Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising
- Abbreviations and terms
Executive Summary
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- Market at a glance
- Economy’s impact subtle yet pervasive
- Budget pressure means segments compete with one another
- P&G expands its competitive scope
- Sun Products positioned to give private label a boost
- Church & Dwight grows on strength and value
- Sales continue to flow from supermarkets to other channels
- Shifts in population composition may impact market
- Forgoing the dry cleaner may lead to more DIY home laundry
- New product activity concentrated in detergents
- A heavily advertised category
- Penetration steady, but frequency may be declining in some segments
- Price and past experience lead detergent purchase decisions
- Retailer promotions influence both store and brand choice
- Economizing and simplification on the rise
Insights and Opportunities
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- A new generation of laundry
- All together now
- Environmentally friendly—time for retail to step up to the plate
Inspire Insight
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- Recovery Positioning
- Expect more 'pay less' from Target
- Recovery positioning in the laundry aisle
- The Time Bubble Bursts
- What's it about?
- What we've seen
- Implications for laundry products
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Economy’s impact on category subtle yet pervasive
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- Figure 1: Total U.S. retail sales of home laundry products, at current prices, 2003-13
- Figure 2: Total U.S. retail sales of home laundry products, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2003-13
- Walmart sales
Competitive Context
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- P&G expands its competitive scope
- Budget pressure means greater competition among segments
- Private label small but growing—Sun Products positioned to give it a boost
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- Figure 3: FDMx private label market share in select home laundry segments, 2006-09
Overall Segment Performance
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- Key points
- Multi-benefit detergents and economizing cutting into other segments
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- Figure 4: U.S. sales and forecast of home laundry products, at current prices, by segment, 2003-13
- Figure 5: Sales of home laundry products, by segment, 2007 and 2008
Segment Performance—Laundry Detergent
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- Key points
- Detergents remain the essential laundry ingredient
- Lower-priced powders end sales slide in recession
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- Figure 6: U.S. sales and forecast of laundry detergent, 2003-13
Segment Performance—Fabric Softener Liquid
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- Key points
- Fabric softener liquids hold steady as other fabric care segments decline
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- Figure 7: U.S. sales and forecast of fabric softener liquid, 2003-13
Segment Performance—Bleach
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- Key points
- Color-safe bleach competes with both additives and detergents
- Alternative uses may be key to re-igniting growth in SHC bleach
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- Figure 8: U.S. sales and forecast of bleach products, 2003-13
Segment Performance—Laundry Care
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- Key points
- A few notable exceptions to an overall decline
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- Figure 9: U.S. sales and forecast of laundry care products, 2003-13
Segment Performance—Fabric Softener Sheets
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- Key point
- Dryer sheet sales show weakness as home laundry shoppers economize
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- Figure 10: U.S. sales and forecast of fabric softener sheets, 2003-13
Retail Channels
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- Key points
- Sales continue to flow from supermarkets to other channels
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- Figure 11: U.S. sales of home laundry products, by retail channel, 2006 and 2008
Retail Channels—Supermarkets
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- Key point
- Supermarkets continue to lose home laundry sales despite promotions
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- Figure 12: U.S. sales of home laundry products at supermarkets, 2003-08
Retail Channels—Drug Stores
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- Key points
- Drug stores capture fill-in laundry sales
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- Figure 13: U.S. sales of home laundry products at drug stores, 2003-08
Retail Channels—Other
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- Key points
- Walmart’s influence over the category has been significant
- Warehouse clubs and dollar stores offer distinct value propositions
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- Figure 14: U.S. sales of home laundry products at other channels*, 2003-08
Natural Channel/SPINS
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- Home laundry sales level off in the natural channel
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- Figure 15: Natural product supermarket retail sales of laundry products**, at current prices, 2007-09
- Seventh Generation dominates natural food channel
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- Figure 16: Manufacturer brand natural supermarket sales of laundry products, 2007 and 2009
Market Drivers
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- Shifts in population composition may impact market
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- Figure 17: Population, by race and Hispanic origin, 2004-14
- Forgoing the dry cleaner has led to more DIY home laundry
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- Figure 18: Reported dry cleaner dollar sales change versus same period in previous year, Q4 2008 and Q1 2009
- Percentage of households with children is declining
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- Figure 19: Households, by presence of children, 1998-2008
- Figure 20: Incidence of purchase of laundry products, by presence of children, March 2009
Leading Companies
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- Key points
- P&G slips but holds its dominant lead
- Sun Products combines brands and private label
- Church & Dwight
- Clorox expanding beyond bleach into natural laundry products
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- Figure 21: FDMx sales of leading home laundry companies, 2008 and 2009
Brand Share—Liquid Detergents
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- Key points
- Price is important, but not the biggest driver of liquid detergent share
- New entry from Clorox will build momentum for green detergents
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- Figure 22: FDMx brand sales of liquid detergents, 2008 and 2009
Brand Share—Powdered Detergents
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- Key points
- Value perception stabilizes segment; share shifts to value brands
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- Figure 23: FDMx brand sales of powdered detergents, 2008 and 2009
Brand Share—Liquid Fabric Softeners
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- Key points
- Downy maintains lead but loses share to value brands
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- Figure 24: FDMx brand sales of liquid fabric softeners, 2008 and 2009
