Household Batteries: Consumer Market Trends in the U.S.

 

Batteries: Consumer Market Trends in the U.S.

Disposable batteries account for more than half of household battery sales but rechargeable batteries continue to be a growing part of the market. They appeal to consumers seeking to lessen their environmental footprint. They are also positioned as less costly. Rechargeable batteries may likely come to dominate the market completely within the next decade but with the exception of extremely high use situations, consumers will have to use rechargeable batteries for many months before a savings would be seen. This may factor into why the rechargeable battery, a more advanced product than the disposable and clearly more environment friendly, has not grown even faster than it has.

Alkaline rechargeables are seeing increasing sales but Lithium-ion type batteries contribute most of the growth. They are a favorite for use in e-cigarettes, a product category that has enjoyed triple digit growth rates over the past decade. The entry into the market of mainstream tobacco companies should lead to greater availability of e-cigarettes batteries for in supermarkets, convenience stores, and other retail outlets in which they have previously lacked traction.

Packaged Facts projects that sales of household batteries will reach $4,750 million by the year 2020, up from $4,125 million in 2015. The CAGR for the period is a projected 2.9%. Three manufacturers dominate the U.S. market for household batteries: Berkshire Hathaway, which owns the Duracell brand; Energizer, maker of both Energizer and Eveready batteries; and Spectrum Brands, which makes Rayovac.

Energizer has sought to position itself as the most environmentally-friendly of the three with he introduction of the EcoAdvanced battery, made with four percent recycled battery material. Within a few months of the EcoAdvance launch, Energizer doubled down on its environmental commitment by extending the technology to create the first battery to use recycled materials and also be rechargeable.

Scope and Methodology

Batteries: Consumer Market Trends in the U.S. covers the sales of household batteries sold through all types of retail outlets, including supermarkets, discount stores and supercenters, warehouse clubs, and mass merchandisers, as well as convenience stores, drugstores, hardware stores, small groceries, and the Internet.

Market estimates within this report were based on both public and syndicated data sources. Packaged Facts has analyzed available sales and trend data, together with information pertaining to those products that move through unmonitored outlets, to estimate the total size of the market for the products in the categories under consideration.

Sales and market size data sources include:

• IRI sales tracking through U.S. supermarkets and grocery stores, drugstores, and mass merchandisers (including Target, Kmart, and Wal-Mart) with annual sales of $2 million or more.
• In addition, the report draws on data from the Winter 2016 Simmons NCS Adult Study 12-Month and earlier Simmons reports.

Information on new product introductions was derived from examination of the retail milieu and from relevant trade, business, and government sources, including company literature and annual reports. Company websites, Facebook, and Twitter pages served as sources for new advertising and marketing images and messaging.