Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales and shipment data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Limited growth in mature market
- Professional cleaning services dampen demand for uprights
- Largest segment is uprights, stick/handhelds fastest growing
- Retail channels: Mass merchandisers dominate diverse retail landscape
- Home ownership and housing market crucial to sales
- Flooring, allergies, and pets shape product offerings and spur demand
- TTI makes major acquisition, Dyson solidifies hold in high-end market
- Brands embrace range of qualities from affordable and fun to futuristic
- Innovations in “green” products, cordless handhelds and design
- Select TV ads highlight branding and marketing strategies
- Room for growth in electric brooms; wedding gift growth opportunity
- Purchase intent for Roombas high
- Average spend of $220 in internet sample
- A new vacuum every four years
- Consumers seek multi-surface, bagless, and HEPA vacuums
- Replacement continues to be the primary reason for purchase
- Brand loyalty low
- POP the top priority excepting high-end, under-35s, and large families
- Key findings
Fast Forward Trends
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- Trend: Technoworld
- Rise of the bots
- Trend: Totophobia
- Making the home safe again… and measuring that safety
Insights and Opportunities
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- Key points
- Growing green
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- Figure 1: Willingness to pay more for energy-efficient product on next vacuum purchase, September 2008
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Mature market in which replacement sales are core driver
- Technology spurs high-end growth, imports drive down prices
- Drop in housing market and recession contribute to slow sales
- Energy-efficient products offer growth potential
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- Figure 2: U.S. sales and forecast of vacuums, at current prices, 2003-11
- Figure 3: U.S. sales and forecast of vacuums, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2003-11
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- Professional cleaning services adversely impact uprights…
- …but all other categories not affected adversely
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- Figure 4: Vacuum cleaner ownership in HHs that use professional cleaning services, September 2008
Segment Performance
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- Key points
- Uprights comprise largest segment, stick/handhelds fastest growing
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- Figure 5: U.S. sales and forecast of vacuums, at current prices, by segment, 2003-11
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- Figure 6: U.S. sales of vacuums, by segment, 2006 and 2008
Segment Performance—Upright Vacuum Cleaners
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- Key points
- Bagless technology moves downmarket
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- Figure 7: U.S. sales and forecast of upright vacuums, at current prices, 2003-11
- Figure 8: U.S. sales and forecast of upright vacuumms, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2003-11
Segment Performance—Extractors
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- Key points
- Extractor sales suffer due to lower prices and competition with other segments
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- Figure 9: U.S. sales and forecast of extractors, at current prices, 2003-11
- Figure 10: U.S. sales and forecast of extractors, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2003-11
Segment Performance—Stick and Handheld
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- Key points
- Gains being made on hardwood floors with lighter and cordless products
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- Figure 11: U.S. sales and forecast of stick/handheld vacuums, at current prices, 2003-11
- Figure 12: U.S. sales and forecast of stick/handheld vacuumms, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2003-11
Segment Performance—Canister vacuum cleaners
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- Key points
- Canisters lose market share as department stores, door-to-door sales decline
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- Figure 13: U.S. sales and forecast of canister vacuums, at current prices, 2003-11
- Figure 14: U.S. sales and forecast of canister vacuums, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2003-11
Retail Channels
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- Key points
- Mass merchandisers dominate retail market and increase share from 2006-07
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- Figure 15: Sales of vacuums, by retail channel, 2006 and 2007
- Wal-Mart leads, followed by Sears
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- Figure 16: Sales of vacuum cleaners, by retailer, 2006
- Online research confirms Wal-Mart’s hold and diversity of retail landscape
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- Figure 17: Retailer used in most recent purchase, September 2008
- Younger buyers prefer Wal-Mart
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- Figure 18: Retailer used in most recent purchase, by age, September 2008
- Under-$75Ks most keen on Wal-Mart
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- Figure 19: Retailer used in most recent purchase, by household income, September 2008
- Vacuum offerings and online presence
- Wal-Mart
- Sears
- Target
- Kmart
- Best Buy
- Lowe’s
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Collapse of the housing market
- The impact of home ownership
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- Figure 20: Vacuum ownership, homeowners vs. renters, February 2007-March 2008
- Home sales continue to fall in 2008
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- Figure 21: Sales of new and existing homes, 2002-07
- Figure 22: Seasonally adjusted annual rates for the sales of new and existing homes, January-August 2008
- Less time being spent cleaning, men putting in more hours
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- Figure 23: Hours spent doing housework per week*, by gender, 1976 and 2005
- Hard surfaces continue to gain in popularity
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- Figure 24: U.S. wholesale sales of floorcovering products, 2002 and 2007
- Those with carpets still own more vacuums
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- Figure 25: Vacuum ownership, wall-to-wall carpeting vs. floor carpeting, September 2008
- Pets, allergies, asthma spur demand for clean carpets
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- Figure 26: Vacuum ownership in households with allergic residents, September 2008
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- Figure 27: Features on vacuums owned by households with allergic residents, September 2008
- Figure 28: Willingness to pay more for step-up features in households with allergic resdients, September 2008
