Forbes Article - "How Shark ate Dyson's lunch in America's vacuum market"

[turbo500]

I thought this made for some interesting reading. Not sure how accurate it is - what do our US friends think? Are Shark really dominating the market lately?

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">How Shark Ate Dyson's Lunch In America's Vacuum Cleaners Market</span>


 


Britain’s Dyson knows a thing or two about innovation and shaking up tired consumer products. But over the past year it has lost its leadership of the US vacuum cleaners market, the largest in the world.


Euro-Pro, a 100-year old company that had a mere 1 per cent share of vacuum cleaner sales in 2008, now controls more than 20 per cent of the US market.


Over the past seven years, its Shark vacuum cleaners and Ninja blenders and food processors, all manufactured in China, have increased sales at a compound annual growth rate of 25 per cent, enabling the firm to triple its workforce from 250 to 800 employees.


This growth has been aided by an aggressive push on television shopping channels, with $130m spent on TV advertising last year.


But the company has doubled revenues from $800 million to more than $1.6 billion and usurped Dyson as leader of the US vacuum cleaner market since bringing in consultants Gap International two years ago.


Chief executive Mark Rosenzweig, the third generation of his family to lead the company, kick-started the growth by moving the privately-owned company’s headquarters from Montreal, Canada to Newton, Massachusetts back in 2003.


Five years later, the firm radically overhauled its product portfolio, dumping what Rosenzweig referred to as “opening price products” and replacing them with a focus on innovation. Design was moved in-house from external contractors, sharp new brands were created and work began on creating a loyal consumer base.


Sales responded accordingly but Rosenzweig and Euro-Pro president Mark Barrocas wanted the firm to commit to near and long-term “breakthrough goals” in revenue, profit, and customer satisfaction that they believed would require a significant shift in its culture and talent development.



http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewc...ons-lunch-in-americas-vacuum-cleaners-market/

 

[parwaz786]

I was on a gaming site which is played by mainly American people and was bored so asked randomly what vacuum people have there. Loads of them said shark. Only a handful of people said Dyson

 

[dysonman1]

The problem with Shark is the repair parts availability. There is none. For warranty, the consumer must box the cleaner up, and the consumer PAYS to ship it to New York, along with a check for return shipping. Within six to eight weeks, a repaired machine (most likely not the one you returned, but the same model) arrives.

You are, in fact, buying an orphan.

In December alone, four people came in looking for Shark parts. For machines les than two years old. Of course, there are no parts. I sold all four a new American Made vacuum with repair parts availability, and a REAL warranty, and threw their Sharks in the crusher. People might buy ONE, but they'll never buy another one.

 

[dys0nb0y]

that's not really true anymore as shark as upgraded their guarantee they do in house repairs and they pay for it to get picked up at returns to you.and what i heard most people get a brand new machine return to them.a
and the new best thing shark is doing is lifetime guarantee meaning as long as you have the machine guaranteed for life.

 

[electromatik]

Interesting article for sure...

The only thing is, I never thought Dyson possessed #1 market share in the US. I thought TTI has held the lead all through Dyson's rise. Dyson, for a time, had #1 market share in UPRIGHTS but that has eroded as competition heated up. I had no idea that Shark had grown that much. I know I've been seeing tons of commercials lately and the products have definitely improved in quality it seems to me. I just bought a Shark handvac and I'm quite pleased except for short battery life. 20% market share is astonishing considering how small they were. If that is true, they have already surpassed Eureka and are closing in on Bissell. Wouldn't it be something if they overtook TTI as well?

 

[eurekaprince]

One thing I give Shark credit for: they are the only vac-maker to offer budget cleaners that have a bare floor tool that combines a Swiffer cloth pad with a suction nozzle. That is really the best way to dust and clean bare floors without scratching them.

 

[ronni]

I am not an owner of a Dyson or Shark and my knowledge of both is limited; however, I have had the occasion to use current models of both at a relative's house where three shedding dogs make frequent vacuuming a necessity. The Dyson (unknown model) did only a fair job of removing the dog hair from rugs while the Shark's performance in that area was outstanding. And while both dust/debris cups and power nozzles were easy to empty/clean out I liked how the Shark could easily be dismantled for vacuuming stairs and provided a mini-nozzle neither of which that particular Dyson model had. Correspondingly, the Dyson's hose suction (usable when the handle is locked in its upright position) was rather weak and the dusting brush was flimsy.

If parts and repair shipping has, indeed, been made more customer-friendly I would strongly consider purchasing a Shark due to its effective performance, ease of use, and versatility.

 

[mark40511]

I should have done this before I bought

a Shark - but I called them asking them these questions:

Is it true that if something goes wrong with my machine that I have to ship it to you on my dime and then pay for you to ship it back? The answer was YES

But, get this - If anything OFF the vacuum itself breaks, they send it to you free. For example - if the dust bin cracks or any of the attachments, they send you a new one free...But if it's anything on the body of the main vacuum itself, including the brush roll or even something as minor as the clip that holds the dust bin on the vacuum, you have to send it back....The nice lady said that what *MOST* people do is go for their second option, where Shark sends them a brand new unit for a heavily discounted price, instead of having to ship your vacuum to them to wait for repairs. I asked her how much the discount was....She said my navigator pro was 259 and the discount would be 95 dollars with free shipping....

What kind of warranty is that???????????

 

[tolivac]

Greenville Sew&Vac place near me.A woman brings in a Shark Lift Off Pro vacuum for service TWICE within a month.Machine's hose and wands were clogged.Hardly any stuff in its bin.Filters filled with fine dust.The lady owned two dogs-after cleaning out the Shark-I commented-"correction--she now has THREE dogs-we can make another dog from the doghair clogging the wands and hose."Machine bought in AGAIN month later-same problem.Machine was unclogged and put in the trade in pile.The woman traded in the Shark to a Simplicity bagged vacuum.She likes it better.No more clogging-the dirt path on the Shark is too poorly designed.Too many elbows in the wand section to cause clogging.

