When did cleaning become content? At what point did we start choosing to unwind with clips of sink scrubbing and laundry folding?Jokes aside, the explosion of #CleanTok is just one signal that people’s priorities around homecare are changing and brands need to keep up.
For some consumers, cleaning has become a source of calm and mental wellbeing. Purifying the mind can now be as important as wiping down the tabletop.
At MMR Research, we found that almost one in three people care more about how a cleaning product makes them feel than how it performs. That might shock some, but in a world that can at times seem like it’s spinning out of control – from the cost of living to geopolitical uncertainty – it makes sense that emotional regulation might be higher on the list of priorities. Cleaning has become a way for some people to remind themselves that they’re holding it together.
While the trend has largely been driven by the public so far, certain brands are already adapting their products to fit. So, for others who want to get a slice of the action, what does success look like?
Mopping up spend
Brands need to ask the right questions as they rethink their offer, and this should always start with product. How does its look, smell and feel add to the consumer experience? What message and what emotions are you getting across?
When asked to best describe what cleaning means to them, more people choose statements about self-care, mindfulness, de-stressing and regaining control than it being a chore they need to get done. The product experience needs to reflect these behavioural changes to attract this new shopper.
That means forgetting the old sensory cleaning cues – no more bleach, citrus or white bottles. Brands like Kinfill and Tallow & Ash are selling a state of mind and putting peace front and centre, with sleek detergent ‘shampoos’ that feature muted tones and designs that evoke luxury skincare more than laundry liquid.
The devil is in the detail. Kinfill’s multi-surface cleaner spray taps into mindfulness and meditation with an especially soft, gentle sound. Its spray action is smooth too, with one motion that avoids any clunkiness. But it still strikes a balance by giving the mechanism a bit of resistance, giving people a sense of having put the work in to achieve something.
The Hinch effect
Once brands have nailed down how their product fits with consumers’ broadening expectations for the category, the other parts of the marketing mix can come into play. Place is especially interesting in this new world of cleaning as therapy.
With influencers like Mrs Hinch, social media has become increasingly powerful in shaking up homecare and driving eyes and clicks to a sale. Again, brands can benefit from thinking about how well their products perform for the online aesthetic. Is your product Instagrammable or will it be relegated to the back of the cupboard? The Green Company’s GreenTabs spray bundle certainly looks camera-ready, with its bright colours and slick designs.
Competition remains fierce in the grocery aisles, but the shift from cleaning as functional to emotional, sensorial and personal is opening up a new growth space for homecare, and the opportunity for diversification by brands is ripe.
And this shift in the cleaning aisles is indicative of others right across the store – where for some, the feeling of the product is becoming as important as the function. And that’s exciting for product developers and marketing professionals alike.
Andrew Wardlaw is chief ideas officer at MMR Research
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