Exporting bottled water to China

In a country that accounts for twenty-percent of the world’s population but only seven-percent of its fresh water supply, it’s no surprise that China is the largest bottled water market.

Three key driving factors for this are;

(1) Water pollution and several water scandals in the food and beverage sector
(2) Expansion of China’s middle-class
(3) Growing emphasis of water benefits and healthy lifestyles

Despite China’s shift to e-commerce platforms, the majority of bottled water sales are offline. However, it’s expected to move with the trend and predicts a ten-percent growth for online sales by 2023. In the interim, brands are still expected to promote themselves online to increase visibility and engage with consumers.

While the industry is largely dominated by domestic brands, consumer trust is diminishing due to the country’s numerous water contaminations seen in the last two decades. Foreign imported brands have always been viewed as ‘premium’ water which is now working in their favour.

This is presenting a real opportunity for international brands to hone in on. The most successful brands have a distinctive bottle design and demonstrate they are “eco-responsible” in their practice.

If you have a quality water brand that you’d like to export to China, get in touch with a member of our team and we’ll be happy to help.