2022.01.26
Is red viable on the market in 2022?
While larger appliances have had to adapt to the more neutral colors of the home, smaller household appliances have been given more leeway when it comes to color. APPLiAnytt dives deep into the red color of love!
Throughout the history of white goods, the color red has had a secondary significance on the industry's products. With the exception of the 1970s' crazy color schemes on larger white goods, these have been dominated by the colors white, stainless steel, and black in recent decades. Red 'white goods' are now mostly seen as iconic and classic replicas of, for example, refrigerators and stoves.
For the industry's smaller household appliances, it's different. For these, a red color scheme has been around for years and has had a renaissance in the 21st century. Who hasn't had a red vacuum cleaner at home? Or a metallic red kettle in an otherwise all-white kitchen?
The theory behind the fact that small appliances in particular have been in demand in bolder colours is perfectly logical. The larger appliances have previously been subordinated to the kitchen's colour scheme. They have been adapted in terms of colour to the surrounding kitchen and have therefore been more neutral. The smaller household appliances have been allowed to stand out more in terms of colour and often constitute a splash of colour in the kitchen. The proportion of small appliances that are bought as Christmas presents or gifts is also considerable – and surely it is more fun to give away something colourful than something HSB grey?
”The industry sees red!”
Several companies in the industry are known for their red color scheme for their products. The coffee makers above come in a variety of colors from one company in the industry, and they even come in two different red color schemes on nearly identical coffee makers. One in bright red and one in metallic red.
KitchenAid – a colorful icon in red
APPLiAnytt took the opportunity to ask another of the companies in the industry with, almost, an iconic strategy about how colors are used in product development – because we want to know more about how important the color red is ahead of Valentine's Day, which awaits us on February 14th.
We therefore curiously ask Cecilia Liss, Nordic Manager for KitchenAid SDA since 2016, about the importance of color for marketing and sales.
Which of your iconic household appliances sells best in red?
”Our iconic Artisan Stand Mixer is our best-selling red product. Our classic Empire Red is the one that most people recognize as the KitchenAid color. For a number of years now, we have also had another shade of red, our popular Candy Apple, which stands out even more with its glossy, metallic finish. In both of these red shades, consumers also have the option to match other KitchenAid products such as blenders, kettles, toasters and food processors.”
What percentage do you estimate is sold in red compared to other colors?
”Red variants are the top four best-selling colors among all our different colors.”
What colors compete with red for the top position in your range?
”At KitchenAid, we love color and are well known for our wide range of colors. We currently offer approximately 30 different colors on our Artisan Stand Mixers. Many consumers are very inspired by a new color and last year we launched Honey as our Color of the Year – a warm color that exudes community and is therefore very suitable in Covid times and has become a strong seller. Other bestsellers are black, different tones of silver/gray and white. Matte colors have also become more popular in recent years.”
Color drives sales
Do you see any extra boost in sales of these products for the 'red' occasions around Christmas and Valentine's Day?
”"Of course, it always gives an extra boost to sales when the color red gets more attention and visibility in the trade. Red is a very grateful color to expose. Our iconic Stand Mixer in red is becoming a natural feature for our partners in these times and it naturally has a nice effect on sales."”
We thank Cecilia for the interview and wish her a Happy Valentine's Day when the time comes, now make sure to display RED signs in the store!
Kent Oderud, Chairman of APPLiA
