“Increasing response from the tier-II towns for better value proposition offers tremendous potential that can be leveraged.”

Bengaluru: Enthused with doubling its water purifier business last year, AO Smith India Water Products Pvt Ltd today said it is gearing to expand its distribution reach to 46 cities anticipating access to 75% of the domestic market. The company is a subsidiary of the $3 billion US-headquartered water-heating specialist AO Smith Corporation.

‘‘We grew our India business by over 40% in 2017 of which our water purifiers business more than doubled. Encouraged by the consumer response, we are now taking our distribution to 46 cities which will provide us access to 75% of the purifier market’’ said the company’s managing director Parag Kulkarni.

“In three years, the contribution of water purifiers to our total business has gone to 20%, which we expect would be at 30% in 2018. Focused on health and environmental benefits, our differentiated offerings such as hot water, the Green series of products which recover two times more water than an ordinary RO water purifier, the Baby Safe – 8 Stage purification and professional service have been very well received by consumers,” he added.

According to Kulkarni, the penetration of RO water purifiers is still very low. The growth of RO purifiers is higher than the other segments like UV and gravity in the category. As access to safe drinking water is still a big challenge for many in the country, the RO purifier market has tremendous potential to grow. Increasing response from the tier-II towns for better value proposition offers tremendous potential that can be leveraged.