Over the course of the pandemic, consumers have developed new habits in areas like cleaning, shopping and home upgrades. The latest research conducted by the AHAM (U.S. Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers) reveals which habits will continue after the pandemic ends. For an overwhelming majority, a return to “life as we knew it” is expected. Many of the disruptions of day-to-day life from Covid-19 are anticipated to be temporary. However, a study of more than 4,000 U.S. residents shows that many new cleaning and shopping practices will continue after the pandemic ends. In particular, 42% of consumers reported cleaning/tidying more than before the pandemic: of those, 36% say their new habits will continue. Besides, 46% of consumers have taken steps to improve their indoor air quality (i.e. purchasing an air cleaner, changing their air cleaner filter) since the pandemic. As regards to the shopping habits, 55% of consumers who have purchased an appliance during the pandemic did so online. This was the first online appliance purchase for 70% of those consumers. In addition, 74% of consumers reported they were able to purchase their preferred appliance model during the pandemic and 42% expect to continue shopping online as much as they did during the pandemic.
As communicated by AHAM, over the next 12 months many consumers expect to upgrade their kitchen appliances (29%), complete a home renovation (28%), upgrade laundry appliances (27%) and purchase or replace countertop kitchen appliances (26%). Besides, 58% of consumers expressed an interest in purchasing appliances with additional cleaning/sanitation features. People are showing more interest in keeping a healthy home, cleaning and disinfecting more often, taking steps to improve indoor air quality, and vacuuming, mopping and steam cleaning more.
