Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Category sales grow slowly and struggle to keep pace with inflation
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of home laundry products, at current prices, 2012-22
- Young adults less aware of the benefits of fabric softener
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- Figure 2: Uncertainty about what fabric softener does, by age, May 2017
- Shifting attitudes toward housecleaning and alternative products challenge bleach
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- Figure 3: Willingness to pay for laundry products that protect fabrics, May 2017
- The opportunities
- Online sales improve reach for leading retailers and name brands
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- Figure 4: Online compared to brick-and-mortar retailers as secondary purchase locations, May 2017
- Single-dose purchases peak among young adults
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- Figure 5: Purchases of single-dose detergent, by age, May 2017
- Formulas that extend sensory features show promise
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- Figure 6: Willingness to spend on scent related features, May 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Laundry market sees gradual sales growth amid competition
- Detergent dominates market as laundry care surges
- Fashion trends and ingredient transparency shape category
- Rise of high-efficiency washers and home construction benefit market
Market Size and Forecast
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- Mature laundry category grows gradually amid heavy competition
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- Figure 7: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of home laundry products, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 8: Total US retail sales and forecast of home laundry products, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 9: Total US retail sales and forecast of home laundry products, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
Market Breakdown
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- Detergent dominates sales, but laundry care makes large gains
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- Figure 10: Total US retail sales of home laundry products, by segment, at current prices, 2015 and 2017
Market Perspective
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- Spend on laundry slightly outpaces other household categories
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- Figure 11: Total US sales and forecast of home laundry products, household surface cleaners, and dishwashing products, at current prices, 2012-17
- Clothing and fashion trends drive launches of sport detergents
Market Factors
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- High-efficiency washers comprise larger share of market
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- Figure 12: Ownership of high-efficiency washers and dryers (Net), 2011-17
- New home construction brings more laundry rooms to market
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- Figure 13: New residential home construction, 2010-16
- Decline in share of family households lowers overall spending
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- Figure 14: Family and non-family households, 2006-16
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- P&G dominates category and sets bar on innovation
- Retailer incentives and brand positioning help expand online sales
- Innovation in format and scent drive MULO growth
- Abrasives and powder formats lose share
- Improving sensory experience, fabric protection may drive future growth
Company and Brand Sales of Laundry Products
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- P&G maintains lead as consumers shift to convenient formats
- Sales of home laundry products by company
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- Figure 15: MULO sales of home laundry products, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
What’s Working?
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- Innovation in all-in-one formats yields higher-margin spending
- Laundry care products with long-lasting scent achieve growth
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- Figure 16: MULO sales of laundry care, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Henkel pushes aggressive retail and marketing strategy
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- Figure 17: Persil display at Walmart, February 2017
- Figure 18: Persil Superbowl advertisement, January 2017
- Retailers and brands extend online sales of laundry products
What’s Struggling?
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- Abrasive products continue to lose share
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- Figure 19: MULO sales of Clorox and Oxi Clean, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Household disinfectant brand Lysol challenges bleach with laundry sanitizer
- Powder declines as consumers shift to more convenient formats
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- Figure 20: Use of powder and single-dose laundry detergent, 2012-17
What’s Next?
