One third of households now own a dishwasher, according to Waterwise. It therefore comes as little surprise that Finish Auto dishwash continues to beat Fairy Hand dishwash into second place in the household cleaning market. However, industry experts point out that we still lag behind many countries, so the potential for growth from the dishwash tablet market is still significant.
P&G has demonstrated one way to grow the category with Fairy Dishwash, launched two years ago and already the third-biggest brand in the sector. It positioned the product as a gentler option, and consumers have latched on to Fairy's associations with softness and mildness. The formats - Fairy Active Bursts, Power Burst and Pure Clean - are designed to dissolve in short cycles at low temperatures and work effectively on a dishwasher's eco-cycle to save water and energy. The brand continued its impressive growth with a rise of 69.8% during 2007, and this shows few signs of abating.
Eco-friendly Aquados is also joining the category this year. Its Simply Dishwash uses similar SoftTab technology to the brand's laundry range.
Meanwhile, Finish continues to bring innovation to the market. Wrapper-free product Finish Quantum was a strong performer last year, while All In One and Turbo Dry, which is dispensed into the rinse aid drawer to deliver glass protection and drier dishes, also made an impact. This month, Finish Max In One - a wrapless tablet in a resealable pack that protects the tablets from air and damp - is rolling out to the trade.
As dishwasher usage increases, hand dishwashing liquid has to add value to maintain its position; Fairy Hand dishwash managed to add only 0.9% to its total, compared with its Reckitt Benckiser dishwash rival's 2.8% growth. As part of its Future Friendly environmental awareness campaign, P&G is pushing the fact Fairy is the most concentrated handwash on the market, but variation of fragrance is still the brand's strongest weapon.
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