In this article, we analyze a snapshot of time within the  small appliance market. Through the analysis of small appliance market share and consumer insights data from 2022, we determine the top brands and retailers in the small appliance industry, as well as other significant consumer insights. 

Read on to find out what small home appliance brands consumers are buying most, where they are buying them, and what drives purchase decisions. For even more insights, download our free small appliances market rankings infographic.

All insights were pulled from the Durable IQ market insights platform. For the purpose of this article, we looked at a rolling four quarters period ending December 2022 within the US Small Appliances category. Contact us for further breakdowns of the data, or to understand the full scope of insights available through TraQline as well as the most recent major appliances market data. 

Who are the small home appliance market share leaders?

Small Appliance Market Share by Retailer: Walmart vs. Amazon 

At the end of Q4 2022, the leading retailers in the small appliance market were Walmart and Amazon — both by units sold and dollar share. Let’s dive into the insights and trends. 

In units sold, Walmart continued to hold their long-running position (for 10+ years) as the top small appliance retailer, winning nearly 32% market share. This landed Walmart 9 percentage points ahead of Amazon, the next closest outlet. 

Notably, while Walmart is mostly flat compared to 2021, Amazon continued a multi-year trend of significant growth year-over-year, winning nearly 25% of the market — a 1-percentage point increase from 2021.   

This same year-over-year growth trend for Amazon is also seen when looking at small appliance dollar share winners.  

While both Walmart and Amazon saw significant dollar share growth year-over-year, Amazon leads at nearly 25% market share (with Walmart close behind at 22% dollar share). In fact, Amazon has seen significantly higher increases each year over the past decade — outselling Walmart for the first time in 2021 and holding this leading position, with continued growth, ever since.  

Best small appliance brands with the greatest market share 

The best small appliance brands, according to market share data, are Bissell (at 7% share by units sold), SharkNinja, and Dyson. Bissel continues a 6-year run as the leading brand, despite a 1-point decrease year-over-year. SharkNinja and Dyson, on the other hand, both saw significant increases in 2022.

In dollar share, the top brands remain the same, however Dyson leads at 17.4% share – a 2-point increase year-over-year. SharkNinja holds the second highest market share for consumer dollars, and Bissel the third.

Unsurprisingly, the top sold product in 2022 for each of the top 3 small appliance brands was vacuum cleaners. 

How much are consumers typically spending on small home appliances? 

The average price paid within the small appliance industry is $102 – which is about the same as it was at year-end 2021. This includes a high of $221 average price paid at Best Buy, and a low average price paid of $72 at Walmart.

How are online sales trending for the small appliance market? 

In 2022, nearly 40% of all small appliances were purchased online, which is only slightly up from year-end 2021.

What consumer demographic buys the most small appliances? 

Using our census-balanced data, Durable IQ paints a picture of the typical small appliance consumer. The most common demographics include:  

• 68% of all small appliance purchases involve a woman in the decision process, with 53% of small appliance purchases made by women alone 
• 62% of small appliance purchasers own their home 
• 50% of small appliance consumers have lived at their current address for 5+ years 

What are the top drivers for small appliance purchases?  

Overall, the top two reasons consumers choose to purchase a new small appliance are 1) to replace a broken one or 2) as a first-time purchase.  

When choosing a particular retailer to purchase from, the most important reasons are consistently, year-over-year, “competitive price” and “good selection of products.”  

Our leading retailers, Amazon and Walmart, both over-index for these attributes — likely a major factor in the higher unit shares they see year after year over other retailers. 

Get total market insight for small appliances 

Download our infographic below to broaden your understanding of the small appliance market with even more actionable insights into the industry. To get access to the most recent market data available or discover the full scope of our small appliance intelligence, contact us using the form below.