Currently, 45% of Romanians choose to consume bottled water most often, compared to 58% in 2021. According to data from the Reveal Marketing Reserch study, most Romanians continue to consume bottled, still (33%) or carbonated water most often (12%), 21% choose to filter their sink water using a faucet filter or filter cup, while 17% say they prefer to drink their sink water without filtering it.
Tap water, preferred by RomaniansFoto: dpa picture alliance / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia
- 33% of Romanians tend to consume still bottled water most often, and 12% carbonated bottled water
- 4 out of 10 Romanians believe that they can drink water directly from the sink without their health being affected in any way
- Affordability is the most important criterion influencing the decision to buy bottled, still (56%) and carbonated (50%) water
The interest in consuming bottled water, still or carbonated, has registered a significant decrease, reaching from 58% to 45% currently.
A potential motivation for this change in consumer behavior is represented by the price increases in the chain of products (including bottled water), an aspect that causes Romanians to actively look for more economical alternatives.
Turning our attention to the evolution of opinions regarding sink water, 1 in 2 Romanians still consider that it is not completely drinkable if it is not filtered.
On the other hand, the percentage of those who believe that they can drink water directly from the sink without their health being affected in any way is increasing from 30% in 2021 to 38% in 2023. This attitude is shared to an extent significantly higher by mature people over 56 (51%).
h2. What are the preferred quantities of Romanians when they buy bottled water?
Still water is indispensable in the daily diet, and consumers prefer to buy in larger quantities to cover their consumption needs. Therefore, most Romanians tend to buy 2l (60%) or 5l (56%) packaging most often, followed by 1l and 0.5l, both registering scores of 36%. Generation Z (18-24 years old) shows a much higher interest in buying quantities smaller than 0.5l (57%) or 1l (64%), this is also the age group that prefers to have a bottle of water when on the road (88% vs. 67% total sample).
If we refer to the carbonated mineral water category, the 2l packages continue to be the popular ones (65%), being preferred to a significantly greater extent by people aged 45-55 (74%). The 1l (30%) and 0.5l (28%) bottles follow in the top of preferences.
Affordability is the most important criterion influencing the decision to buy bottled, still (56%) and carbonated (50%) water
If two years ago, the main criterion on the basis of which most Romanians chose bottled water was quality, now Romanians are more interested in price
So, in the case of flat mineral water, the most important criteria identified are affordable price (56%), package size (37%), water composition (31%) and previous experience with the brand (30%).
If we refer to carbonated mineral water at the top, we find the affordable price (50%), followed by previous experience with the brand (30%), product quality (29%) and packaging size (27%). For those between the ages of 45–55, product quality is a significantly more important factor compared to the total sample (37%).
The study also recorded the most important attributes when it comes to bottled water. So, both in the case of still and carbonated mineral water, the most important attributes are the same: the origin from a natural source/spring (47%, respectively 50%), the high quality of the product (42%, respectively 46%) and affordability of the price (40% and 43%, respectively).
The most common times of consumption in terms of drinking still bottled water are at home (79%), on the road (67%) or at work/school (67%). On the other hand, carbonated mineral water is rather consumed at home (65%) or at terraces/restaurants (61%).
