American homecare brand Bissell re-enters India after six years

Bissell, a Michigan US-based homecare solutions provider, has re-entered India with its range of vacuum cleaners after six years, expecting the country to be a “very important market in the future”. Though India is a relatively small market for floor care globally, looking at its demography and growing economy, it is an investment for the future, Bissell President, Global Markets, Max Bissell, told PTI.

“Our belief is that India will be a very important market in the future. If we just look at the population and the opportunity ahead of us, this is an investment for the future,” he said. Bissell has entered into a partnership with Cavitak Global Commerce, for distribution in India and will focus on introducing its portable wet and dry vacuum cleaning systems such as ‘SpotClean Hydrosteam’ and ‘SpotClean Proheat’, which are already available on the e-commerce platform Amazon.

“This is an investment for the next generation where we can enter the market knowing that it’s not going to be enormous, but it will really plant seeds that will grow into trees for the future,” Bissell added. Initially, the company will focus on sales through online channel partners such as Amazon and Flipkart and later consider expanding offline after volume picks up.

Bissell will focus on floor care but in later stages may look to adjacent segments, he said. “So the idea would be to enter the market through e-commerce and then break into offline after that,” he said. On volume expectations, Bissell said his expectation is this will be a slower ramp-in it from a from a brand perspective.

“We will continue to incubate in for a period of time knowing that as the market grows, we will be there to help capture the growth,” he added. Earlier, Bissell had a pilot project with Eureka Forbes in 2018. However, after that, it had pulled back from India. “We had partnered with Eureka Forbes, which had a very unique model of selling their product door-to-door. We thought the products we were bringing to the market that were very innovative required a little bit more storytelling,” he said, adding, “We got some really good feedback. We know there’s an opportunity for us and so we are re-entering the market.”

Asked about its late entry into the Indian market, Bissell said, “It is. It might seem like it is late, but I think for us it’s thoughtful.” Bissell also said the company will focus on quality and not be a part of a price war. “We do not want to be the cheapest in the market, but we want to be a brand that offers really good value for the consumer,” Bissell said, adding, “our goal is to keep pricing as consistent on a global basis as possible”.

With a strong presence in the US, Europe, China, Australia, and parts of Africa, the company is now expanding its footprint in Asia with India being a focus market. Initially, the company will focus on introducing its portable wet & dry vacuum cleaning systems and will also introduce cordless stick vacuums for everyday use and deep maintenance cleaning in the coming months. According to Statista, the India Vacuum Cleaners’ Market is projected to reach USD 193.30 million (Rs 1,625 crore) in 2024 and is anticipated to experience an annual growth rate of 9.31 per cent in the next five years.

Players such as Eureka Forbes, Dyson, Philps, Bosch, LG, Samsung, and Panasonic operate in the segment that is witnessing an uptick in demand with rapid urbanisation in the country. Founded in 1876 by Melville Bissell, the company is a leading manufacturer of floor care products in North America.