What you need to know

In highly competitive, mature categories such as home laundry products, household surface cleaners, and dishwashing products, where sales increases must come at the expense of a competitor, packaging is as important as the product itself as a means of delivering value to consumers. Household care product packaging can do much more than just hold and dispense the product. Innovative packaging features can become an important part of the usage experience and a way for brands to set themselves apart.

Definition

This report builds on the analysis represented in Mintel’s Household Care Packaging Trends – US, January 2014.

For the purposes of this report, Mintel will cover trends in household care product packaging, including packaging types commonly used for laundry detergent, hard surface cleaners, and dishwashing products. In addition, household care product labeling and claims are discussed, particularly as they relate to themes applicable to the report.

Value figures throughout this report are at rsp (retail selling prices) excluding sales tax unless otherwise stated.

Data sources

Consumer survey data

For the purposes of this report, Mintel commissioned exclusive consumer research through GMI to explore consumer attitudes and behaviors toward household care product packaging. Mintel was responsible for the survey design, data analysis, and reporting. Fieldwork was conducted in October 2014 among a sample of 2,000 adults aged 18+ with access to the internet.

Mintel selects survey respondents so that they are proportionally balanced to the entire US adult population based on the key demographics of gender, age, household income, and region. Mintel also slightly oversamples, relative to the population, respondents that are Hispanic or Black to ensure an adequate representation of these groups in the survey results. Please note that Mintel surveys are conducted online and in English only. Hispanics who are not online and/or do not speak English are not included in the survey results.

While race and Hispanic origin are separate demographic characteristics, Mintel often compares them to each other. Please note that the responses for race (White, Black, Asian, Native American, or other race) will overlap those that also are Hispanic, because Hispanics can be of any race.

Abbreviations and terms

Abbreviations

The following is a list of abbreviations used in this report.

ATUS American Time Use Survey
CFCs Chlorofluorocarbons
CPG Consumer packaged goods
CPI Consumer Price Index
GNPD Global New Products Database
HE High efficiency
NCS/NHCS National Consumer Study/National Hispanic Consumer Study (Experian Marketing Services)
rsp Retail selling price
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Terms

Generations, if discussed within this report, are defined as:

World War II/Swing generations Members of the WWII generation were born in 1932 or before and are aged 83 or older in 2015. Members of the Swing Generation were born from 1933-1945 and are aged 70-82 in 2015.
Baby Boomers The generation born between 1946 and 1964. In 2015, Baby Boomers are between the ages of 51 and 69.
Generation X The generation born between 1965 and 1976. In 2015, Gen Xers are between the ages of 39 and 59.
Millennials* Born between 1977 and 1994, Millennials are aged 21-38 in 2015.
iGeneration Born between 1995 and 2007, members of iGen are aged 8-20 in 2015.
Emerging generation The newest generation began in 2008 as the annual number of births declined sharply with the recession. In 2015 members of this as-yet-unnamed generation are under age 8.

* also known as Generation Y or Echo Boomers

In order to provide an inflation-adjusted price value for markets, Mintel uses the CPI to deflate current prices. The CPI is defined as follows:

CPI The Consumer Price Index is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.

The CPI and its components are typically used to adjust other economic series for price changes and to translate these series into inflation-free dollars. Examples of series adjusted by the CPI include retail sales, hourly and weekly earnings, and components of the national income and product accounts. In addition, and in Mintel reports, the CPI is used as a deflator of the value of the consumer’s dollar to find its purchasing power. The purchasing power of the consumer’s dollar measures the change in the value to the consumer of goods and services that a dollar will buy at different dates.

The CPI is generally the best measure for adjusting payments to consumers when the intent is to allow consumers to purchase, at today’s prices, a market basket of goods and services equivalent to one that they could purchase in an earlier period. It is also the best measure to use to translate retail sales into real or inflation-free dollars.

Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics definition.

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