September 19th, 2022, Rishad Dsouza
A multitude of factors go into consumers purchase decisions when it comes to large electrical appliances with price, unsurprisingly, at the top.
Over three-quarters of Brits (78%) and a similar share of American consumers (79%) say the price of an electrical appliance is an important factor when they are thinking of buying a large home appliance (think fridges, washing machines, air-conditioners etc.).
In both markets, size of the appliance, particularly the ability to fit it into a specific space, is the second most important factor. Half of all Americans (51%) and a slightly higher share of Brits (56%) choose that as a factor.
Great Britain
Half of all Brits also keep an eye on the energy rating (48%), which is likely an ever-higher proportion of late, given soaring energy prices. For over a third of Brits, the brand name is a point of consideration (36%), as is the colour, style, or design of the appliance (35%).
Three in ten Brits take into account the reputation of the retailer (30%) and the device’s internal capacity (29%). A fifth can also be swayed by store service (22%) and by extended warranty (21%).
British women are likelier to over-index on the majority of these variables. Notably, they are 25% likelier than men to think about store service when buying a large electrical appliance and 19% likelier to consider style and design.
US
Brand name is chosen as a factor by half of all Americans (49%), making it a markedly more important factor among them than among Brits overall.
More than two-fifths of Americans are swayed by consumer reviews (a variable not currently tracked in Britain) (43%), and energy ratings can also influence the purchase decision of a similar proportion of consumers there (40%). Roughly a third of Americans also consider style and design (36%) and internal capacity (33%).
Three in ten Americans can be influenced by extended warranty (28%) and a quarter of them also factor in the reputation of the retailer (25%).
Americans are almost twice as likely to consider the availability of extended credit or easy finance terms than consumers in Britain (10% vs 5%).
Looking at these variables by age, we somewhat expectedly find that lower income (81%) and middle income (79%) consumers are markedly likelier to consider price as an important factor than higher income Americans (69%). Middle-income Americans over-index in factors like brand, energy rating and size. Higher-income consumers place a greater emphasis on style and consumer reviews than the other groups. Lower-income consumers are more likely to consider the availability of extended credit or easy financing terms (12%).
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Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.