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Trade: Bottled water consumption in Romania is losing ground to tap water Publicat pe 28 March 2023
The latest market research conducted by Reveal Marketing Research aimed to evaluate Romanians’ consumption behaviors and preferences regarding bottled water and how they have evolved compared to the similar study conducted in April 2021.
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33% of Romanians tend to consume plain bottled water most often, and 12% carbonated bottled water
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4 out of 10 Romanians believe that they can drink water directly from the sink without their health being affected in any way
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Affordability of the price is the most important criterion that influences the decision to buy plain bottled water (56%) and carbonated water (50%)
Currently, 45% of Romanians choose to consume bottled water most often, compared to 58% in 2021
According to the data of the Reveal Marketing Research study, most Romanians continue to consume bottled water, plain (33%) or carbonated (12%) most often, 21% choose to filter the water from the sink with the help of a tap filter or a filter jug, while 17% say that they prefer to drink water from the sink without filtering it.
However, interest in drinking bottled, plain or carbonated water has dropped significantly over the past two years, from 58% to 45% today. A potential motivation for this change in consumer behavior is represented by the rise of prices of majority products (including bottled water), an aspect that causes Romanians to actively look for more economical alternatives.
Turning our attention to the evolution of opinions about sink water, 1 in 2 Romanians still consider that it is not completely drinkable if it is not filtered.
On the other hand, the percentage of those who believe that they can drink water directly from the sink without their health being affected in any way is increasing from 30% in 2021 to 38% in 2023. This attitude is shared to a significantly higher extent by mature people over 56 (51%).
In what quantities do Romanians prefer to buy bottled water?
Plain water is indispensable in the daily diet, and consumers prefer to buy in larger quantities to cover their consumption needs. Therefore, most Romanians tend to buy 2l (60%) or 5l (56%) packaging most often, followed by 1l and 0.5l, both registering scores of 36%. Generation Z (18-24 years old) shows a much higher interest in buying quantities smaller of 0.5l (57%) or 1l (64%), this being also the age group that most prefers to have a bottle of water at them when they are on the road (88% vs. 67% total sample).
If we refer to the carbonated water category, the 2l packages continue to be the popular ones (65%), being preferred to a significantly greater extent by people aged 45-55 (74%). The 1l (30%) and 0.5l (28%) bottles follow in the top of preferences.
Affordability of the price is the most important criterion influencing the decision to buy bottled, plain (56%) and carbonated (50%) water
If two years ago, the main criterion on the basis of which most Romanians chose bottled water was the perceived quality of the product, in the current context, marked by economic instability, Romanians are more interested in affordable prices from brands with which they have had positive previous experiences.
So, in the case of plain mineral water, the most important criteria identified are affordable price (56%), package size (37%), water composition (31%) and previous experience with the brand (30%).
If we refer to the carbonated mineral water in the top criteria, we find the affordable price (50%), followed by the previous experience with the brand (30%), the quality of the product (29%) and the size of the packaging (27%). For those between the ages of 45–55, product quality is a significantly more important factor compared to the total sample (37%).
The study also recorded the most important attributes when it comes to bottled water. So, both in the case of plain and carbonated mineral water, the most important attributes are the same: the origin from a natural source/ spring (47%, respectively 50%), the high quality of the product (42%, respectively 46%) and affordability of the price (40%, respectively 43%).
The most common consumption moments in terms of drinking plain bottled water are at home (79%), on the road (67%) or at work/ school (67%). On the other hand, carbonated water is rather consumed at home (65%) or at terraces/restaurants (61%).
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About Reveal Marketing Research
Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in market research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and Europe for 14 years.
Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online 15-21.03.2022 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users, urban and rural residents. The sample size was 1005 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence level.