Brand Share—Fabric Softener Sheets
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- Key point
- P&G holds nearly two thirds of segment
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- Figure 25: FDMx brand sales of fabric softener sheets, 2008 and 2009
Brand Share—Bleach
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- Clorox maintains its lead in declining bleach segment
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- Figure 26: FDMx brand sales of bleach, 2008 and 2009
Brand Share—Other Laundry Care
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- Key points
- OxiClean breaks out of the pack in pre-washes and additives
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- Figure 27: FDMx brand sales of laundry pre-washes and additives, 2008 and 2009
- Woolite reaches beyond fine washables to grow
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- Figure 28: FDMx brand sales of fine washable detergent, 2008 and 2009
- Little change in spray starch
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- Figure 29: FDMx brand sales of laundry starch, 2008 and 2009
Brand Qualities
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- Tide holds steady
- An ever-expanding array of value-added alternatives
- New approaches to marketing
- Woolite not just for your undies
- Arm & Hammer strengthens in recession…
- …but still fights for shelf space with other value brands and private label
Innovation and Innovators
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- New product activity concentrated in detergents
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- Figure 30: New product introductions of fabric care in the U.S., by subcategory, 2004-09
- Packaging claims tend to be environmental
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- Figure 31: Leading product claims in fabric care in the U.S., by share of all introductions, 2004-09
- Cleaning effectiveness
- Convenience
- Senses
- Environment
Advertising and Promotion
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- Overview
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- Figure 32: Media expenditure of selected home laundry products, 2006 and 2007
- More for the money
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- Figure 33: Tide television ad, 2009
- Value = longer-lasting clothing
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- Figure 34: Woolite television ad, 2008
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- Figure 35: Tide TotalCare television ad, 2009
- A return to cleaning power
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- Figure 36: OxiClean television ad, 2009
- Care for the senses
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- Figure 37: Downy television ad, 2009
- A new standard of convenience
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- Figure 38: Purex 3-in-1 television ad, 2009
Usage
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- Key points
- Detergent use near universal
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- Figure 39: Type of laundry product used in household, 2003-08
- Use of powdered detergents stabilizes in recession
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- Figure 40: Type of laundry soap/detergent used, 2003-08
Brand Usage
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- Key points
- Tide dominates detergent usage over a handful of others
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- Figure 41: Brand of laundry soap/detergent used, by age, July 2007-September 2008
- Household income can influence detergent brand choice
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- Figure 42: Brand of laundry soap/detergent used, by Income, July 2007-September 2008
- Spray ‘N Wash and Shout used by the majority of pre-treaters
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- Figure 43: Brand of laundry booster/pre-soaks/pre-cleaners used, July 2007-September 2008
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- Figure 44: Brand of bleach used, July 2007-September 2008
- P&G’s brands lead fabric softening…
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- Figure 45: Brand of fabric softener used, July 2007-September 2008
- …and spray starch
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- Figure 46: Brand of spray starch used, July 2007-September 2008
Laundry Products Purchased
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- Key points
- Most adults purchase home laundry products, women even more likely
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- Figure 47: Incidence of purchase of laundry products, by gender, March 2009
- Youngest adults least likely to purchase home laundry products
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- Figure 48: Incidence of purchase of laundry products, by age, March 2009
- Household size drives purchase of most laundry products
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- Figure 49: Incidence of purchase of laundry products, by household size, March 2009
Purchase Factors
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- Key points
- Price and past experience lead detergent purchase decisions
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- Figure 50: Purchase factors, by age, March 2009
Laundry Product Purchase Decisions
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- Key points
- Retailer promotions influence both store and brand choice
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- Figure 51: Laundry product decisions, by age, March 2009
Laundry Habits
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- Key points
- Comfort and ease essential in the selection of and care for clothing
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- Figure 52: Special care laundry habits, by age, March 2009
- Economizing can take various forms, but performance is still important
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- Figure 53: Performance and value laundry habits, by age, March 2009
- Younger respondents more likely to vary detergent based on laundry task
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- Figure 54: Laundry habits, by age, March 2009
Attitudes Toward Doing the Laundry
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- Key point
- Home laundry viewed as more than just a chore
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- Figure 55: Attitudes towards doing laundry, by gender, March 2009
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- Figure 56: Attitudes towards doing laundry, by age, March 2009
Brand Switching
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- Key points
- Brand switchers tend to be younger, live in larger households
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- Figure 57: Laundry brand switchers, by gender, age and household size, March 2009
- Wanting a cheaper brand the most common reason for switching
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- Figure 58: Reasons for switching laundry brand, by age, March 2009
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- Figure 59: Reasons for switching laundry brand, by household size, March 2009
Environmentally friendly Laundry Detergent Brands
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- Key point
- Trial higher among younger home laundry buyers
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- Figure 60: Brand of environmentally friendly laundry detergent that you tried in the past six months, by age, March 2009
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- Figure 61: Brand of environmentally friendly laundry detergent that you tried in the past six months, by income, March 2009
Has the Economy Affected Laundry Habits?
