WATER
was estimated at 25.71 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach 45 billion by 2027, indicating a significant rise in the demand for water purifiers. Sarina adds: “There are now many
alternatives to low-quality tap water or large bottled water dispensers on-site and individual consumption plastic bottles of water for on-the-go. Integrated water dispensers are becoming
“What happens next for the sector has a
north/south divide. Water distributors with a strong presence in London and south east England suggest that water cooler demand may never rebound to 2019 levels with office occupancy expected to remain lower than pre-pandemic capacity. However, in the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the outlook is more optimistic, trusting that there is still strong consumer demand for high-quality bulk water delivery on site. According to Zenith’s research, 18.9-
litre bottle prices have seen steady annual increases across the last five years, up 14.6% since 2016. One of the key trends for 2022 will be battling rising costs. While many water delivery companies tried to absorb cost pressures to weather the pandemic, some suggest that significant price increases of at least 5-10% or more could be necessary for the next year to keep pace with inflation and rising supply costs.
Undoubtedly it has been a challenging
few years to be engaged in water delivery services to commercial customers. Alternatives for on-site water provision have also been growing in popularity, but demand is up again year to date in 2022 with water for coolers forecast to reach 290 million litres by 2026 in the UK market.
INNOVATIVE ALTERNATIVES Unattended self-service retailer, Selecta highlights the new alternatives to large bottled water dispensers. Selecta’s spokesman, Sarina Künzli says: “Nowadays, consumers have more control over their water quality than they have ever had before. Buying bottled water is no longer the only alternative to drinking poor-quality tap water. And with increasing distrust in water suppliers, more and more consumers are turning to at-home water treatment solutions as a cheaper and more environmentally friendly means of accessing better-quality water. More and more are choosing to filter their tap water. In fact, the global water purifier market size
more relevant for on-site use – and are a key part of Selecta’s portfolio – which offers clients fresh, cold, still or sparkling water options. “Newer alternatives are also being developed with flavoured or functional water. The on-the-go market is still largely dominated by plastic water bottles but we are seeing more innovation to make these waters sustainable and are working with local providers to incorporate these sustainable options into our assortment. Additional options of “water filling stations” are also offered in some of our markets (Selecta has 180 water kiosks in Italy) where people can fill up their own bottle.
CONTACTLESS REVOLUTION Business development manager for Zerica, Gemma Tuxford believes water provision remains essential.
“User priorities have changed slightly with hygiene, environmental impact, dispensing speed and convenience being of utmost importance. Both on site and on the go, people are using their own refillable bottles or reusable cups, some of which are collapsible for ease of transportation. “This trend has a significant effect on water
provision and means solutions must have a larger dispensing area to conformably accommodate the bottles and also increased chilling power to be able to provide larger quantities of water at target temperature as average portion sizes are on the increase. Design style and aesthetics are also a consideration with some manufacturers providing interchangeable coloured panels for their machines to make more of a feature of something previously overlooked as simply a practical necessity . She says contactless, plumbed in dispensing solutions are very much in demand. Foot pedals are often easy to retrofit and using contactless ‘hover’ buttons is an increasingly common approach. “NFC technology using tags and devices such as keyrings, cards, embedded in bottle tops, can be used for touch-free dispensing and payment and is relatively common. Basic information such as usage data and personal preferences are collected and payment
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deducted form a wallet facility. The most sophisticated machines use an individual’s mobile phone to connect directly to the machine via Bluetooth. with payments also authorized and managed via mobile phone. “IoT-enabled solutions with bi-directional communication are taking solutions to a new level of sophistication. IoT-enabled machines can be managed from any location and information accessed directly onscreen, via laptop or mobile phone. You can change target temperature or portion sizes and receive alerts based on real-time usage for filter and CO2 canister replacement. You also get reminders when a flush or periodic maintenance is due with the ability to run a diagnostic and perform a quick servicing check at any time. Technicians connect remotely to carry out non-intrusive, speedy and ecologically-friendly technical interventions when required.”
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