Consumers & Water
Baytel has visited homes in all economic strata in countries around the world, interviewing consumers and photographing life as it really is. We ask about tap water, water storage, bulk bottled water, and home water treatment equipment. We find out about sources of household water, water uses, water availability, and costs.
Exactly what motivates different kinds of consumers in different countries to make the choices they make in providing their families with pure, safe, healthy, good-tasting drinking water? Sometimes it's purely a matter of sheer availability of water. But even then it can be filtered through a sari.
When and why do consumers of each demographic pursue tap water alternatives? What are their health concerns and how does drinking water fit into this? How is this evolving? How do consumers choose between tap water and bottled water and home drinking water treatment products? What do consumers like and dislike about the products they use? How and where do they obtain them? How do they get them home? Who installs and maintains them? Are service contracts and warrantees important? How about rentals? Financing? How do people get their replacement cartridges? Where would they prefer to buy them?
How much are they paying for the solutions they select? What are customer turnover rates, and what is the cost of obtaining new accounts? Do consumers “trade-up” to more capable products? What are the roles of style and lifestyle vs. health and safety? How important is the taste of water? What kinds of ads are effective?
What are the critical drinking water contaminants in each region? Which technologies or filtration media effectively remove these contaminants? How much do consumers know/understand about this? How is this evolving?
In each country, exactly what motivates consumers to pursue tap water alternatives? Aesthetic considerations? Health concerns? A baby on the way? (There are even some direct sales companies in China that tell consumers their products treat drinking water in a way that enhances the odds of the offspring being male!)
Bottled water in a Mexican kitchen
A countertop water treatment appliance in Malaysia
Drawing water from a public tap in rural India
Rainwater harvesting in Vietnam
A very comfortable retired couple in Shanghai
Photos and Text Copyright © 2013 by Baytel Associates