Magazin: Housewives dream about faster and more efficient cleaning

Experts agree that efficiency, comfort and speed are still important factors in deciding which cleaning products to put in the basket. According to Renáta Rabóczki, Unilever Magyarország Kft.’s junior brand manager buying cleaning products is still a difficult task for consumers.

There is a great variety of products available and it is difficult to decide which one is the best for a certain problem. This is the reason why Unilever concentrates on navigation and neat and tidy shelves in 2013. EVM brand manager Renáta Rudolf opines that shoppers are seeking promotions more actively than before. They use cleaning products more sparingly and this is manifested in sales: last year volume sales dropped a bit in all the categories they monitor. Károly Deli, the brand manager of Sarantis Hungary Kft. added to this that the most influential factor in shopping decisions is the price/value ratio. Even if consumers would be better off buying a larger size product, they go for the smaller one on which they have to spend less per shopping occasion. At the end of last year Unilever introduced the new Domestos Attax self-adhesive toilet cleaner tape, thanks to which the Domestos brand carved out a 9.7-percent market share (in value) among toilet rim blocks in the November-December period. Henkel brought out several new products in 2012 and due to the success of Bref Power Aktiv there has been a restructuring as regards the proportion of liquid and solid toilet fresheners. However, it seems that the category is unable to bring in new buyers as it is households which have already been using these products that try the latest solutions. Branded products still perform well and as for scents, it is still citrus, pine and ocean which are the most popular. Ágnes Erdődi, the brand manager of Henkel Magyarország Kft. wondered how competitors’ recent communication strategy of highlighting products’ possible disadvantages would affect consumer behaviour. Sales of limescale removers and scrubbing products have improved recently. Unilever’s Cif contributed to this greatly, with new packaging, a new flower-scented version and the introduction of the Cif Pink Flower scrubbing cream. Sarantis Hungary Kft. acquired the Domet brand in 2011 and now the brand is about to return after a complete overhaul. The company typically offers seasonal packages under this brand name, for instance for the big spring or autumn cleanings. In the first quarter of 2013 Henkel will put three versions of Bref 6x Effect Power Gel on the market. Their latest innovation under the Clin brand has the same cleaning power that made Clin the region’s leading window cleaning brand. New Pur Pure & Natural Green Tea and Jasmine uses the good old Pur formula to dissolve fat efficiently. EVM’s Szavo product line will soon enter the market with a very efficient limescale remover, Szavo Scale and Rust Dissolver in 500ml spray version. In 2013 Domet will sport a new packaging and appear in shops with premium quality Cellulose sponges, Viscous wipes, a special Teflon sponge and Microfibre wipes.