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- Key points
- Economizing and simplification on the rise
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- Figure 62: Purchase behavior and laundry products, 2008 and 2009
Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Blacks and Hispanics more likely to use more laundry products
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- Figure 63: Incidence of purchase of laundry products, by race/Hispanic origin, March 2009
- Blacks and Hispanics more active in seeking out new products
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- Figure 64: Important factors in purchase of laundry products, by top two boxes, by race/Hispanic origin, March 2009
- Black and Hispanic shoppers base store selection on home laundry prices
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- Figure 65: Attitudes and behavior toward laundry products, by race/Hispanic origin, March 2009
- Blacks more involved in the laundry process
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- Figure 66: Laundry habits, by race/Hispanic origin, March 2009
- Blacks express a deeper emotional connection with the laundry
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- Figure 67: More laundry habits, by race/Hispanic origin, March 2009
Cluster Analysis
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- Engaged Perfectionists
- Opportunity
- Budgeting Brand Switchers
- Opportunity
- Brand Loyal but Disinterested
- Opportunity
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- Figure 68: Laundry product purchaser clusters, March 2009
- Figure 69: Purchase of laundry products in the past six months, by laundry product purchaser clusters, March 2009
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- Figure 70: Laundry detergent selection factors, by laundry product purchaser clusters, March 2009
- Figure 71: Laundry product decisions, by laundry product purchaser clusters, March 2009
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- Figure 72: Laundry habits, by laundry product purchaser clusters, March 2009
- Figure 73: More laundry habits, by laundry product purchaser clusters, March 2009
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- Figure 74: Brand switching in laundry detergents in the past year, by laundry product purchaser clusters, March 2009
- Figure 75: Laundry product purchaser clusters, by gender, March 2009
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- Figure 76: Laundry product purchaser clusters, by age, March 2009
- Figure 77: Laundry product purchaser clusters, by income, March 2009
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- Figure 78: Laundry product purchaser clusters, by race, March 2009
- Figure 79: Laundry product purchaser clusters, by Hispanic origin, March 2009
Custom Consumer Groups
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- Race/Hispanic origin by age
- Purchase factors
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- Figure 80: Purchase factors, by race/Hispanic origin and age, March 2009
- Laundry habits
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- Figure 81: Special care laundry habits, by race/Hispanic origin and age, March 2009
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- Figure 82: Special care laundry habits, by race/Hispanic origin and age, March 2009
- Laundry attitudes
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- Figure 83: Attitudes towards doing laundry, by race/Hispanic origin and age, March 2009
IRI/Builders: Key Household Purchase Measures
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- Overview of laundry detergent
- Liquid laundry detergent
- Consumer insights on key purchase measures—liquid laundry detergent
- Brand map
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- Figure 84: Brand map, selected brands of liquid laundry detergent, by household penetration, 2008*
- Brand leader characteristics
- Key purchase measures
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- Figure 85: Key purchase measures for the top brands of liquid laundry detergent, by household penetration, 2008*
- Powder laundry detergent
- Consumer insights on key purchase measures—powder laundry detergent
- Brand map
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- Figure 86: Brand map, selected brands of powder laundry detergent, by household penetration, 2008*
- Brand leader characteristics
- Key purchase measures
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- Figure 87: Key purchase measures for the top brands of powder laundry detergent, by household penetration, 2008*
Appendix: Other Useful Consumer Tables
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- Figure 88: Brand of laundry soap/detergent used, by age, July 2007-September 2008
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- Figure 89: Incidence of purchase of laundry products, by marital status, March 2009
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- Figure 90: Purchase factors by top two boxes, March 2009
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- Figure 91: Purchase factors, by marital status, March 2009
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- Figure 92: Purchase factors, by household size, March 2009
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- Figure 93: Laundry product decisions, by marital status, March 2009
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- Figure 94: Laundry product decisions, by household size, March 2009
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- Figure 95: Laundry habits, by marital status, March 2009
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- Figure 96: Laundry habits, by household size, March 2009
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- Figure 97: Attitudes towards doing laundry, by marital status, March 2009
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- Figure 98: Attitudes towards doing laundry, by household size, March 2009
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- Figure 99: Reasons for switching laundry brand, by marital status, March 2009
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Appendix: Trade Associations
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