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- Figure 29: Willingness to pay more for step-up features in households with allergic residents, September 2008
- Pets
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- Figure 30: Vacuum ownership in households with pets, February 2007-March 2008
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- Figure 31: Vacuum ownership in internet households with pets, September 2008
- Figure 32: Features owned on vacuums in households with pets, September 2008
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- Figure 33: Willingness to pay more for step-up features in households with pets, September 2008
- Suppliers and retailers reach out to pet owners
Leading Companies and Brand Qualities
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- Key points
- Changes and trends among largest suppliers
- Key points of brand differentiation
- Brand ownership
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- Figure 34: Brands of vacuums owned, by date of vacuum purchase, September 2008
- TTI (Hoover, Dirt Devil, Vax, Royal)
- Hoover
- Dirt Devil
- Electrolux
- Electrolux
- Eureka
- Bissell
- Black & Decker
- Oreck
- Dyson
- Kirby
- iRobot
- Matsushita (Panasonic)
- Euro-Pro
- Smaller players
- Aerus
- Emer
- Metropolitan
- Bosch
- Sanyo
Innovation and Innovators
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- Innovations in “green” products, cordless handhelds and design
- Bissell: green innovations and marketing
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- Figure 35: Bissell’s Green Little Green
- Bissell: SpotBot and new Wet/Dry set
- Dirt Devil: Stylish handless products
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- Figure 36: Dirt Devil’s BRUM and KWIK
- Hoover: cordless system with Lithium ion technology
- Dyson: continued technology and style innovation
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- Figure 37: Dyson’s D16 in pink
- Electrolux: the versatile Ergorapido and Oxygen series
- Halo: antibacterial products with UV technology
- iRobot: new colors, improved robots
Advertising and Promotion
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- Key points
- Dyson
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- Figure 38: Dyson—Dual Cyclone vacuum, 2008
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- Figure 39: Dyson—vacuum, 2008
- Figure 40: Dyson—the ball vacuum, 2008
- Bissell
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- Figure 41: Bissell—Healthy Home, 2008
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- Figure 42: Bissell—Pet hair eraser, 2008
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- Figure 43: Bissell—PROheat 2x, 2008
- Figure 44: Bissell—SpotBot, 2008
- TTI (Dirt Devil and Hoover)
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- Figure 45: Dirt Devil—Broom Vac, 2008
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- Figure 46: Dirt Devil—KONE, 2008
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- Figure 47: Dirt Devil—KRUZ, 2008
- Figure 48: Hoover SteamVac, 2008
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- Figure 49: Hoover WindTunnel, 2008
- Halo
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- Figure 50: Halo UVX Ultraviolet Vacuum, 2008
- iRobot
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- Figure 51: iRobot Roomba 500 series, 2008
- Oreck
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- Figure 52: Oreck—XL Ultra, 2008
Household Penetration
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- Key points
- Overall penetration peaks among those aged 45-54
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- Figure 53: Vacuum ownership, by age, February 2007-March 2008
- Tiered pricing warranted to appeal to variety of households
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- Figure 54: Vacuum ownership, by household income, February 2007-March 2008
- Households with two or more members show higher vacuum ownership
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- Figure 55: Vacuum ownership, by household size, February 2007-March 2008
- Married couples own more appliances, especially handheld vacuums
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- Figure 56: Vacuum ownership, by marital status, February 2007-March 2008
Intent to Purchase
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- Key points
- Intent to buy highest for handheld, stick and robotic appliances
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- Figure 57: Ownership and intent to purchase, by type of vacuum, September 2008
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- Figure 58: Intent to purchase vacuum in next 12 months, by household income, September 2008
- Figure 59: Intent to purchase vacuum in next 12 months, by age, September 2008
- Targeting families
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- Figure 60: Intent to purchase vacuum in next 12 months, by children in HH, September 2008
Spend
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- Key points
- Spending higher for Boomers, wealthier and larger households
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- Figure 61: Spend on most recently purchased vacuum cleaner, by age, household income, presence of children, and household size, September 2008
Date of Most Recent Purchase
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- Key points
- Under-35s, those with children and larger households more likely to be acquiring new vacuums
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- Figure 62: Date of most recent purchase, by age, household income, presence of children, and size of HH, September 2008
Interest in Step-up Features
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- Key points
- Multi-surface cleaning, bagless, and HEPA top features in current machines
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- Figure 63: Features on currently owned vacuums, by age, September 2008
- Antibacterial and germ-killing features for which consumers may pay more
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- Figure 64: Willingness to pay more for step-up features, by age, September 2008
Reasons for Purchase
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- Key points
- Replacement and upgrades each motivate about half of purchases
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- Figure 65: Reasons for buying last vacuum cleaner purchased, September 2008
- 18-34s more likely to be first-time buyers and to seek added features
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- Figure 66: Reasons for buying last vacuum cleaner purchased, by age, September 2008
- High-income HHs seek more features
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- Figure 67: Reasons for buying last vacuum cleaner purchased, by household income, September 2008
Brand Attitudes and Choices
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- Key points
- Most consumers look at variety of brands
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- Figure 68: Vacuum cleaner brand attitudes, by gender, September 2008
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- Figure 69: Vacuum cleaner brand attitudes, by age, September 2008
