Page 70 - RetailWorld-May2021-Tobacco-Updated

HOUSEHOLD ESSENTIALS CLEAN OR GREEN? CHANGING EXPECTATIONS AROUND THE HOUSE The global pandemic influenced what consumers wanted from their household cleaning products, with stronger demand than ever for powerful cleaning functionality. But what happens next? UBy Hailey Settineri. nsurprisingly, the core focus of consumers during the height of the pandemic in Australia was to ensure they were keeping themselves and their loved ones safe. This means consumers were more inclined to buy products they trusted to protect them from being exposed to potentially dangerous pathogens in the home. In July 2020, when Mintel asked consumers in Australia which features were important to them when buying cleaning products, the two most popular attributes were ‘antibacterial’ (52 per cent) and ‘eliminates germs’ (41 per cent). When the same question was asked in March this year, the proportion of Australian adults who answered ‘antibacterial’ and ‘eliminates germs’ had both fallen, to 39 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively. Instead, ‘multipurpose’ (40 per cent) was the most influential feature. Mintel UK Household Care Analyst K RETAIL WORLD MAY, 2021 Richard Hopping says this is potentially an indicator of how things will unfold in future around the world. “There’s no doubt that the pandemic will have a lasting effect in terms of how people feel about hygiene in the home,” he said. “Although it won’t be to the same extent or frequency, some of the behaviours formed by the pandemic will remain in place for the next couple of years at least.” “In a world less focused on hygiene, consumers will want brands to help them have their cake and eat it too: convenient cleaning but in a way that doesn’t damage the planet.” When Mintel asked Australian consumers what cleaning habits they would try to adopt, 42 per cent said they would clean frequently touched surfaces more often, and 33 per cent would prioritise disinfection. Mintel also expects that other aspects of health and wellbeing will come back into consumer focus. “For example, we expect concerns around chemicals in cleaning products to rise again, because people will still feel that need to look after their health on an ongoing basis, but without such a strong focus on hygiene,” Mr Hopping said. Another element of cleaning products that consumers have demanded during the pandemic has been convenience. With consumers being home, and therefore cleaning more frequently, products such as wipes have become more appealing. In the UK, Mintel found that 24 per cent of those surveyed who bought or used kitchen roll began cleaning their home with this rather than cloths in the past six months. This kind of convenience typically comes at the cost of behaving in a more environmentally friendly manner, says Mr Hopping. “People have had to weigh up hygiene against sustainability during this period,” he said. “I think this will be something for