Survey submitted by Tornado Industries.

A recent e-Poll asked subscribers of Tornado’s monthly newsletter various questions on what affects their buying decisions when selecting a new vacuum cleaner.  

The issues included what type of vacuum cleaner they would select if in the market today—canister, upright, or backpack—there price range, as well as how they go about finding out more information on vacuum cleaners.

The Tornado e-Poll is distributed to approximately 5,500 facility service providers (FSPs) and end users.  The survey was conducted in June 2007.  

One surprise on the survey was the number of respondents indicating they would consider selecting a backpack vacuum cleaner.  Fifty-six percent said they would be interested in a backpack, 35 percent an upright, and only nine percent indicated an interest in a canister vacuum cleaner.

When asked, which of the following—durability, price, weight, brand name, ease of use, or advanced air filtration system—on the machine would most influence buying decisions, there was a tie with 30 percent saying the machine’s long-term durability proved most important, while another 30 percent reported it was price. This was followed by ease of use and filtration system.

Among other findings:
•    Approximately 60 percent of the respondents indicated they would select a vacuum cleaner costing between $200 and $400.
•    Twenty-two percent said they would turn to their jansan distributor for advice when selecting a vacuum cleaner.
•    The weight of the machine was a selection consideration of more than 65 percent of the respondents.

Carpets or Floors
“We also wanted to know if these cleaning professionals cleaned more carpeted than hard-surface floors and if they see trends in either direction,” says Jolynn Kennedy, marketing manager for Tornado.  “It appears carpeted floors are most common (43 percent) with about 35 percent saying it is pretty evenly divided between carpets and hard surface.”

By about 43 percent, the FSPs believed carpeted floors will continue to be the floor covering choice in the future, whereas 35 percent predicted hard surface. 

“What we see here is that FSPs are making very practical buying decisions when it comes to vacuum cleaners,” says Kennedy. “They want moderately priced machines that will last and hold up for a long time.  ‘Bells and whistles’ are out, durability and sensibility are in.”