By Shivaun Hales

The Australian floorcare segment demonstrated modest growth this year as it continued to evolve with new advances in technology and innovation. Consumers are showing an increased interest in the more advanced products, encouraged by a drop in the average price for most categories.

According to GfK, this rise in consumer interest translated to a 6.7% increase in total floorcare sales to 1,427,677 units for the year ended June 2011, an encouraging result in light of the current downturn of the Australian retail industry.

Overall 
value for the floorcare category was stagnant, with a flat result of $298 million for the period. The average price declined 6.3% to $209, a significant drop reflecting a trend of falling prices across the electrical appliance industry.

Robotic vacuums surge ahead in value, sales
Despite this fall in average prices, the robotic segment is powering ahead of the rest, registering strong growth in units and value.

Robotic vacuums recorded the strongest growth in unit sales for the year ending June 2011, the GfK data indicates a dramatic 255.9% increase in unit sales, completely outperforming all other categories.

Market share for this category remains modest, with 17,523 units of robotic vacuums sold for the period, a low number compared to the dominant canister segment, which registered a 938,065 turnover.

The value of robotic vacuums surged 212.6% in the period, a result only slightly dampened by a 12.1% average price fall. This remains the most expensive floorcare category, with an average price of $475, suggesting a small niche of consumers are still willing to invest in floorcare appliances despite the current trend towards saving over spending.

Vacuum cleaner prices tumble

Five out of the seven floorcare segments studied by GfK recorded average price drops, reflecting the trend towards retail discounting. Of those five, handhelds suffered the smallest, with an already low average price of $98.

Upright models registered a decline across the board, units fell by 10% to 68,185 and value dropped 13.4% to $29.3 million. Despite the average price of upright models declining 3.8% to $430, following robotic vacuums, the category remains the second most expensive.

In the mid price range, handstick models demonstrated promising growth for the year to June 2011. Unit sales increased 57.8% to 143,557, with value climbing 71.5% to $24 million, and the average price increased 8.7% to $167.

Interestingly, the third most expensive floorcare appliance, Wet & Dry models, recorded the largest price drop, down 22.2% to $225 in the year leading to June 2011.

The price drop encouraged a surge in sales for Wet & Dry models, registering a 50.4% rise in units to 30,348, while value climbed 17% to $6.8 million.

Registering the greatest fall in units sold was the electric sweeper segment, which sold 20.1% fewer units this year, combined with a 13% fall in value. This segment remains at the bottom of the list for units sold, selling just 5,552 units in the 12 months to June 2011, suggesting consumers are more inclined to purchase an appliance that offers additional innovation. As a result, the average price for electric sweepers increased by 9% to $84.

Canisters hold onto top spot in 2011
Canisters remain at the top of the floorcare list this year, with a massive 938,065 units sold, an increase of 4.4%. However value for this category fell 4.6% to $207.5 million, and average price slipped 8.7% to $221.

The handheld segment saw a drop in the number of units sold for the 12 months to June 2011, dipping 6.7% to 224,448. Value took a significant tumble, down 8.8%, while the average price declined 2.2% to $98.