Contact:Ginny Long

Director of Public Affairs

Moen Incorporated

(800) 321-8809, Ext. 2019January, 2005

Jennifer Allanson

Robert Falls & Co. Public Relations

(216) 696-0229

EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE KITCHEN SINK

North Olmsted, Ohio – Certain activities become so much a part of daily life that people may not even realize the aggravations they’re working around, or simply tolerating. For example, most everyone (and especially the woman of the household) does some sort of task each day around the kitchen sink, a place with lots of sources for frustration as it turns out. Leading faucet manufacturer Moen Incorporated regularly engages in market research with consumers to more thoroughly understand opportunities for improving the human experience of water, especially in the bath and kitchen. Over the course of many years conducting consumer studies, Moen has discovered the road to product innovation can be paved by simply asking people what they want (and listening, of course) or by just observing (and really paying attention) to unarticulated needs.

Basic observational techniques employed by the Moen market research team revealed the most frequent uses of the kitchen faucet and sink as:

  • Washing/rinsing dishes
  • Preparing food
  • Washing hands
  • Washing pots and pans
  • Drinking water
  • Filling containers

Since there were no earth-shattering revelations with this information, Moen wanted to delve deeper, asking people about their experiences. Moen commissioned an Internet survey of homeowners. The sample of survey respondents was balanced in terms of demographics, geography, and type of faucet used (i.e., standard, high-arc, pullout, single handle, two handles, etc.) to reflect the composition of all U.S. households. Moen sought to better understand problem areas around the kitchen sink and how frequent or severe such problems were perceived to be by users.

In general, Moen learned that standard faucet owners (71% of all faucet users) are more likely than high-arc and pullout faucet users to have issues with their faucet. Among standard faucet users, nearly 40% felt the faucet was “not high enough to fill large items” (as compared to low single-digit percentages for high-arc and pullout owners); almost the same percentage of standard faucet users considered their faucet “unattractive” (again, compared to low single-digit figures from high-arc and pullout owners). One problem is more universal, affecting owners of all faucet types pretty much equally, who cite “difficulty cleaning the area where the sink meets the countertop.”

In fact, some problems around the kitchen sink were reported as frequently occurring and highly irritating, regardless of the faucet type used:

  • Too little water pressure
  • Getting the right temperature (hot or cold) instantly
  • Keeping the faucet and the area around the sink clean
  • Faucets that leak/drip
  • Large items take too long to fill

What’s more, Moen learned that even once people are aware of a problem with the kitchen sink or faucet, the average time taken to find a solution exceeds 18 months, for a variety of reasons:

  • Lack of money
  • Lack of time (especially for DIY’ers)
  • Inconveniences of arranging for a professional or someone else to come

in and fix the problem

  • Belief that nothing can be done (i.e., well systems, regulations that restrict

flow volume, etc.)

  • Lack of awareness that a solution exists

Amazingly, consumers often put up with problems around the kitchen sink and faucet for a long time before taking action to correct the situation. In fact, sometimes problems are tolerated for such a long time that the users simply grow accustomed to the issue and to working around it.

While it may seem that consumers know what they do and don’t like around the kitchen sink, Moen understands that oftentimes it’s what people do, rather than only what they say, that’s equally if not more revealing. Hence, Moen also conducted ethnographic studies in the kitchens of many consumers. More specifically, Moen used in-depth interviewing techniques and observation (including videotaping) in the homes of study participants to get a sense of what people really do around the kitchen sink, including how they work around problems. Research subjects were the primary users of the kitchen faucet and represented a mix of key demographics (such as age, presence of children, household income) in several geographical locations.

Setting up video cameras in the kitchens of the research participants served to confirm some of the findings from the Internet survey:

  • Unsightliness of sinks and faucets (e.g., dirt, water spots, etc.)
  • Difficulty with hose extension and retraction for side sprays
  • Unreliability of side sprays in general
  • Constant adjustment of water flow, temperature and direction

The observation from the videotaping also reveals issues that users likely aren’t even conscious of:

  • Inefficiency of motion
  • Awkward work positions
  • Difficulty with storage and accessories

Intriguingly, study participants tend at this point to blurt out a “wish list” of ideas for the kitchen sink and faucet – perhaps solutions they’ve subconsciously desired or maybe just concepts that come to mind when confronted with these everyday problems.

These in-depth lists of consumer ideas, and the complete research results, obviously represent carefully guarded, proprietary information for Moen, providing the foundation for product and marketing strategies. The whole package of market research techniques – Internet surveys, direct observation, in-depth interviewing –offers rich consumer insight and fertile ground for Moen to become the consumer’s hero by solving everyday issues in the kitchen.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Moen Incorporated is one of the world's largest producers of residential and commercial plumbing products. Moen is the #1 brand of faucets in North America. The company manufactures a complete line of single- and two-handle faucets in a wide assortment of styles and finishes. It is also a leading producer of residential and commercial sinks, a variety of shower accessories and bathroom accessories (sold under the brands Moen, Cleveland Faucet Group, Creative Specialties International, and ShowHouse by Moen).

Moen Incorporated is an operating company of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO, the consumer products company.