The home appliance industry is composed of two main sectors: major domestic appliances and small domestic appliances. Large machines used at home, such as freezers, stoves, washing machines, are part of the major domestic appliance category. Unit shipments of major home appliances in the U.S. are forecast to reach nearly 20 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 alone, rounding out year of strong growth in the domestic market. The kitchen appliances segment is one of the main categories in major home appliance sector. Unit shipments of electric ranges and surface cooking appliances are expected to reach record highs in 2019, while their gas operated counterparts experience similar shipment increases. Refrigerators and freezers, another important segment within this market, are expected to experience a seventh consecutive year of shipment growth with a total of over 12 million shipments. Other important segments of this industry include washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers. Small domestic appliances, the second category of this industry, include products such as food processors, toasters and coffee makers.
A growing segment within the household appliance industry is the smart appliance market. The smart appliance market in the U.S. brought in an estimated 7.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, a significant increase from the 2011 figure when this market was valued at just 266 million U.S. dollars. Well over 20 million smart home devices have been shipped in the United States in each of the past three years, and the popularity of these types of devices only seems to be growing.
