Why write this article
When we launched our latest website: www.hcdrinkwater.com, the company uploaded it’s newly developed and trial-produced under sink soda dispenser, we realized that in addition to the need for Hcdrink’s soda chiller to be able to be searched and noticed by potential customers on the internet, there was a greater need for more distributors and consumers to understand this product, and we found through various channels and experiences that there are very few professional descriptions of under counter soda dispenser, or no company or organization has public information to refer to, through a google search for soda maker or soda dispenser, there are 2 kinds of products: one is soda water dispenser like Coca-Cola company which we considered belongs to beverage industry for beverage dispensers or countertop water dispenser with soda fountains functions. The other one is sparkling water makers like Sodastream which is mainly for home use or small bar to make soda drinks.
As we know gases have a higher solubility in cold water. Colder temperatures will allow more CO2 to dissolve in water. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it forms carbonic acid.
CO2+H2O→H2CO3
More carbon dioxide dissolved in water will produce more carbonic acid. More acid will produce a lower pH level in the water. The following video will help us to understand:
What is soda water
When we talk about soda water, more words come to our mind: seltzer, fizzy, carbonated water, sparkling water, tonic water, which seems to be a bit complicated.
Natural soda water contains sodium bicarbonate and many other trace elements, making it a good beverage. Only a few countries in the world, such as France, Russia and Germany, produce natural soda water.
Most of the non-natural soda water on the market is synthetic carbonated beverages made by pressing carbon dioxide into purified drinking water and adding ingredients and flavors.
There is a tiny taste difference between water that’s been carbonated and water with additives and minerals that carbonate and change the flavor.
But all of them are essentially identical, In fact, all soda water is made by adding carbon dioxide to plain water to make it bubbly and form NaHCO3. is a drink with weak alkalinity good for health and improves taste.
And it is common to use: Everyday drinking, used as a replacement for sweetened colas or added to cocktails.
What soda brands are available
What brands of soda water? From Google, we searched for the following article:
https://www.verywellfit.com/best-sparkling-water-5105296
- Best Overall: Spindrift Sparkling Water
- Best Budget: Good & Gather Sparkling Water
- Best Tasting: Hal’s New York Seltzer Water
- Best Flavored: Waterloo Sparkling Fruit Flavored Water
- Best Mineral: San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
There are other many soft drinks sold in the market we can see every day–Cola or Sprite in cups from Coca-cola company, some of the key companies in the soda water dispenser for commercial use market include:
- The Coca-Cola Company
- Pepsico Inc.
- Dr. Pepper
- Lancer Corp.
- Cornelius, Inc.
And home soda making- we might be surprised the market is huge since the alpha of home soda making-Sodastream made its 2009 debut. Now many brands we can find in the market and leads trends for homemade soda water.
The biggest advantage of countertop home soda makers is that they are small and portable, but the best taste of soda at low temperatures needs to be added to an ice cube. So users usually need to buy additional ice makers, especially for small beverage bars, adding an ice maker still takes up the original crowded operating space. So, under sink chilled soda makers also occupy a certain market.
There are some brands focused on under-sink chilled soda water dispensers.
As an under-kitchen machine, the space under the kitchen provides convenience for the big size of the machine. With the addition of compressor cooling inside the machine, the machine not only provides chilled soda water but also chilled water for drinking and meeting cooking needs. And the countertop space is not affected at all, because the water is still provided by the multifunctional kitchen faucet that includes normal hot and cold water functions.
Why soda water is so popular
In 2018, Americans bought more than 800 million gallons of soda water. Why do people like soda water so much?
The first is based on the benefits as following of soda water.
Of course, soda here means CO2 without additives and sweeteners.
. Appetite control or weight management
Drinking soda water before meals can enhance the feeling of satiety and prevent obesity caused by excessive diet.
. balance the acid-base of the body
The main component of soda water is NaHCO3, an alkaline substance, many people like to eat fish and meat, much meat will lead to an acid-base imbalance in the human body. Therefore, some soda water can improve this imbalance and help the acid-base balance in the human body.
. Neutralize stomach acid
There are many people with stomach problems that are caused by too much acid in the stomach. Drinking soda water can neutralize stomach acid in the stomach, which is good for helping to maintain the stomach.
