While in-store shopping remains nearly universal, with 90% of UK household shoppers frequenting brick-and-mortar stores, online purchasing has surged, reaching 60% in 2025 compared to 50% in 2023. Online supermarkets and retailers continue to grow, driven by urban shoppers prioritising convenience, flexible delivery, and subscription options. Hybrid lifestyles and increased price competition further enhance online appeal.
Price is the leading purchase driver across all channels, but to meet evolving consumer priorities, brands and retailers must balance affordability, convenience, and innovation. Own-label products, particularly those from discount retailers, thrive amid the cost of living crisis. However, mass name brands can leverage scale, brand trust, and ongoing innovation to justify higher price points and remain competitive.
Refills represent a growing opportunity to address eco-conscious and cost-saving demands, with the use of refill stations gaining popularity, especially among younger audiences. Shoppers also show increasing interest in AI-driven personalised recommendations, immersive shopping experiences, and trial options, highlighting the need for convenience-focused innovation.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Responsibility for household care products purchase
- Types of stores and channels used to purchase household care products
- Frequency of purchase across the different household care categories
- Most important factors influencing the household care purchase journey
- Changes in shopping behaviours over the past 12 months amid the cost of living crisis
- Analysis of household consumers’ shopping behaviours, including their perception of products’ performance and interest in innovations
Household shoppers are redefining priorities, balancing tight budgets with a growing demand for smarter convenience and impactful eco-friendly choices.
Amanda Caridad, Global Household Analyst
Market Definitions
This Report covers shopping habits and attitudes towards shopping for household care products.
Within this Report, Mintel defines household care as products coming under the following categories:
- paper (including toilet tissue, kitchen roll, facial tissues)
- dishwashing products (including washing up-liquid and dishwasher products)
- toilet and hard surface cleaners
- fabric care
- air care
- pest control
- cleaning equipment
- other household appliance products (including oven and refrigerator cleaners)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for household care retailing
- Own-labels thrive amid cost pressures, but are challenged to address consumers’ baseline expectations
- In-store and online retailers are requested to streamline purchase experiences
- AI powers practical, convenient shopping experiences
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market predictions for household care retailing
- What consumers want and why
- Household is still affected by gender inequality
- Graph 1: responsibility for buying household care products by gender, 2025
- In-store remains as preferred choice for consumers
- Online expands its reach across different demographic groups
- Graph 2: online purchase of household care products, by generation, age and gender, 2023-25
- Essential categories drive more frequent purchases
- Graph 3: products purchase frequency – NET, 2025
- Household purchases are mainly driven by price
- Graph 4: Important factors for household purchase, 2025
- Consumers adopt budget-driven purchases
- Graph 5: behaviours to cope with cost of living crisis, 2025
- Own-labels and discount retailers thrive
- Graph 6: behaviours to cope with the cost of living crisis by stores used to purchase household care products, 2025
- In-store retail: focus on more than price to stay relevant
- Online retail: targeted strategies to enhance convenience
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market drivers
- Wages continue to rise ahead of prices
- Graph 7: CPI and Average wage rates, 2023-25
- Budget-conscious behaviour prevails
- Graph 8: the financial wellbeing index, 2023-25
- Rising energy and water costs drive demand for sustainable solutions
- US trade disruption adds another layer on polycrisis
- The impact of US trade disruption in household shopping is minimal
- EU single-use plastic ban might increase shift to refills
- Balance eco- and budget-practices with convenience
- Cyberattacks expose the UK’s online vulnerabilities
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Responsibility for buying household care products
- Majority of UK consumers are mainly responsible for household care purchasing
- Graph 9: responsibility for buying household care products, by gender, 2025
- Gender bias is still a persistent issue in the household space
- From cooking to cleaning, male influencers are redefining masculinity online
- Stores used to purchase household care products
- Supermarkets keep their relevance, while online expands its reach
- Graph 10: stores used to purchase household care products, 2023-25
- Price, flexibility and convenience drive retail choices
- While in-store remains top dog, online increases its reach
- Graph 11: in-store and online shoppers of household care products, 2023-25
- Online brand purchase is more prevalent in Inner and Great London
- Graph 12: online – brand websites as stores used to purchase household care products, by household income, 2025
- Online retailers can encourage clients to experiment with new products
- Urban online shoppers demand flexibility and speed
- Millennials drive growth of discount supermarkets
- Graph 13: in-store discount supermarkets as stores used to purchase household care products, by generation, 2025
- Beyond price, discount supermarkets’ own-labels attend consumers’ needs
- Younger male and females are a key target group for brick and mortar convenience stores
- Rapid delivery services redefine convenience
- Products purchase frequency
- Household essentials are purchased on a monthly rate
- Graph 14: products purchase frequency, 2025
- Younger adults stick to more frequent purchases
- Graph 15: once a month or more household products purchase by age, 2025
- Reward programmes help younger shoppers align frequent buys with savings
- Consumers aged 55+ adopt more frequent purchase patterns
- Graph 16: less than once a month product purchase by age, 2025
- Special daily offers appeal to consumers aged 55+
- Important factors for household purchase
- Price tops as most important driver for household purchases
- Graph 17: important factors for household purchase, 2025
- Online shoppers look beyond price
- Graph 18: important factors for household purchase by stores used to purchase household care products, 2025
- Flexibility goes hand in hand with convenience in online shopping
- Sustainability and innovation spark interest among Gen Zs
- Graph 19: important factors for household purchase by generation, 2025
- Take a stance on social causes to resonate among Gen Zs
- Make the shopping experience both seamless and aligned with Gen Z’s priorities
- Behaviours to cope with cost of living crisis
- UK consumers embrace cost-saving habits amid cost of living crisis
- Graph 20: “If the price of the household care products I buy was to rise, I would…”, 2025
- Women adopt shopping strategies to save on their favourite brands
- Graph 21: ‘If the price of the household care products I buy was to rise, I would…’ by gender, 2025
- Value-pack sizes can ensure brand’s loyalty amid rising prices
- Retailers announce discounts on mass leaders
- Household care shopping behaviours
- Household care brands are challenged to prove efficacy
- Create immersive experiences through scent
- Guided experimentation of products can ensure best use
- Younger consumers are aware of the value of refills
- Graph 22: household care shopping behaviours towards refillable products by age, 2025
- Ease-of-use will be key to expand the use of refills…
- …as well as hygiene and convenience
- Refill stations must emphasise cost-savings
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Launch activity and innovation
- Amazon to start drone delivery in the UK
- Co-op launches 24-hour online grocery delivery service
- Tallow + Ash is now available at Tesco stores
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Digital brands lead social expenditure
- smol highlights eco-friendly credentials
- Who Gives a Crap engages in fun talk about toilet paper
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Generations
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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