Growth in the household cleaning products market continues to be fuelled by innovative product developments. New chemistry and materials often feature, in combination with novel delivery mechanisms and major changes in form, to support the claims of convenience and performance that consumers demand. These innovations tend to be based on relatively sophisticated consumer needs capture techniques.
The opening up of developing markets around the world continues to offer huge promise, but a major investment in consumer understanding is needed to exploit the opportunity fully. Rising raw material costs and the need to 'go green' are now also regular themes in our discussions with clients, representing both a threat and a potential stimulus for innovation. There is also concern that disruptions may come from changes in availability and pricing of water.
We continue to work extensively on cleaning products and other household items. By applying our fundamental physics, chemistry and materials science knowledge to the commercial context, in combination with industrial design expertise, we can help companies rapidly accelerate their new product development programmes. Recent examples include: inventing, prototyping and developing hard surface cleaning tools; technology scouting to help a major player enter a new field; and future visioning exercises in multiple household product categories.