.Has a beauty effect
Soda has an anti-oxidant effect, can slow down skin aging, many ladies like to drink some soda water with some lemon slices, the lemon soda water has not only good taste, but also helps to keep the skin young.
.Help digestion
When eating too much food, drinking some soda water can help digestion, and relieve indigestion.
.Relieve gout
Gout patients mainly have high uric acid in their bodies, and urate cannot be excreted. Doctors often use NaHCO3 to alkalize the urine of gout patients and help them excrete uric acid from their bodies. So, gout patients with high uric acid can have some soda water to help relieve gout symptoms.
Many people have the habit of drinking soda water, but soda water should not be used as a substitute for daily drinking water, and soda water should not be drunk in excess. Secondly, some people are not suitable for drinking soda water. People who suffer from high blood pressure, kidney disease, high blood lipids, and people with too little stomach acid secretion are not suitable for drinking soda water.
Secondly, people like how the bubbles feel in their mouths.
The appeal of fizzy drinks is the different feeling from other drinks. And it is from the acidity of the NaHCO3. Our pain receptors light up when getting the sensation from the soda water, just like eating spicy food which has hot pepper or black pepper. And the bubbles bring the coolness visually, when the bubbles are in the back of the throat, we feel the hurt bubbles but the feeling is wonderful for most people.
It is for this reason that fizzy beer and fizzy coffee are also very popular. In fact, it is the key feature.
Market Overview for the soda machine
First, let’s look at some analytical data. How big is the soda maker market?
The global soda water dispenser market is estimated to be $1.06 billion in 2019 and will reach $1.12 billion in 2020. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% during the forecast period, it will reach $1.46 billion in 2025.
The countertop machine segment accounted for the largest share of 69.1% in 2018, and in terms of value, North America held the largest market share of 42.1% in 2018. In addition, Germany, the UK, China, and India markets are all experiencing increasing demand.
Leaving aside the Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Sprite that we can see every day, let’s look at the introduction for Sodastream on Wikipedia.
“SodaStream International Ltd. (Hebrew: סודהסטרים) is an Israel-based manufacturing company best known as the maker of the consumer home carbonation product of the same name. The company’s soda machines, in the style of soda siphons, add carbon dioxide to water from a pressurized cylinder in order to create carbonated water for drinking. It also sells more than 100 types of concentrated syrups and flavorings that are used in the process of making carbonated drinks. SodaStream now distributes its products in 80,000 individual retail stores across 45 countries.
The company was founded in 1903 in England. After it merged with Soda-Club in 1998, it was relaunched with an emphasis on healthier drinks and went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange in November 2010. SodaStream is headquartered in Kfar Saba, Israel, and has 13 production plants. In August 2018, the company was acquired by PepsiCo for US$3.2 billion. PepsiCo was attracted to the company due to its technological innovations and a desire to move into providing more healthy products; SodaStream has since launched a variety of Pepsi Co flavors into their range.”
With the high demand for soda water, new product developments for under-sink soda machines also keep increasing from 2021 to 2022. Quooker launched a new cube in December 2021, and Hcdrink developed a new chiller and soda chiller around the same period. But as the leading boiling water system, Quooker Cube has not sold as well as it should have over the years.
The market growth in the demand for soda dispensers stems from the increasing consumer demand for fresh soda beverages. How to provide the most suitable products for the chilled soda maker is the most thinking for under sink chilled water machine manufacturers during the development.
Why chilled soda water
There are two key factors in soda water that determine the level of carbonated water: the pressure of carbon dioxide and the temperature of the water.
The amount of CO2 dissolved in the water will determine the taste of the beverage, and the optimum concentration is generally controlled at 3-3.5 volumes of CO2, Hcdrink’s soda chiller’s CO2 volume is 3.2.
A company spokeswoman says Pepsi is best consumed at 42 F±3F (about 5℃). Hcdrink designed the chilled water tank temperature setting at 3℃ which is near the freezing point, under the work of the circulation pump, the water in the tank will not be frozen, and the temperature will keep at 3℃ after the water enters the soda water tank by second cooling, maintain at 3 degrees, the water temperature can be just kept at 5℃ when the soda water comes from the outlet of the faucet.
