June 22, 2009

A New Spin on Laundry


Purex Complete 3-in-1 New Product Launch

A recently launched product may change your life: or at least, your laundry. Purex recently introduced Purex Complete 3-in-1 to the laundry detergent market. Based on the concept of “laundry simplified,” Complete 3-in-1 is the ultimate all in one laundry solution. The product offers a unique approach by combining detergent, fabric softener, and antistatic into one single sheet. The laundry sheet is used first in the washing machine as a detergent. It then travels to the dryer, acting as a fabric softener and antistatic agent activated by heat. Purex claims that their new sheet is not only cost effective, eliminating the need for multiple laundry products, but environmentally friendly as well. The product uses less water that is added to liquid detergents and less packaging to keep our landfills free from empty bottles.

The Complete 3-in-1 name, though a bit lengthy, is descriptive in nature most likely to convey the product benefits transparently to a consumer that may not have heard of the product before cruising down Aisle 7. The only down side of the name may come with future product extensions like “unscented” or “hypoallergenic”. The packaging could potentially become a bit crowded with descriptors.

Currently, Procter & Gamble detergent brands (Tide and Cheer) lead the market with a commanding 57.1% of the liquid detergent market and 75% of the powder detergent market (statistics according to IRI). But with such an innovative product, Purex stands to gain a bit of that share by taking a stand as a first mover. There are likely to be several ‘me too’ products popping up from other brands soon.

Contributed by Laine Beyerl

3 Comments

  1. Paula Weigel   June 22, 2009 4:19 pm / Reply

    I think Purex missed a huge opportunity in branding this offering. Think about Swiffer and how that revolutionized the way we clean our homes, and how we TALK about cleaning. Category branding can be huge for companies, and since this is a completely new product form, Purex should have explored more of ownable ‘brand’ for this, rather than utilizing a descriptive name.

  2. Paula Weigel   June 23, 2009 9:58 am / Reply

    And not to belabor the point, but I saw a commercial this morning for Lysol’s 4-in-1 line of cleaners. So I’ll have a 3-in-1 and a 4-in-1 on my shelves. hmmm …

  3. Kristin Everidge   June 23, 2009 11:27 am / Reply

    Kudos to Purex for reducing the amount of plastic we send to the recycling center. I am always a fan of “reduce” and “reuse” before “recycle.”

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