Bottleless Water Cooler Market Growth

April 11, 2012 - PRLog -- In an article published by Water Tech., bottleless water coolers were featured as a growing industry and better way for offices to provide drinking water services. Below is an overview of the article:

There are a variety of reasons why commercial water use is changing in North America today. Sure, office workers and home owners still want cold water to drink, but how it is dispensed has changed from traditional ways and some feel that bottled water could become obsolete in coming years. Today, bottleless water coolers, also referred to as filtered water coolers, are gaining traction as an alternative that provide benefits beyond bottled water coolers.

We spoke with some experts in the field to discuss the trends and issues as well as ways dealers can position their companies to take advantage of an emerging customer-driven demand. According to the experts, potential profits exist when selling and marketing these modern offerings to light commercial and office customers and prospects. Let’s examine some of the marketing messages and important details to include in your sales presentations on bottleless water coolers.

Cost factor and trending:
Before marketing bottle-less water coolers, dealers must first understand how the movement evolved and where opportunity lies. “Primarily,” says Rej Tellier, “the shift [toward bottleless coolers] happened for cost reasons. There is a controlled cost factor — you know what your monthly bill is going to be with a filtered [cooler].”

According to HongRae Gim, CEO of Woongjin Coway U.S.A. Inc., when switching from a bottled water cooler, “If you use [a bottleless cooler] in an office setting with about 20 people, we estimate that the employer can save more than $100 per month.” Gim also adds that since multiple, large bottles are not needed, a customer will also eliminate the need for storage space, which can be considered a cost savings as well.

Also, cite the experts, there are safety, convenience and efficiency factors for the movement away from bottled water. Many times, bottled water coolers in an office or residential setting utilize heavy water bottles that need to be replaced periodically, putting users’ health at risk for strain and injury in an office.

From an office efficiency standpoint, Tellier explains how performance is unmatched with bottle-less water coolers. “The typical bottled water cooler is probably only going to cool, on average, one gallon every hour,” says Tellier. “[On the other hand], there are bottleless dispensers that are under pressure and, depending on the chill design, it can maybe [deliver] up to six gallons an hour of cold water.”

Finally, dealers and suppliers should make end customers aware of the improvements that have been made in the quality, performance, design and effectiveness of modern bottleless water coolers as seen at http://www.bluereserve.com/coolers.html

Evolution of bottle-less coolers:
Today’s customers are aware of some of the environmental issues concerning bottled water and its eventual disposal. But, this awareness is nothing new and, according to Wellsys USA Corporation’s Founder Gary Nuttall, people have been looking for alternatives to bottled water coolers in their office or home for many years.

“Perhaps the biggest detriment to bottle-less cooler growth being faster is that a lot of the initial bottleless coolers that came out [in past years] were subpar,” notes Nuttall, adding that customers tried these older bottle-less water coolers and switched back to bottles because of poor quality and/or costs. “But, as the bottleless coolers have become better and convenient and cost has [improved] — in addition to the Green movement that is going on — it just makes sense for people to change to bottle-less coolers.”

Previous bottleless water coolers utilized under-the-sink filtration systems and the unit basically just cooled the water before it was dispensed, similar to many of the bottled water systems available today. However, over the years as technology improved and customer feedback was considered, water cooler manufacturers started incorporating sanitizing elements, such as UV and ozone, and filtration, such as reverse osmosis (RO).

“When bottleless became more of an advantage was when they started adding purification,” adds Nuttall. “With purification, you start getting into membranes, instead of just filters.” These membranes help to lower levels of contaminants and metals, making water safer to drink.

As a water treatment professional, it is important to make customers aware of how water interacts with certain metals and contaminants. Regardless of how a customer receives water, including private and municipal means, water can pick up contaminants, including lead, rust and bacteria, along its path through the customer’s water system, such as through the facility’s pipes and faucets.

A carbon block can’t remove contaminants smaller than 1 micron, but nano and ultra fine membranes as well as reverse osmosis are effective. These technologies are incorporated in several bottle-less water coolers, resulting in cold, healthy drinking water. However, some manufacturers have taken “healthy” to a new level.

“The other thing that is really a big evolution right now in bottleless coolers is not only have we learned how to purify water and get all of the contaminants out, we’re actually starting to add good things into the water so that the water is healthier,” explains Nuttall. Alkaline can be added to help balance the water and essential minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, can be put back in through natural processes, as examples.

Steady business and service
As more and more bottleless water coolers surface in offices and residential environments, it might appear as if this is new territory for dealers. But, notes Tellier, dealers can rest assured that the bottleless market yields steady business. Bottleless coolers have been around for several decades, such as in the form of water fountains. “The bottleless market has always been there and there has always been an opportunity to serve it,” asserts Tellier. “It really comes down to being a true professional,” when selling and servicing these bottle-less units.

A quality water treatment dealer will be aware of the customer’s specific region’s water trends and troubleshoot with testing and pretreatment. Also, adds Gim, this is a “people business” and dealers are advised to work with manufacturers who can resolve issues in a timely fashion, honor warrantees and are knowledgeable about the market.

Aligning your company with a reputable cooler manufacturer will shine through in your efforts to professionalize your marketing and service efforts. As this industry continues to improve on its image and credibility, water treatment professionals play an important role.

“It is important that you have trained and qualified personnel doing the installations, maintenance and service on the equipment. You can have all of the bells and whistles on the equipment, but it comes down to how well you can service and bring some care and attention to your customer base,” says Tellier, concluding that this professionalism will translate when mining for new customers.

With a Blue Reserve Bottleless Water Cooler, you get better tasting, cleaner, and purer water at the least cost to the consumer and environment.

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Bottle-less water coolers. A healthier, economical alternative to bottled water coolers. Save money, go green, enjoy unlimited pure water. Water filtration and reverse osmosis technology.