About the Consumer Goods Industry
The Global consumer goods market in terms of small appliances is estimated to be worth approximately US$145 million with both the Asia Pacific and Latin American markets estimated to drive growth over the next few years. Overall the developed markets have shown slow recovery and often stagnant growth recently and it is the developing markets in Asia, in particular, that have minimised the downturn or stagnation of demand in the consumer goods small appliances industry.
The Global consumer goods sector for small appliances can be split into the following sectors:
Table 1: Global Consumer Goods Market Value by Sector, 2011| Global Consumer Goods Market Sectors | Market Value, 2011 (US$ mn) |
|---|
| Air Treatment Products | 66,000 |
| Food Preparation Appliances | 10,000 |
| Heating Appliances | 5,750 |
| Irons | 4,900 |
| Personal Care Appliances | 15,800 |
| Small Cooking Appliances | 23,000 |
| Small Kitchen Appliances (Non-Cooking) | 3,800 |
| Vacuum Cleaners | 15,800 |
| Total | 145,000 |
Interestingly, the consumer goods market is expected to see significant changes in the key target markets for the leading companies with the emerging markets forecast to surpass the developed markets in terms of small appliance volume sales by 2014. Consumer purchasing trends will also be changing in the future, with consumers in the developed markets opting for more sophisticated purchases towards replicating the going out experience at the home. The emerging market consumers need to be convinced that certain items are necessities and over time we are seeing more of the product categories becoming need-to-have items as disposable incomes increase.
Mergers and acquisitions of consumer goods manufacturers is expected to continue in light of poor growth in a number of developed markets. The companies dominant in the developed consumer goods markets are in a relatively exposed to the stagnant growth expected over the next few years. P&G and Jarden, both dominant players in the developed consumer goods markets, suffered slips in competitive ranking as their main markets stagnated. However, companies such as Groupe SEB have strengthened their position on the global stage, with a wide geographic spread and the successful acquisition of Chinese Supor. Chinese Midea has also seen strong growth over recent years as a result of strong demand for their products in the domestic consumer goods market. It seems as though the Asian-based manufacturers which are inherently producing low-cost products are fairing better than the larger brands at the current time.
The following table ranks the leading global companies operating in the small appliances consumer goods industry.
Table 2: Top Ten Small Appliances Companies, 2011 | Company | 2011 Ranking | Market Volume Share %, 2011 |
|---|
| Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV | 1 | 6.6 |
| SEB, Europe | 2 | 5.3 |
| Procter & Gamble Co | 3 | 4.9 |
| GD Midea Holding Co | 4 | 4.2 |
| Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc | 5 | 4.0 |
| Panasonic Corp | 6 | 3.8 |
| Jarden Corp | 7 | 3.4 |
| Conair Corp | 8 | 3.4 |
| Helen of Troy Ltd | 9 | 1.9 |
| NACCO Industries Inc | 10 | 1.7 |
The United States small appliances consumer goods industry represents one of the most developed markets in the world. Internet presence for companies operating in the small appliances market has been important for several years although it is now a necessity to have strong online presence to compete in this highly competitive retail sector. On average, online small appliance sales command a 58% higher average sales price than the industry as a whole and 71% higher price than equivalent brick and mortar sales. Interestingly, nearly half of all Internet purchases were researched online but only a quarter of purchases researched online were actually purchased online. A good website can have a real impact on bottom line sales even though in the United States less than 10% of all small appliance sales are processed online.
