The Residential Water Treatment Market: India
28 Sep 2011 • by Natalie Aster
The Indian residential water treatment market is expected to experience a double-digit annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.7 percent from 2009 to 2016. This market generated revenues of $588.1 million in 2009, and it is expected to generate revenues of $2,189.2 million in 2016. The Indian residential water treatment market has shown a positive economic growth despite global financial crisis.
The report “The Residential Water Treatment Market: India” by Verify Markets LLC provides comprehensive data on the Indian residential water treatment market. It analyzes growth strategies adopted by market players, and major competitive developments such as R&D initiatives, distribution strategies, etc. The sections include areas like market drivers, restraints, revenue forecasts, market share split by revenue and pricing trends.
Report Details:
The Residential Water Treatment Market: India
Published: July 2010
Price: US$ 1,000.00
Report Sample Abstract
Distribution Channel Trends (India), 2009
Direct selling still remains the major and the best channel for water treatment products. Retail selling is slowly gaining acceptance in India. Eureka Forbes is the single largest direct selling company in India.
Its Aquaguard brand, one of their best selling products, was the first to be marketed through its direct selling sales force of around 6000. They reach out to millions of Indian households and run free demos to educate people about the concept, advantages, and necessity for water treatment products. After pioneering door-to-door selling in India, the company has entered the retail channel for marketing its products. Eureka Forbes partnered with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to sell its products through BPCL's cooking gas distributors across the country. BPCL’s customers are offered attractive prices for Eureka Forbes products.
The latest product from the company, Aquasure is also marketed through retail channel. The company’s retail division is extending products to chemists, canteen stores department (CSDs), and general merchandise stores, apart from white goods stores, to reach out to more and more households.
The most effective marketing strategy for smaller water purifying companies is door-to-door selling, which is often quite complicated to manage, monitor, and execute. Annual servicing and maintenance of the water purifying units is also a challenge for smaller companies which cannot afford to service the entire country. So, they pick and choose a certain city. The companies salesmen target a specific city and conduct aggressive marketing to sell their products. The ZeroB Pristine water purifier is a perfect example of this. It doesn't have the same brand power as Aquaguard, or Kent.
Companies are trying different business models. Kent RO, for example, has even tried unconventional retailing options like tying-up with IOC petrol pumps and LPG outlets which stock the brands. HUL's Pureit is not available in stores, but have set up Safe Water Zones across the country which are offices where customers can walk-in and make enquires about the product. Hindustan Unilever opened safe water zones where customers can walk in and enquire about the product. Companies conduct free water tests.
Point-of-use Water Treatment Market: Trends (India), 2009
Both HUL and Eureka Forbes are targeting the large section of the lower-income group which cannot afford ultra-violet water purifiers with a starting price of about Rs 5,000 ($102.5) and do not have steady supply of electricity and tap-water. HUL, with its Pureit brand of water purifier, has the first mover advantage. Pureit is estimated to have already entered around two million households in 1,500 towns across India since its launch in 2004. When it entered the market in 2004, HUL's main gambit was pricing – Pureit cost just Rs 2,000 ($41), less than half of the popular varieties of water purifiers at that time. In June 2008, Eureka went pan-India with Aquasure, which was priced in the same bracket as Pureit. According to Eureka Forbes, Aquasure, the bromine-based purifier, has been able to enter close to half a million homes so far this year. The systems are shaped like canisters that can sit on a table or countertop. They filter water, then use bromine to kill viruses and bacteria. The chemical is fused to tiny beads, which are contained in a cartridge inside the canister. After a period of time, the chemical gets used up and the cartridge must be replaced. The larger of the two purifiers is designed to go through 3,000 liters of water before requiring a new cartridge. The company’s strategy is to tap the rural market. The company has set up close to100 community centers with the help of NGOs to offer villagers water from its basic Aquasure model.
Aquasure and Pureit, are becoming increasingly popular because they are effective and affordable. The two brands are reported to be growing at 100 percent per annum. Also, they do not run on electricity and are ideal for locations where power supply is unpredictable. Neither do they demand continuous water supply. Power and water are still scarce even in urban India.
HUL is also looking at targeting the rural markets. The company plans to add 2,500 more executives over the next nine months to Pureit’s existing sales team of 7,500. Besides traditional advertising such as television commercials, the company is promoting the product through nontraditional channels such as hospitals, clinics, government and non-government bodies and health care agencies. Pureit will be pitched to farmers and educated rural families who would be able to bear the recurring cost of the GermKill battery-kit used in the product that typically lasts for about 1,500 liters. The replacement kit is priced at Rs300 ($6.15).
UV purifiers are currently the most widely used electrical home water purifiers and are suitable for towns and cities where TDS levels in water are below 500 mg per liter. In this segment, Eureka Forbes’ Aquaguard is the market leader. Global major, Philips, has introduced Intelligent Water Purifier in four models.
Kent has introduced a reverse osmosis purifier that claims to retain minerals. Eureka Forbes’ reverse osmosis purifier retails under the brand name, Aquaguard Total reverse osmosis. Overall, reverse osmosis based home purification systems are the most expensive and range from around Rs. 13000 to Rs. 25000. ($266.6-4512.7)
More information can be found in the report “The Residential Water Treatment Market: India” by Verify Markets LLC.
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