Small appliances for small living

KitchenAid is rolling out a smaller version of its stand mixer. Called the Artisan Mini Stand Mixer, it weighs 19 pounds and can hold up to 3.5 quarts of batter, enough to make about 60 cookies (KitchenAid’s classic Artisan weighs 26 pounds and can hold five quarts).

Why the miniature product? KitchenAid simply is following the lead of millennials, who are beginning to stock their smaller apartments and houses.

The Pew Research Center found the median age for first marriage is now 27 for women and 29 for men, up over 50 years from ages 20 and 23, respectively. Meanwhile, the federal Centers for Disease Control reported that as of 2014, women are, on average, 26.3 years old when birthing their first child, up from age 24.9 in 2000. Millennials are marrying later, starting families later, and living longer in smaller apartments and starter homes without large families. So, residences need smaller appliances.

The kitchen is one place where this is clearly evident. Millennials don’t want clutter in a kitchen, opting instead for smaller spaces to cook with essential appliances. The NPD Group reported that, in 2014, millennials composed 26 percent of the small-kitchen-appliance market, up from 21 percent in 2013. That same report listed some of the more essential millennial kitchen appliances: rice cookers (millennials want quick, authentic ethnic food), electric grills, espresso makers (millennials are typically on the go) and, yes, stand mixers.

TRENDPOST
: Over the next few years, home-appliance manufacturers will continue to roll out smaller items, tapping into millennials’ decreasing lifestyle footprint. In the kitchen, tools that aid in ethnic food preparation – such as rice cookers – will be hot commodities. And with families beginning to grow, look for an increase in blender and mixer sales, as baking is forever marketed to families.

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