Canadian household shoppers are prioritizing disinfection over eco-friendliness when it comes to purchasing natural household care products according to new research from Mintel.
Although natural household care products will continue to be valued as healthy and sustainable options, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shift in priorities for Canadian consumers concerned about health and safety. Sanitation has become a key priority with 66 per cent agreeing that since COVID-19, disinfecting effectiveness is more important than eco-friendly claims.
Meghan Ross, senior research analyst for home and beauty at Mintel, says the safe and sustainable natural products market is expected to grow.
“Expect wellness to become a stronger priority, creating opportunities for partnerships and crossovers with personal care brands as Canadians look for products that embrace their overall wellbeing in a holistic way. Simple steps like adding aromatherapy scents or skin-conditioning ingredients to a household product will enhance the user experience. As holistic views of health are embraced, shoppers will be expecting household and personal care products to become more intertwined.”
Convenience is key even for eco-shoppers
Nearly seven in 10 (67 per cent) Canadian consumers agree they are always on the lookout for things that make life easier and half (47 per cent) value time savings over environmental friendliness. Despite claiming to be environmentally friendly shoppers (57 per cent) and being more willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly products (53 per cent), younger consumers aged 18-34 are most likely to agree with wanting to save time over being sustainable (55 per cent) when it comes to their household products, highlighting the importance of convenience, even among eco-friendly shoppers.
However, nearly one quarter (22 per cent) of women disagree that time saving is more important than environmental friendliness.
“Green products cannot depend solely on their green claims as our research shows that even eco-shoppers are willing to forgo their ideologies if it takes too much effort otherwise. Green products need to be just as convenient and easy to use as traditional household products if they are to attain widespread use. Brands should endeavour to make products that don’t force consumers to choose between their eco goals and their desire to have chores completed with little effort. Products that offer a simple solution to a possibly monotonous chore will resonate with time-strapped consumers,” Ross continued.
Natural household products are poised for growth
While indications suggest that COVID-19’s economic impact will slow the trajectory of growth for natural household products, the category is still expected to perform well. Only 3 per cent of natural household shoppers have decreased their usage of natural/eco-friendly products in the past year – with 35 per cent claiming to use them more often. Even in this poor economic climate, eco-friendly brands are expected to weather the storm relatively well since 41 per cent of Canadians express a willingness (strongly agree/somewhat agree) to pay a premium for natural products.