- Figure 70: Vacuum cleaner brand attitudes, by household income, September 2008
Purchasing Attitudes and Choices
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- Key points
- In-store marketing demands focus as consumers do limited research
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- Figure 71: Purchasing attitudes and choices, by gender, September 2008
- Younger buyers best use of marketing, outreach and design efforts
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- Figure 72: Purchasing attitudes and choices, by age, September 2008
- Over-$75Ks undertake more research, visit more stores
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- Figure 73: Purchasing attitudes and choices, by household income, September 2008
- Those with children do more research and visit more stores
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- Figure 74: Purchasing attitudes and choices, by presence of children, September 2008
The Impact of Ethnicity and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Among minority groups, Asians show highest ownership
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- Figure 75: Vacuum ownership, by ethnicity/Hispanic origin, February 2007-March 2008
- Hispanics warrant focus as younger buyers interested in innovation
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- Figure 76: Vacuum ownership, by ethnicity/Hispanic origin, September 2008
- Figure 77: Intent to purchase vacuum in next 12 months, by ethnicity/Hispanic origin, September 2008
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- Figure 78: Date of most recent purchase, by ethnicity/Hispanic origin, September 2008
- Figure 79: Spend on most recently acquired vacuum cleaner, by ethnicity/Hispanic origin, September 2008
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- Figure 80: Willingness to pay more for step-up features, by ethnicity/Hispanic origin, September 2008
- Figure 81: Purchasing attitudes and choices, by ethnicity/Hispanic origin, September 2008
- Asians and Hispanics comprise growing young, multiethnic population
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- Figure 82: Population, by ethnicity and Hispanic origin, 2008 and 2013
Custom Consumer Groups
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- Key points
- The changing face of the vacuum market
- Dramatic changes in retail share
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- Figure 83: Store used in last vacuum purchase, by date of purchase, September 2008
- Step up features becoming the standard
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- Figure 84: Features on currently owned vacuums, by date of purchase, September 2008
- Growth in willingness to pay more for step-up features ending
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- Figure 85: Willingness to pay more for features, by date of most recent purchase, September 2008
- Market remains replacement-driven
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- Figure 86: Reasons for buying last vacuum cleaner, by date of purchase, September 2008
- Role of third-party reviews and other out-of-store research growing rapidly
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- Figure 87: Vacuum cleaner brand attitudes, by date of purchase, September 2008
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- Figure 88: Purchasing attitudes and choices, by date of purchase, September 2008
- Attitude and behavior of high spenders
- High spenders eschew Wal-Mart, prefer Sears and specialists
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- Figure 89: Store used by high spenders, September 2008
- Hoover and Eureka losing out on high-end sales
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- Figure 90: Brands owned by high spenders, September 2008
- Attitudes towards step-up features on high-end purchases
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- Figure 91: Features owned on current vacuum, by high spenders, September 2008
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- Figure 92: Willingness to pay more for features, by high spenders, September 2008
- The majority of high-end sales are trade-up sales
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- Figure 93: Reasons for most recent purchase among those who spent $200+ on last purchase, September 2008
- Brand, third-party reviews, out-of-store research more important to high spenders
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- Figure 94: Vacuum cleaner brand attitudes, by high spenders, September 2008
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- Figure 95: Purchasing attitudes and choices, by high spenders, September 2008
- Primary shoppers for vacuums no different in opinions
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- Figure 96: Willingness to pay more for step-up features, by main person in HH making vacuum purchase, September 2008
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- Figure 97: Features on existing vacuums, by main person in the HH who made last purchase, September 2008
Cluster Analysis
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- Reluctant Purchasers
- Who they are
- Opportunity
- Vacuumaniacs
- Who they are
- Opportunity
- Feature Fanatics
- Who they are
- Opportunity
- Cluster data
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- Figure 98: Vacuum owner clusters, September 2008
- Figure 99: Vacuum ownership, by clusters, September 2008
- Figure 100: Vacuum intent to purchase in next 12 months, by clusters, September 2008
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- Figure 101: Age of most recently purchased vacuum, by clusters, September 2008
- Figure 102: Which of the following statements do you agree with? by vacuum owner clusters, September 2008
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- Figure 103: Brands owned, by clusters, September 2008
- Figure 104: Reasons for most recent purchase, by clusters, September 2008
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- Figure 105: Features on most recently purchased vacuum, by clusters, September 2008
- Figure 106: Willingness to pay more for step-up features on next purchase, by clusters, September 2008
- Cluster demographics
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- Figure 107: Vacuum owner clusters, by gender, September 2008
- Figure 108: Vacuum owner clusters, by age, September 2008
- Figure 109: Vacuum owner clusters, by household income, September 2008
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- Figure 110: Vacuum owner clusters, by ethnicity/Hispanic origin, September 2008
- Cluster demographics
Appendix: Additional Consumer Data Tables
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- Ownership in internet study
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- Figure 111: Vacuum ownership, by household income, September 2008
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- Figure 112: Vacuum ownership, by age, September 2008
Appendix: Trade Associations
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