Such work ensures that the soda water has the most suitable temperature and the best concentration to have excellent taste.
In order to get the best taste out of soda water, almost all manufacturers consider that carbon dioxide should be mixed with chilled water. So soda water chillers are water-cooled screw chillers first with sparkling water function.
Atomized
In order to let the water and CO2 for full mixing, in the soda water tank, the water that comes in also has to be atomized, the following video is helpful to understand what is the atomization of water, that is, water through the pinhole size of small hole valve in a certain pressure (normally 4kgs) into the soda water tank, when open the handle for water outlet, the atomized chilled water and CO2 will be fully mixed, CO2 becomes delicate bubbles melted in the chilled water, best temperature and concentration creates the best taste.
This is why Sodastream users usually add ice cubes through the cooling equipment to the bottles.
Obviously, the difference between a regular countertop soda maker and an under sink chilled soda machine is very clear: one is temperature and the other is consistency. Temperature requires compressor cooling like air conditioning to work, so under the counter soda makers have the function to dispense chilled water separately, which also provides endless possibilities for cooking gourmet food, while ensuring that the concentration of chilled soda provides personalized soda drinks with the
best taste it is chilled water and not ice cubes.
Limited by size, the mini under counter soda maker can not meet these two requirements, so the soda machine mentioned in the article like Sodastream, if you want to get chilled soda, consumers need to be equipped with another cooling equipment or put the water bottle with water in the refrigerator to freeze it.
Based on Hcdrink’s commitment to under-the-counter water dispensers, under-the-counter soda makers are the direction of our attention. However under counter soda maker needs to be positioned to a more precise search on Google: under counter soda chiller or under-counter sparkling water machine or under-counter carbonated maker, there are really very few companies producing this type of product besides the brands mentioned above, whether this is market opportunities or a misunderstanding for entrepreneurs, with such questions, HCdrink conducts some analysis of the under-counter soda makers industry and market. We hope this article will make sense for both markets analysis and consumers. We also welcome your comments in the comment section.
Promoting the concept of soda water
1. Health concept
Such as dieting and weight loss, regulation of blood circulation, the balance of body PH, relief of heat and cooling, elimination of fatigue allaying of tiredness.
2. No single-use plastic bottles
The concept of environmental protection under the sink machine: No plastic, Unbottle the future, Bottless world, or No package at all from water cooler dispenser brand and sanitaryware brand:
Besides Sodastream, Sodamate and other brands, traditional water dispenser brands such as Blupura, Quench, multi-functional public space faucet brand Zip, Grohe, Blanco, and Quooker are launching their own under kitchen chilled water dispensers, and others such as Bevi, Waterlogic, Culligan, Vivreauwater, etc. are also using the concept of personalized flavored drinks to attract the attention of consumers.
Contrary to this, Coca-cola, Pepsico, etc are the giants in the carbonated beverage industry worldwide and are one of the largest sources of plastic bottled beverages, but these two companies are still the world leaders in sparkling water manufacturing technology, with the business use of cola machines all over the world. If they could do more research on homemade carbonated water, in a sense, they would make a great contribution to the world environment.
Moreover, consumers consider it to be a fresh drink option as compared to those soda cans and bottles on the market. The soda chillers also help to reduce the use of soda bottles and cans, for the beverage store, it is helpful to reduce the bulk of beverage containers in-store. The use of regular tap waters for the making of soda beverages in dispensers has lowered the use of water containers.
3. Traditional food &drinking culture
Italy, for example, is extremely popular for drinking sparkling water. Chilled sparkling water in the mouth refreshing jump is part of the traditional Italian food culture, Frizzante or Naturale is the Italian restaurant idiom, natural mineral water with sparkling brands are very much, such as Ferrarelle and S. Pellegrino, San Benedetto and so on and extended out of the sparkling water machine brands, such as Celli, Orionh2, Guglielmi and Watnext, etc.
Overview of countertop soda maker
At present, the home soda machine occupies the absolute market and is still led by SodaStream table soda makers.
