Thirty years ago, who would have guessed we’d have so many different options for water? Yes, water—one of our most basic needs for survival. In 1970 there were roughly 16 brands of bottled water. That rose to 50 brands by 1998 and now there are over 200 different brands today.
We understand that drinking plenty of water throughout the day is crucial to refueling your body and living a life of vitality. But we also know that convenience, quality and variety of water are important to consumers. To gain further insight into the needs of our customers, we conducted an independent study to canvas the factors that contribute to buying decisions within the consumer water market. What do people consider when choosing water?
Here’s what we found.
4 Factors that Impact Decision When Choosing Water
Water Source
Although sales trends indicate that purified water is dominant, our survey found that nearly 60 percent of consumers say the water source is important when purchasing bottled water, with spring water being the preferred water source (57.4 percent). Urban respondents placed the highest level of importance (60.8 percent) on water source when choosing water.
Spring water is the most preferred water source among consumers in all three geographical regions—rural, suburban and urban—with the highest preference among the rural market (more than 60 percent).
So, Does the Brand Matter? – More Than Half of Consumers Say NO
More than half of consumers (54 percent) do not care about the brand when choosing water, while 46 percent are loyal to a brand name. Neither of the top-two name brands in sales are spring water, the preferred source. Generic, store-brands bottled water are purchased by 44 percent of consumers.
Over 40 percent of those surveyed in all three geographical areas (rural, suburban and urban) buy name-brand bottled water. Of the urban demographic, 40 percent say the brand has no effect on their purchase.
Despite high brand recognition among the top bottled water brands, most consumers are not loyal to a specific brand name when it comes to water. Consumers who purchase 10 or more individual bottles of water in a month would benefit from buying multi-packs.
Physical Composition
Nearly 40 percent of consumers say the physical composition of the water bottle is important when they are considering purchasing, as well as its impact on the environment. Consumers from all three geographical groups are purchasing multi-packs (six, 10 or 24 bottles) most often.
Convenience and Delivery
Consumers do not understand how easy and convenient home water delivery is. Of consumers who purchase water jugs or gallons of water, 86 percent have no deliveries. Nearly 80 percent of consumers are purchasing more than 10 gallons of water in typical month.
At Premium Waters, we’re dedicated to providing the very best, highest-quality products to our customers. We take pride in offering the convenience of home delivery services to our customers. We continuously strive to understand where we stand in the marketplace, how we can grow and evolve, and the unique needs and challenges of our consumers.