Photo: Verne EquinoxConsumers in Asia Pacific (APAC) countries drink bottled water because it is "safer and cleaner than drinking tap water," according to a study by Frost & Sullivan. The research, Voice of the Customer: Perceptions and Behaviors toward Bottled Water Markets, found that taste, affordable price and availability are the other features that influence purchasing decisions.
The study measured, among other things, the brand awareness, brand perceptions, current usage and satisfaction levels of bottled water and water filter consumers within Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
Fifty per cent of APAC respondents consume bottled water daily, whilst twenty-five per cent consume bottled water twice weekly. The country analysis shows more consumers in Indonesia and Thailand consume bottled water regularly, compared to other APAC consumers.
The bottled water market in the APAC region is dotted by many players who are strong and may dominate in their own countries, but not across the APAC region.
Aqua, Samsadoo and Singha lead for unaided awareness, whilst Amshore, Nestle and Aqua have the best brand perceptions. In the country analysis, Amshore and Aqua are most consumed in Malaysia, whilst Nestle and Singha have strong brand reputations among consumers in Thailand. Global food/beverage brands such as Coca Cola and Nestle are at least present in most of the APAC countries surveyed, albeit in small percentages.
Although Aqua is the brand of bottled water known by most APAC consumers, Amshore is the brand of bottled water most regularly consumed, although this is heavily influenced by consumers in Malaysia and Singapore. Overall, brand perception results closely align with consumption results and consumption by brand is localised as well.
Overall, the APAC region is aligned regarding the top-three bottle water features – quality of water, taste, and affordable price. However, South Korean consumers rate affordable price as slightly less important. Brand name is of minimal importance among APAC consumers.
"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" analyzes Fowler.
Satisfaction with the top regularly consumed bottled water brands is fairly high. Satisfaction among consumers of Singha is highest with 96 per cent of respondents very/somewhat satisfied. The survey also showed 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.
