and forecast of home laundry market, at current prices, 2015-25
- Impact of COVID-19 on home laundry products
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- Figure 2: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on home laundry products, October 2020
- Opportunities and Challenges
- Cleanliness now a matter of survival
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- Figure 3: Impact on laundry behavior from covid-19, by adults aged 25-34, parents, Hispanics aged 18-34, August 2020
- Larger households an essential audience
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- Figure 4: Key laundry behaviors, by household size, August 2020
- Beauty positioning for younger women
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- Figure 5: Key laundry behaviors and attitudes, by women aged 18-34, August 2020
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- COVID fuels short-term growth
- Detergent maintains dominate share of category, but bleach experiences strong growth
- Warehouse stores and supercenters dominate sales
- Pandemic gives a boost to online shopping
- Women still bear most of the laundry burden
- It’s all about hygiene
Market Size and Forecast
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- Temporary bump likely to subside
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- Figure 6: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of home laundry market, at current prices, 2015-25
- Figure 7: Total US sales and forecast of home laundry market, at current prices, 2015-25
- Impact of COVID-19 on home laundry products
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- Figure 8: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on home laundry products, July 2020
- Lockdown
- Re-emergence
- Recovery
- COVID-19: US context
Segment Performance
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- Detergent dominates market, but is slow to grow
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- Figure 9: Market share of US retail sales of home laundry products, by segment, 2020
- Retail distribution remains relatively stable
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- Figure 10: Sales of US retail sales of home laundry products, by retail channel, 2015-2020
Market Factors
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- Pandemic, economy will alter how people shop
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- Figure 11: Household product shopping habits by channel, June 2019 and June 2020
- Shifting household size
- Help lighten the load for women
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- Figure 12: Laundry responsibility, among mothers and fathers, August 2020
Market Opportunities
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- New focus on hygiene will impact home laundry category
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- Figure 13: Laundry products with disinfectant claims, October 2020
- Environmental impact becomes bigger focus
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- Figure 14: Laundry products with environmental claims, October 2020
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- P&G the main player in laundry
- Supply chains drive success
- Convenience, beauty, eco-claims on the rise
Market Share
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- P&G leads a highly consolidated market
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- Figure 15: Sales of home laundry products, by company, 2019 and 2020
- Henkel loses share to P&G
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- Figure 16: Sales of laundry detergent, by company and brand, 2019 and 2020
- More competition seen in laundry care
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- Figure 17: Sales of laundry care products, by company and brand, 2019 and 2020
- Clorox rides surge of interest in bleach
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- Figure 18: Sales of bleach, by company and brand, 2019 and 2020
Competitive Strategies
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- Execute and innovate
- “Dry shampoo for clothes” deliver convenience and eco-benefits
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- Figure 19: refresher spray products
- Beauty bleeds into fabric care
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- Figure 20: Laundry products with beauty claims, October 2020
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Women carry most of the load
- COVID-19 driving some increase in laundry frequency
- Liquid detergent, dryer sheets most popular
- Fighting stains while smelling great key for detergent
- The smell of success
- Educating around eco-claims could boost enthusiasm
Laundry Responsibility
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- Shift in laundry responsibilities could be fueled by pandemic
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- Figure 21: Laundry responsibility, July 2019-August 2020
- Generational factors impact gender roles
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- Figure 22: Laundry responsibility, by gender and age, July 2019-August 2020
- Most affluent do less laundry
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- Figure 23: Laundry responsibility, by household income, July 2019-August 2020
- Gender equality stronger in multicultural households
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- Figure 24: Laundry responsibility, by gender, race and Hispanic origin, July 2019-August 2020
Laundry Routines
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- Frequency is driven by household size
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- Figure 25: Laundry frequency, by number of people in household, August 2020
- Nearly one third doing laundry more often due to pandemic
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- Figure 26: Change in laundry frequency due to covid-19, by parental status, August 2020
- City living encourages increase in laundering
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- Figure 27: Change in laundry frequency due to covid-19, by area of residence, August 2020
- Older women undertake more pre-laundry tasks
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- Figure 28: Laundry routines, by age and gender, August 2020
Laundry Product Purchasing
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- Liquid detergent highest seller
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- Figure 29: Laundry product purchases, August 2020
- Older shoppers prefer liquid, bleach and stain removers
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- Figure 30: Laundry product purchases, by age and gender, August 2020
Laundry Detergent Important Attributes
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- Looking and smelling clean most important
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- Figure 31: Laundry detergent important attributes, August 2020
- Scent of stronger importance among younger demographics
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- Figure 32: Laundry detergent important attributes, by age and gender, August 2020
- Scent, stain removal have the strongest reach
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- Figure 33: TURF analysis – laundry detergent important attributes, July 2020
- Methodology
Laundry Care Important Attributes
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- Scent, odor removal valued across most categories
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- Figure 34: Fabric care important attributes, August 2020
- Scent is a higher priority than odor removal for scent boosters
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- Figure 35: TURF analysis – scent booster important attributes, July 2020
- Functionality leads
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- Figure 36: TURF analysis – detergent boosters/sanitizers important attributes, July 2020
- Methodology
- Women focus on scent, men want odor removal
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- Figure 37: Scent booster important attributes, by gender and age, August 2020
Attitudes toward Laundry Products
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- Eco- and concentrated have room to grow
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- Figure 38: Attitudes toward laundry products, August 2020
- Younger consumers more open to eco-products, particularly younger men
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- Figure 39: Select attitudes toward laundry products, by gender and age, August 2020
- City dwellers slightly more interested in eco-friendliness
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- Figure 40: Attitudes toward laundry products, by area of residence, August 2020
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 41: Total US sales and forecast of home laundry products, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2015-25
- Figure 42: Sales of US retail sales of home laundry products, by segment, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2015-2020
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Appendix – Companies and Brands
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- Figure 43: Sales of fabric softener liquid, by company and brand, 2019 and 2020
- Figure 44: Sales of fabric softener sheets, by company and brand, 2019 and 2020
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