 

[sebo_fan]

It is an interesting article. But, here in Europe, their Ninja products are pretty poor. There is no way they can outstock or even sit their products to the likes of Kenwood, Magimix and other brands. Only way that Ninja would be able to offer something different is pricing but then if its cheap Chinese junk, it 'aint going to outlast the likes of Waring or the Vita Mix type commercial blenders, or Kitchenaid etc.

 

[mark40511]

Honestly -

I don't get all the RAVE reviews on it. I still can't believe I bought one because I generally hate dry bagless vac's.....But the Shark does have really good suction and if you keep that foam filter and filter below it clean, it maintains good suction/airflow. I haven't been washing them as instructed, but I've been using my rainbow to clean the dust bin and vacuum off the filters of the shark...

It is a nice handy little vacuum but the only thing for me that it's good for is vacuuming carpets and the occasional pop off the wand and suck something up ..but the attachments (especially the dusting brush) are a total joke. I don't hate the vacuum at all. In fact, now that I'm used to it it's perfect for quick run through's....but there is no way in hell I would want this as my only vacuum.

I've never used a Dyson - yet

 

[williamr1248]

Forbes Article

I have the heard same problem when you need parts for a big box store Electrolux (not Aerus) or new Hoover bought in the last few years. They don't stock the parts and who is going to wait or be without their vacuum for weeks waiting for a new circuit board or plastic pedal?
The quality vacuuum stores around our area then quite easily sell the customer a new Ricarr, Simplicity or Miele. When you see the machines side by side, it becomes an easy sale after buying and replacing the throw-a-way vacs for several years.

 

[eurekaprince]

I know many of you dismiss the information provided by Consumer Reports, but it is interesting to add their brand reliability findings to this discussion. When surveying vac purchasers about problematic purchases, Shark seemed to fare better than many brands. Here is their summary:

"Brand Reliability

Kirby, Shark, and Bissell are among the more reliable brands of upright vacuums, while Simplicity, Miele. Riccar, Electrolux, and Oreck are among the more repair-prone. Miele, Kenmore, and Dyson are among the more reliable brands of canister vacuums, while Electrolux and Hoover are among the more repair-prone. That's what we found when we asked nearly 77,000 readers who bought a vacuum between 2010 and 2014 about their experiences. The graph shows the percentage of models for each brand that were repaired or had a serious problem. Differences of fewer than 3 points aren't meaningful, and we've adjusted the data to eliminate differences linked to age and use of the vacuum. The repair rate for our only robot brand, Roomba (not shown in the graph), is 14% - comparable to the more repair-prone brands of uprights and canisters. Models within a brand can vary, and design or manufacture changes might affect future reliability. Still, choosing a brand with a good repair history can improve your odds of getting a reliable model."

 

[ralph123]

CR's reliability ratings are too flawed to be meaningful

I subscribe to Consumer Reports and I get the annual surveys. The surveys do not do a good job of capturing useful information. The data is based on the possibly faulty memories/misinterpretations of subscribers, and subscribers can only report on one vacuum.

Consumer Reports provides no information on the types of failures that were reported. Consider Hoover uprights - we have no idea if the problems were with bagged or bagless vacuums. We don't even know if the problems are with current models. Consumer Reports does not distinguish between manufacturing defects and user errors.

I think the poor reliablity data collection is one reason we see such a large discordance between CR's ratings of vacuums and user ratings of the same vacuums.

Although CR's tests results may be reproducible, they sometimes make unorthodox choices their test designs, (e.g. they may choose an odd type of dirt or use a strange standard for filtration) rendering their results less applicable to real life conditions.

 

[dys0nb0y]

<h2 class="sharkpurple" style="font-size: 36px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: proxima-nova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 30px; color: #502d6e; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 40px 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">shark new VIP Lifetime Service Guarantee</h2>

http://www.sharkclean.com/lifetimeWarranty/

 

[tig21er]

Not everybody

will get that limited lifetime warranty as per *.Some people will get 5 year warranty, some will only have one year. It depends on where you buy it. Buy on line direct and you get the Limited Lifetime VIP warranty. Buy it on the phone during an ad on TV and it is a VIP 5 year warranty.
This sounds almost like a Garry Vac warranty.

 

[mark40511]

Yea -

I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond so I got the crappy warranty...but whatever - so far so good.

 

[eurekaprince]

I think CR reliability surveys cover enough of a sample to give a good overall picture of reliability. Closely ranked brands can be considered about equal, but if you have a choice between vacs made by companies at the extreme ends of the spectrum, for instance a Kirby upright versus a Riccar upright, you have a better chance of not needing a repair if you go with the Kirby. It's all a matter of probability and statistics: CR explains that models within a brand may differ in durability, but a brand that consistently gets listed as having problems is one to avoid if you want to play it safe. For example, it seems that Swedish Electrolux canisters have a reputation of being more repair-prone than Miele canisters. If you are having trouble deciding between an Electrolux canister and a Miele canister, statistically, the Miele will have a smaller chance of being problematic. It's just basic science.

 

[tolivac]

Does CU factor in the repairs to Kirbys--these are the most common--Brushroll belt replacement,and fan replacements.Yes,the brush belt can be replaced by the user-but most have the vac place do it.Then the fan getting blown from hitting a nail,screw,coin,or pebble--or even a small toy like a Barbie shoe or GI Joe part.Wonder if customers mention these repairs when they fill out the CU questionarre.Other direct air machines come in for fan replacements,too-Sanitaires common here.