Surface Care in the United Arab Emirates

2021 DEVELOPMENTS

New variants of COVID-19 maintain solid growth for surface care

As across the globe, the pandemic continued in the United Arab Emirates in 2021 due to the emergence of different variants of the virus. This therefore maintained consumers’ interest in health and hygiene, and they continued to prioritise and were willing to invest in effective surface care products.

Multipurpose products remain popular, although a shift to task-specific products seen

There is a gradual shift in demand towards specialised cleaning products. The popularity of multipurpose cleaners continued in 2021, with this remaining the largest category in surface care in value terms in 2021, and continued to see solid growth.

Products claim the ability to kill the COVID-19 virus

One very noticeable trend that was seen in many home care products, but especially in surface care in 2021, was brands carrying labels or stickers claiming to fight or kill the virus that can cause COVID-19. This proved to be vital to attract consumers, supported by the demand for efficient cleaning, hygiene and disinfection during the pandemic.

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

New product development set to continue to maintain consumer loyalty

An intense emphasis on technological and scientific innovation and improvement is anticipated to drive companies to continue improving their products and will lead to new product development. This will help companies attract consumers and ensure they are loyal to their brands, which is vital for success.

Discounts and promotions likely to be used to maintain consumers’ interest

Surface care is expected to continue to see solid retail volume and current value growth in the forecast period. Due to increasing consumer demand and rising competition amongst surface care products, companies are expected to try and stand out by intensifying sales through discounts and promotions on dual packs/multipacks, along with refining the prevailing products in the context of COVID-19 to give them more of an advantage over traditional surface cleaning agents such as bleach and vinegar.

Local players set to increase their presence

The presence of local brands is expected to increase in surface care in the coming years, especially in home disinfectants, which they have deeply penetrated in the market through strong product marketing, wide shelf display and competitive pricing. The growth of these players will also be maintained by the retail volume and current value growth expected for this category in the forecast period.