Red White and Refrigerators!

What comes to mind when you think of Independence Day? U.S. History? Fireworks? Apple Pie? BBQ’s? American Flags? Home Appliances?

For many of us, major U.S. holidays are synonymous with white goods sales. What is it about holidays that drive retailers and manufacturer’s to offer deep discounts on appliances in conjunction with these events? Perhaps more than anything, retailers hope to attract large groups of consumers when they may be off work. Purchasing large and costly items for a household is typically a joint decision or in some cases, an entire household decision. In taking advantage of people’s free time, retailers then further incentivize and aim to boost sales.

The 2013 Fourth of July holiday proved to be the single most heavily advertised week for home appliances year to date. When comparing current advertising statistics to those from the last major U.S. holiday, Memorial Day, home appliance circular ad placements (refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ranges) spanning the 4th of July holiday totaled 614 hits, more than double those featured during Memorial Day (300 total). Of the home appliance categories covered (laundry, ranges, and refrigerators), the laundry segment accounted for 45% of the total advertising placements (275 placements), making it the largest category promoted by retailers within the gap intelligence panel. In addition to the increased circular ad placements, retailers also heavily rely on in-store promotions.

In conjunction with increased retailer advertising, brand specific advertising for the laundry segment greatly increased in number of ad placements as well. South Korean manufacturers, LG and Samsung, increased their number of ad placements the most, dominating the laundry ad share space. Of the 275 total laundry ads placed during the July 4th holiday, Samsung held 29% and LG trailed closely behind with 24% of total circular advertising share.

In addition to advertising home appliances with sales during major holidays, appliance manufacturers tend to reveal the latest of their lineups during the early fall season, particularly September and October of each year. Consumers looking for attractive pricing may find this a lucrative time to pick up last year’s model as ‘out with the old and in with the new’ rings true.