WOULD YOU LIKE SANITIZER WITH THAT?

According to the data, we’re starting to settle into some clean new habits. While overall CPG sales remain higher today than pre-COVID (14% higher for the month of August), there are a couple of categories that stand out with increases much higher than average.

Spending on cleaning supplies — including disinfectants, bleach, sanitizer and hand soap — is coming in at 34% higher than pre-COVID levels, showing that Americans are serious about creating and maintaining clean and safe environments.

Hand sanitizer is the category that’s seen the highest increases across the industry, up 838% during the measured period. Not only does this constant companion give us a way to kill germs on the go, but it also offers a sense of security. In the words of the wise Olaf the snowman… it’s called “controlling what you can when things feel out of control.”

As we begin to come into contact with more people, we don’t expect these numbers to decrease. And since many cleaning products are still out-of-stock at 38% of stores across the country for at least part of the day, we expect that sales might increase as manufacturers and retailers catch up with demand and stocking needs.

Because of this limited availability, there is still a whole lot of brand switching going on in these categories. Advertisers have the opportunity to win new buyers for the long term, if they can get the right messages in front of the forced-triers.

Check out how sales for some popular cleaning categories have increased since February, and maybe it will make you feel just a little better about that 5-second rule. (Or maybe not.)