Take a fresh look at your cleaners
Clorox, Lysol and many other national brands boast a strong presence in the household cleaners category. But the strength of their brand names hasn’t been enough to keep shoppers from choosing store brand cleaners instead.
According to data from Information Resources Inc., Chicago, with the exception of furniture polish, all subcategories of store brand household cleaners saw dollar and unit sales gains throughout the 52 weeks ending May 18. During the same period, however, most total household cleaner subcategories experienced dollar and unit sales declines (see the table, p. 44).
To keep store brand household cleaners in growth mode — and grow the category overall — retailers will really need to scrutinize their current offerings. Too many strong retailers aren’t serious enough when it comes to store brand household cleaners, says Paul Shilling, vice president of sales with Ameriplus Inc., Roswell, Ga.
“They’ll have maybe two or three SKUs as opposed to something that matches the brands on each different segment of private label cleaners,” he states. “The retailer needs to have a full program.”
Shilling notes that in addition to glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner and basic cleaner with bleach, retailers need to have toilet bowl cleaner, drain opener, shower cleaner, “purple” cleaner, bathroom cleaner and more.
Hard-surface-cleaning wipes are another area of opportunity for retailers’ own brands. According to “Category Insight: Hard Surface Care,” a February 2014 report from global market researcher Mintel, cleaning cloths and wipes saw the strongest dollar sales growth of all hard surface care subcategories between 2011 and 2013 — 14.2 percent, to be exact. And wipes are expected to continue to perform well, given strong consumer interest in their convenient format and their ability to clean quickly and effectively.
Ooh, that smell!
But whether the cleaner is for a specific surface or all-purpose, it might not see repeat purchases if it doesn’t sport a pleasing aroma. Citing research from Falmouth, Maine-based market research firm Smithers Apex, Jennifer Tracy, senior marketing services manager for Mount Prospect, Ill.-based Mizkan Americas, notes that a pleasant fragrance suggests a higher level of cleanliness to consumers — and can make the cleaning process more bearable.
Therefore, Tracy states, an increasing number of manufacturers are adding fragrances to their lines of cleaning products.
“With cleaning vinegar, in particular, many con¬sumers are aware of the versatility of [it], but some do not like the smell of traditional vinegar,” Tracy explains. “New fragrances for cleaning vinegar — such as a citrus mint and cinnamon apple — not only mitigate any undesirable odors of the product and home, but can help create a point of differenti¬ation and build consumer demand for the product.”
Eco- and wallet-friendly
Another area of opportunity is eco-friendly cleaning products, Tracy adds. And given that 64 percent of consumers would purchase more eco-friendly products if they were less expensive, according to a Mintel survey, store brand products have an opportunity to be friendly to both the environment and the wallet.
Julie Corbett, founder of Oakland, Calif.-based Ecologic Brands, agrees.
“The largest subcategory opportunity for retailers is the development of cleaning products that are formulated with raw materials and chemicals that have less of an impact on the environment,” she states.
And transparency does wonders to win consumers over. Steve Berry, president of Greenblendz, Auburn Hills, Mich., notes that retailers such as Walmart, Target and Walgreens are offering products with clean ingredient decks to better gain the trust of their eco-conscious shoppers.
Put thought into packaging
Packaging, too, must be sustainable if its contents are eco-friendly, Corbett notes.
“The best way to connect with consumers and drive sales is [by] using packaging that is purposefully and obviously manufactured using less plastic, renewable materials [and post-consumer recycled content] — and is either recyclable or compostable,” she states.
No matter whether a cleaning product is eco-friendly or basic, packaging must be easy to read and sport a contemporary, creative look, Tracy notes.
And don’t be afraid to spend a little more on a label that makes the packaging look sleek.
“One example might be the sleeve packaging available today — like some of the national brands have — which is very polished looking,” Shilling says. “It’s also more expensive. … But I think in order to propagate the quality image of [a store] brand, things like that are very valuable to set them apart.”
Convenience-minded packaging that makes the cleaning process easier — such as smaller pack sizes or easy-to-use spray bottles — also helps to differentiate store brand cleaners, Tracy states.
Merchandise meaningfully
Speaking of convenience, retailers could merchandise many of their own-brand household cleaning products all in one section to create a “one-stop shop,” Tracy explains. Doing so could be especially effective in spring cleaning promotions.
“Complimentary tear-away home cleaning tips placed next to store-branded cleaning products are another way to build rapport and create loyalty, which will translate into sales,” she says.
Retailers also could get endorsements of store brand products from their best advocates: their employees and loyal shoppers, says Larry Plesent, CEO of Middlebury, Vt.-based Vermont Soap.
“‘Cindy in merchandising loves this product!’ ‘Mrs. Jones from Winchester won’t use anything else in her home!’” he offers as endorsement examples. “Testimonials and free samples pave the way to sales.”
And don’t be afraid to promote sister products on packaging and merchandising materials — doing so could help grow a customer’s basket ring.
“Retailers will do well by communicating at that very moment of engagement that there are other [cleaning products] available with the same trusted label,” says Grant Greene, vice president of sales and marketing with Tempe, Ariz.-based Mountain Green.