To consolidate its position in the water purifier market, consumer durables major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has launched Pureit Advanced. The manual-fill water purifier is targeted at the mass segment and has been priced at Rs 2,800.
HUL, which entered the water purifier segment in 2008 with Pureit, has so far launched seven models including the latest Advanced, at different price points in the Rs 900-13,000 range, with an aim to garner substantial market share in every section of the consumer pyramid.
“Pureit Advanced is a game changer that will revolutionise the perception of manual-fill water purifiers. Its features and benefits will instantly appeal to consumers who want to be doubly sure that their drinking water is safe, and goes a step further as an aesthetically appealing device that they can proudly display in the kitchen,” said, Mr Vikram Surendran, HUL’s General Manager (Water).
‘safe as boiled’
The company claims that “Pureit Advanced” is the only purifier in India that purifies water twice and comes loaded with customer benefit features to ensure “as safe as boiled” water. The process ensures that you get clear, odourless and natural tasting water which passes through a micro-charged membrane to assure “double protection.”
Of late, the company has been trying to strengthen its water business portfolio through innovation in products and packaging even as the competition in the Rs 3500-crore water purifier segment is hotting up with players like Tata, Godrej, LG and Bajaj.
The soaps-to-water-purifier maker is also test marketing low-cost chlorine based Pureit Sachets in Bhopal as a part of Unilever’s global initiative to provide safe drinking water across the world. The product can be a game-changer at the bottom of the pyramid, according to industry experts.
“It is the company’s strategy to lead its product portfolio in various price points. Besides, innovation and renovation has always been HUL’s core competency. The water business is doing great for them,” said Mr Anand Mour of Ambit Capital.
Consumer products need to keep the vibrancy in launches and re-launches as it makes things exciting for people, say industry analysts. Hence, it is a strategy for firms like HUL to focus on innovation time to time.
According to market research firm Edelweiss, HUL is a step ahead of competitors in the water purifier segment. With the estimated Rs 12,877-crore bottled water market in India growing at 19 per cent, HUL is well-placed participate in demand for water purifiers.