The wide array of on-pack claims made by bottled water brands is confusing for consumers, the researchers behind a new study have claimed.
The survey, exploring packaging claims in the premium and bottled water market, shows that more modern claims such as ‘artesian sourced’ and ‘glacial water’ perform well with US consumers but generally rank less highly in the UK. This is borne out in the greater availability of those types of products in the US – including Voss, Fiji Water, Hawaii Water and Clear Alaskan.
Surprisingly, the phrase ‘purified tap water’ resonated better with consumers than many of the more sophisticated claims offered by premium water brands, including ‘vapour distilled’, ‘iceberg water’ and ‘alkaline infused’. PH-balanced, used by PepsiCo’s new Life Wtr, charted similarly well.
But the study also uncovered the claims that consumers find the most confusing, headed by the phrase ‘vapour distilled’ – a key claim of Coca-Cola’s SmartWater brand – which was found to be confusing by 35% of Americans and almost 30% of Brits.
‘Mineral water’ and ‘spring water’ continued to drive the most purchase intent among shoppers, as clarity on pack remains important.
The study was carried out by market research provider ZappiStore.
A spokesperson for ZappiStore said: “This survey indicates that the amount of time in market and familiarity have a significant impact on purchase intent in both [the US and UK]. In the UK, claims from established and traditional bottled water providers from the UK and Europe such as ‘mineral water’, ‘spring water’, ‘low sodium content’ and ‘naturally filtered’ all score higher than claims from newer entries into the water market. Claims such as ‘artesian’ or ‘vapour distilled’ and ‘enriched with fulvic acid’ do not garner the same purchase intent in consumers.
“However, out of the 20 claims ZappiStore assessed, the term ‘volcanic water’, which is used on the packaging for the UK and European mainstay Volvic, ranks fourth for purchase intent in the UK, but drops to 17th in the US, where the brand is less established.
“Claims from Voss, Fiji Water, Hawaii Water, and SmartWater – such as ‘artesian sourced’, ‘aquifer water’, and ‘added electrolytes’ – score higher for purchase intent in the US, where these premium water suppliers have been established for longer.”
ZappiStore said that consumers want bottled water labels that are easy to understand and show that a product is refreshing, good for them, and environmentally friendly.
Its research comes a month after sales of bottled water overtook fizzy drinks in the US for the first time, making it the most widely consumed beverage in the country. Individual consumption of bottled water increased to 39.3 gallons a year while soft drinks fell to 38.5 gallons per year, according to the figures from the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC).
BMC chairman and CEO Michael C Bellas said: “With the exception of two relatively small declines in 2008 and 2009 – when most beverage categories contracted – bottled water volume grew every year from 1977 to 2016. This period included 17 double-digit annual volume growth spurts. Since resuming growth in 2010, bottled water volume has consistently enlarged at solid single-digit percentage rates.”
It is forecast that the premium water market will grow to $70 billion this year.
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