Water Purifier Prices Rose by Nearly 20% in 2014 Due to Competition from Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Purifiers

According to data recently released by a domestic research institution, in 2013, reverse osmosis (RO) water purifiers saw the fastest growth among different types of water purification equipment, with retail sales increasing by 77.0% year-on-year in the first 11 months. Direct drinking water machines also saw a year-on-year increase of 31.3%, while water purifiers and water dispensers saw smaller increases, at 5.0% and 9.7% respectively.

In terms of market structure, RO water purifiers, water filters, and direct drinking water machines essentially monopolize the entire water purification equipment market. In the first 11 months of 2013, their retail sales share was 34.6%, 35.2%, and 26.3% respectively. The market share of water purifiers was significantly squeezed by RO water purifiers, shrinking by 8.4 percentage points compared to the same period in 2012.

Along with the growth of the water purification equipment market, the unit price of these products also increased to varying degrees. The prices of RO water purifiers, water filters, and water dispensers all increased by more than 10% year-on-year, with RO water purifiers experiencing the largest price increase at 17.7%.