Demand for small domestic appliances continued to grow during the first half of 2019. The global market (excluding North America) showed growth with an overall increase of 9.3 percent delivering a total market value of €24.3 billion. GfK expects an SDA global sales growth of 9.4 percent for the full year of 2019. These are GfK’s findings for the global SDA market released at IFA. A few segments are the primary drivers of the SDA market and represent a significant share of the growth dynamic. The top five segments (vacuum cleaners, food preparation, hot beverage makers, air treatment and shavers) contribute almost 50 percent of the SDA category. Over 23 percent of global growth is attributed to vacuum cleaners. The strongest growth region has been APAC: sales increased by 21 percent to €5.8 billion in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year. Product categories such as cordless handstick vacuum cleaners (+27 percent), robot vacuum cleaners (+18 percent), air treatment (+19 percent) and water filters (+14 percent), are primarily responsible for this growth. Simplicity and convenience are becoming more important for consumers. Over half (52 percent) of global consumers agree with the statement “I am always looking for ways to simplify my life” (GfK Consumer Life), and this trend is growing. The topics of simplicity and convenience are becoming increasingly important for SDA success. In floor cleaning, cordless handstick vacuum cleaners are at the top of product lifecylcle curve. At present, the focus is on performance over simplicity to differentiate in the sector. The sales growth trajectory of cordless vacuum cleaners is slowly plateauing after massive growth in 2018. Sales volume is now over €2.3 billion (+27 percent). Robots are yet another segment contributing to vacuum cleaner category growth. The sale of robot vacuum cleaners grew (+18 percent), and nearly 70 percent of these are smart devices. Convenience segments like wet and dry vacuum cleaners, which make additional wet wiping redundant, are also growing (+13 percent) globally. The most important markets for this new type of wet cleaner are China (€39.6 million), followed by Germany (€22.1 million), France (€21.8 million) and Brazil (€19.4 million).