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- Brands deliver sensory experience with new scent and line extensions
- Unstopables extend brand appeal to adjacent household categories
- Laundry products that not only freshen, but protect
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- Figure 21: Downy commercial highlighting protective formula, April 2017
- On-demand laundry service
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Most purchasers buy liquid detergent, single-dose outperforms powder
- Retailers offering value and convenience lead the market
- Scent leads among important purchase influencers
- Tide enjoys strong brand associations, but other brands hold ground
- Attitudes toward laundry reveal more barriers than opportunities
- Extending scent and clothing life capture consumer interest
Products Purchased
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- Liquid detergent remains staple for most households
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- Figure 22: Laundry products purchased, May 2017
- Newcomers to category quicker to embrace single-dose
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- Figure 23: Liquid and single-dose detergent purchases, by age, May 2017
- Lifestage drives demand
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- Figure 24: Purchases of select laundry products, by age and by parental status, May 2017
- Hispanics mirror parents as heavy purchasers
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- Figure 25: Purchases of select laundry products, by Hispanic origin, May 2017
Retailers Shopped
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- Value and convenience determine retailers shopped
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- Figure 26: Retailers shopped for home laundry products, May 2017
- Price is driver for category newcomers, but parents have broader needs
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- Figure 27: Leading retailers most shopped, by age, income, and parental status, May 2017
- Parents and newcomers also shop online
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- Figure 28: Online retailers as secondary purchase location, by age and by parental status, May 2017
- Retailer choice grows more habitual with age
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- Figure 29: Supermarkets and club as most shopped purchase locations, by age, May 2017
- Hispanics balance price and selection in most shopped retailers
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- Figure 30: Select retailers most shopped for laundry purchases, by Hispanic origin, May 2017
Purchase Influencers
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- Scent is key for category entry
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- Figure 31: TURF Analysis – Purchase influencers for laundry detergent, May 2017
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- Figure 32: Table – TURF analysis – Purchase influencers, May 2017
- Methodology
- Scented features in detergent capture broad age range
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- Figure 33: Scent and functional attributes as detergent purchase influencers, by age, May 2017
- Parents place demand on safety features
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- Figure 34: Product safety features as detergent purchase influencers, by age and by parental status, May 2017
- Hispanics skew higher on scent-related influencers
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- Figure 35: Scent-related detergent purchase influencers, by Hispanic origin, May 2017
Brand Associations
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- Leading brand Tide sees overwhelming recognition
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- Figure 36: Laundry brand associations, May 2017
- Scent and cross-category activity drive associations with other brands
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- Figure 37: Select associations with Gain and Arm & Hammer, by age, May 2017
- Parents rely on Tide for secondary features
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- Figure 38: Sensitive skin and eco-friendly associations with Tide, by age and by parental status, May 2017
- Hispanics align with most purchasers on brand associations
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- Figure 39: Select associations with Tide and Gain, by Hispanic origin, May 2017
Attitudes toward Laundry Products
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- Barriers outweigh opportunities
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- Figure 40: Attitudes toward laundry products create barriers and opportunities, May 2017
- Newness to category shapes attitudes toward scent, trial, and safety
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- Figure 41: Attitudes toward trial, scent, and safety, by age, May 2017
- Lifestage demands reveal mixed attitudes toward fabric softener
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- Figure 42: Attitudes toward fabric softener, by age and by parental status, May 2017
- Hispanics mirror young adults and parents in attitudes toward scent
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- Figure 43: Attitudes toward scent and protection, by Hispanic origin, May 2017
Interest in Product Innovation
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- Products that extend clothing life capture interest
- Scented features could garner even more spend
- Natural and skin-friendly formulas show room for brand extension
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- Figure 44: Willingness to pay for laundry product innovation, May 2017
- Newcomers see benefit of clothes protection and scent
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- Figure 45: Willingness to pay more for protective and scented features, by age, May 2017
- Parents emphasize natural and sensitive skin formulas
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- Figure 46: Willingness to pay more for natural and sensitive skin laundry products, by age and by parental status, May 2017
- Hispanics center around lasting scent and natural formulas
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- Figure 47: Willingness to pay more for scented and natural laundry products, by Hispanic origin, May 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 48: Total US retail sales and forecast of home laundry products, by segment, at current prices, 2012-17
- Figure 49: Total US retail sales of home laundry products, by segment, at current prices, 2015 and 2017
- Figure 50: Total US retail sales of home laundry products, by channel, at current prices, 2012-2017
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- Figure 51: Total US retail sales of home laundry products, by channel, at current prices, 2015 and 2017
- Figure 52: Base samples for laundry detergent purchasers, Winter 2012-Winter 2017
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 53: MULO sales of laundry detergent, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 54: MULO sales of liquid fabric softener, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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- Figure 55: MULO sales of fabric softener sheets, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 56: MULO sales of bleach, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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Appendix – The Consumer
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- Figure 57: Laundry detergent usage, by brand, 2012-17
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