Laundry appliances

These are not your mother’s laundry machines. The latest trends seen in the national chains as well as the local specialty shops bring colors and function that have put a modern spin—and rinse—on laundry appliance retailing.

Analysis: In the past three years, the hardware and home center channel has grown ever-so slightly as other channels have essentially held steady. Ten years ago, you wouldn’t see major appliances in home centers, said Mark Delaney, NPD Group’s director of home improvement. “It’s quite remarkable that they’ve actually gained almost a third of the market.” The breakdowns by age and sex shown here are very similar to the other channels—predominately female, spread evenly across the age groups.

Analysis: Front loaders are gaining share at a clip of about 5 percentage points a year—despite the higher price point average of $671, which is $255 higher than traditional top loaders. The “other” category represents nontraditional colors, growing for both washers and dryers. Often accompanied by trendy designs, these machines carry higher prices. Still, the total average price year over year for washers declined 4.5 percent to $531.

Analysis: Consumers seem to be looking for better deals in 2008. “On sale” as a reason for purchase increased from 8.9 percent to 11.7 percent, and “Price” increased from 15.2 percent to 17.4 percent. Also, NPD began tracking “environmentally friendly/green” in 2008, a category chosen by 5.6 percent of respondents.