The research measures Asia Pacific region consumer brand awareness, brand perceptions, current usage, satisfaction levels (and reasons for satisfaction/dissatisfaction) with current bottled water brands, reasons for purchasing bottled water and features deemed important in bottled water products. The research surveyed bottled water and water filter consumers within Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
According to the research, the bottled water market is localised within countries and many bottled water manufacturers/brands do not distribute their products within all surveyed APAC countries. With multiple regional brands operating across the APAC, perceptions of bottled water brands vary within APAC countries, and brand preference isn’t aligned.
The study revealed that 50% of APAC respondents consume bottled water daily, while 25% consume bottled water twice weekly. Although the consumption rate is mostly aligned within APAC, the country analysis shows that more consumers in Indonesia and Thailand consume bottled water regularly, compared to other APAC consumers.
The survey also showed that types of bottled water consumed are not aligned throughout APAC, as consumers in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Thailand prefer mineral water, while consumers in Indonesia, Australia and South Korea prefer spring water.
Tonya Fowler, global director with Frost & Sullivan’s customer research team, said: “APAC consumers rate the quality of water to be the most important feature, regarding bottled water as a better and safer option to drinking tap water. Supporting these results, the largest proportion of APAC consumers state their reasons for purchasing bottled water are primarily because it’s perceived as safer and cleaner than tap water. Taste, affordable price and availability are the other features that influence purchasing decisions.
“These results suggest manufacturers should promote their brands surrounding the purity/source and quality of their bottled water products. However, only a small proportion of APAC consumers actually think their tap water is unsafe to drink, so bottled water manufacturers should temper marketing campaigns and avoid aggressive advertising utilising scare tactics. Given other important attributes stated by APAC consumers, manufacturers could also consider focusing on the taste and convenience of bottled water.”
Source: Frost & Sullivan
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