There have been several campaigns against the drinking of bottled water. Some have promoted tap and public water over it, and these campaigns have been ongoing since 2006. They have made over 27 colleges to reduce the drinking of bottled water. More than six states in the United States are also decreasing intake. Yet, an average person in the United States consumes about 30 gallons of bottled water in a year.
Some thirty years ago, this industry did not exist. An average American drank less than two gallons of bottled water in a year. Yet, with several campaigns against it, the sales are increasing.
So, why is the sale increasing even with the popular thought that it is not ideal? Let’s dive in.
01.
Advertisements
A lot of money goes into the marketing of bottled water. Some of these adverts even have celebrity supports. The adverts sound good. There was not much competition from tap water. Those managing the tap water do not have the money the bottled water companies have. So, they cannot do adverts like bottled water companies.
These adverts got a lot of attention. People liked the messages they came with. The names and images helped to push the messages. Many adverts have said that tap water is not safe. They claim that bottled water is safer and healthier. They were also other messages apart from it been cleaner. One of which was that bottled water is classy. People loved the feel of such messages.
A lot of Americans think bottled water is cleaner. Even parents feel more comfortable giving their children bottled water than tap water. A lot of people because of these adverts think that the image of clean water is what bottled water is.
So, this has formed how Americans think about bottled water. It has also seen increased sales of bottled water.
02.
Poor Public Water Systems
Second, public water fountains are not easy to see. The ones that exist have poor management. In smaller towns in the U.S., the public water had issues. Funds and facilities are usually not enough. Thus, the water most times were not safe because they were not up to standard.
The public water systems in Detroit schools stopped because of dirt. Those in West Virginia have been a boil-water system because of the dire state of the public water. Almost 340,000 homes in the U.S. do not have access to water as of 2018. This unsatisfactory state of public water has helped to increase the sales of bottled water.
03.
Fear of Tap Water
The thought of tap water scares many people. People have told stories about contaminations in the water. Some have heard about some chemicals in the water that the treatment system does not remove. There have also been reports about poor management of this water system.
59% of Black Americans feel that bottled water is safer. 53% of Hispanic Americans also feel it is safer than tap water. Bottled water is more preferred to tap water.
04.
Taste
Some people do not like how tap water tastes. People feel that bottled water has excellent taste. So, people feel more comfortable with the taste of bottled water.
05.
The Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has also had its part to play. The sales of bottled water increased from February to March in the United States. It increased by 52.5%. Suggestions that sales will improve due to weather. Analysts have said the weather will become hotter. This will favor the bottled water industry.
05.
Future Projections of the Bottled Water Industry
Bottled water is now becoming a popular choice among Americans. Consumption has grown over the years. From 2000 to 2015, it has risen by 120%. This rise has caused a fall in the sales of carbonated drinks. There have been concerns over the health issues from drinking carbonated beverages. In 2016 alone, people drank more bottled water than carbonated drinks. It viewed as an alternative for juice, tap water and even beer.
Consumers are now going for healthy choices over sugary drinks. Sales of carbonated drinks dropped by 0.8% from 12.17 billion in volume. It fell to 12.07 billion in 2019. Fruit beverage volume has also decreased. It dropped from 2.94 billion to 2.86 billion. This is at 2.5% in 2019. Some factors that affect the market are:
- Changing lifestyles.
- Easy handling of bottles.
- Portability of bottles.
- Preferences for flavoured water.
Bottled water retail sales grew in 2019 to a sum of $34.6 billion. The growth in the bottled water industry has been due to people changing preferences. They are switching from less healthy drinks to bottled water. 91% of Americans now want bottled water in places where they don’t sell other drinks.
The global bottled water market is growing to a sum of $505.19 billion by 2028. It is going to grow at a rate of 11.1% from now till 2028. The awareness of the health effects of taking sugary drinks will help the growth. Some of these health concerns include:
- Weight gain.
- Obesity.
- Diabetes.
- Heart disease.
Awareness of the benefits of staying hydrated has increased. This will also help growth. 93% of Americans want bottled water in places where they sell other drinks. Americans prefer to use bottled water to quench their thirst than other beverages. Younger people prefer packaged water to ordinary water.
Bottled water companies are bringing products that have better health benefits and flavors. It is leading to more product launches in this industry.
The significant opportunities in this industry are around:
- Innovation.
- Little environmental concerns.
- Little health issues.
- Penetrating developing markets.
Innovation has seen the rise of flavored water demand. 48% of bottled water drinkers are even now going for flavored water. They are using this to replace sugary drinks. More than 43% of bottled water consumers want water enhanced with vitamins. This product will see a rise in the coming years.
Some other factors that will help this industry grow in the coming years are:
· Thirst for crunching products.
- Health concerns.
- Hygiene issues.
- Many distribution channels.
- Social approval of bottled water.
This industry generally will see more growth in the years to come. See here for more projections about this industry.
Please click below to watch the production process of bottled water production.
