Reveal Marketing Research study: In times of crisis, Romanians are no longer in a rush to buy household appliances
The latest market study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research aimed to evaluate the preferences and purchase behaviors of Romanians regarding the category of household appliances and how they have evolved compared to the similar study carried out in February 2021.
- Most Romanians (70%) do not change their household appliances if they are not damaged
- The top criteria for purchasing household appliances include price (70%), performance (54%) and energy consumption (54%)
- 74% of Romanians are open to choose smart appliances for their homes, but high prices are the main barrier in the purchase decision
When do Romanians choose to buy new appliances?
According to data from the Reveal Marketing Research study, 70% of Romanians buy new household appliances when the old ones break down, while 31% declare they buy them when they discover advantageous promotions, and 17% because they want to equip their home with new technologies/innovations .
Depending on the gender, we notice that women differentiate themselves as more pragmatic, they being more likely to replace a broken household appliance with a new one (75% vs. 65% men), and men as more attracted to the pursuit and purchasing new technologies (21% vs. 14% women).
Economic pressures make Romanians more prudent, the percentage of those who choose to repair broken household appliances increased significantly compared to 2021, reaching from 6% to 15% today.
Also out of a desire to save money, the Rabla program for appliances enjoys an increased popularity among Romanians, 64% showing interest in enrolling in the program, while 6% say they are already registered.
Most consumers (70%) choose appliances based on price, and appliance promotions (46%) have doubled as importance in the purchase decision compared to 2021
The main criteria according to which consumers purchase electrical appliances remained the same as 2 years ago, Romanians being primarily attentive to price (70%), performance (54%) – especially those aged between 44-55 years (66%), and energy consumption (54%) – especially mature people over 55 (70%).
It is important to point out the magnitude that the promotions have gained lately in the context of the constant price increases, these being mentioned by 46% of Romanians compared to 21% in 2021.
Regarding the importance of the brand when purchasing household appliances, compared to the results of the study conducted in 2021, a significant increase in the importance of this criterion is observed, from 14% to 22% of Romanians who mention the importance of the brand, to a greater extent those aged between 45 and 55 years (27%).
Turning our attention to the methods of information before purchasing household appliances, in the top of preferences we find store websites (48%), reviews from online stores (43%) and requesting information directly from the store (39%). On a closer look, we discover that both the store websites and the online reviews within them are preferred to a significantly greater extent by people between 45-55 years old, with scores of 57% and 50%, respectively, while mature people over 55 prefer to request information directly from store staff (49%).
Other alternatives that Romanians turn to for information are the advice of acquaintances (33%), online advertisements (32%) or TV advertisements (23%).
7 out of 10 Romanians prefer the physical store to buy their desired household appliances
If we refer to the method of purchasing the desired household appliances, 7 out of 10 Romanians prefer to go to physical stores, this choice facilitating direct interaction with the products and with the staff in the stores. Therefore, they opt for specialized stores (44%), the appliance section of hypermarkets (15%) and, to a lesser extent, manufacturers’ stores (9%).
On the other hand, 30% of Romanians declare that they choose to order online from the websites of specialized stores.
Moreover, almost half of the Romanians who choose to order household appliances online (47%) mention that they usually go to physical stores first to see or test the product before placing the order, to a significantly higher extent men (53% vs. 41% women) and urban residents (52% vs. 39% rural)
74% of Romanians are willing to purchase smart appliances to equip their home, the main reason being the reduction of electricity costs
Regarding smart appliances, more than two thirds of Romanians (74%) express their intention to invest in such products, the main perceived benefits being the reduction of electricity costs (79% vs. 62% in 2021), the efficiency of the appliances (61 % vs. 48% in 2021) and easing household activities (51% vs. 42% in 2021).
On the other hand, what would prevent Romanians from buying smart appliances would be their high price, a reason mentioned by 73% of the respondents. A percentage of 23% of Romanians believe that they are not useful, and 17% believe that they would be difficult to use.
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About Reveal Marketing Research
Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in market research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and Europe for 14 years.
Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online during 25.04-02.05.2023 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users, urban and rural residents. The sample size was 1009 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence level.