The price is also very competitive, usually, a complete set of soda makers includes a plastic machine, 1 or 2 gas cylinders, and 2 plastic bottles. The working principle is also very simple, the gas cylinder is connected to the machine, plastic cups are filled with water, press the gas release button of the machine, carbon dioxide will enter into the water, generally, there are 1-3 buttons to control the pressure of the gas, that is, to adjust the concentration of soda water.
The price is related to the material of the machine. But generally, the price is around $100.00. The following table shows the idea from different brands of countertop soda makers.
| Picture | Brand | price |
|---|---|---|
 |
Sodasoda | $168 |
 |
Cocosoda | $89 |
 |
Airsoda | $138 |
In China, the start for soda makers is a little late, but sugar-free sparkling bottled water, represented by Genki Forest, is becoming popular, some consumers are also beginning to accept the international concept of homemade sparkling water, resulting in some local brands such as Sodasoda, Cocosoda, Airsoda, and other desktop sparkling water machines.
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan as the representative of sparkling water refrigeration equipment. They focus on compact and stylish design appearance, but electronic refrigeration can not reach the ultimate chilled taste as compressor refrigeration. The cool taste can not reach the request of the European and American markets. Its essence is still imitating the lifestyle of Europe and the United States, not the local culture, the total population and limited by the living space, under-the-table machine market space is limited.
As with most multi-frequency use products, repeat consumption for replacement cylinders and different flavors becomes the profit way for after-sales. But the downside is also obvious: if placed in the kitchen, it still takes up space and the sparkling water does not have the taste of chilled soda water. This is like drinking beer and Coke at normal temperatures. It is strange for Western consumers. There are many households that use ice cubes to get a similar taste, but the cost for an ice maker is around $100.00-$200.00.
Market for soda chiller and water chiller
In fact, people in most countries prefer cold water except in China, where young people increasingly prefer it.
And while soda is a global trend, the following countries clearly have a clear preference for ice water or ice soda.
United States
Germany
Australia
Israel
Italy
UAE
Brazil
Considering the cost of a soda chiller is much higher than a water chiller, and some markets are currently in a period of demand for water chillers, it would be more advantageous if manufacturers could offer both water chillers and soda chillers.
Current major difficulties for the market
. The home market atmosphere is not strong
Unlike the boiling water tap which has formed a mature market with increasing demand, for that boiling water is not only used for drinking, there are many practical functions, such as cooking, disinfection, and not limited by habit in different countries. So, in Europe, America and Asia, the popularity of boiling water faucets are quite widespread, and Quooker’s advertising slogan “A tap does it all” is also deeply rooted in people’s hearts. But chilled water has more limited by a single drinking request, and it is related to the climate, chilled water is used much less frequently than boiled water. We also note that Quooker does not have good sales for Quooker Cube since it is launched in 2018, but it may be because that Quooker’s advertising more focuses on 100℃ boiling water as well as the performance of the Quooker cube is not good for the chilled water capacity.
. More barriers to product use
End-user needs to connect the soda chiller to a water filter and a CO2 cylinder. Many brands in order to improve the specified repeat consumption, the water filter and gas cylinder are made of non-standard parts, the cost of continuous consumption is much higher than the standard replacement parts, which obviously increases the barriers to consumption.
. High initial investment
Most of the companies sell the under sink soda chiller to high-end residential homes and offices, only the under-counter machine reaches over $1000.00, excluding the faucet and forced water purification part, CO2 gas cylinder, gas cylinder pressure regulator, etc. It is common for the whole set to reach $3000.00.
For example, Quooker’s CUBE is priced at ₤1150.00 in the UK, while the whole set is ₤2500.00 or more, Grohe Blue is at $2500.00, and the price of ZIP or BILLI can reach $5000.00 or more. The price of Grohe Blue is lower only because it lacks the boiling water function. As the under sink water systems are separated by Grohe Red and Grohe Blue.
However, Quooker Cube and Grohe Blue’s soda chillers are not available as individual sales units; they must be used with their indicated faucet. Which undoubtedly also increases the cost of the first investment.
. High request for installation and after-sales
Unlike countertop water dispensers, the installation and maintenance of under sink soda chillers require much higher professionalism. As the machine is with compressor cooling, the weight for the machine is normally around 15kgs. And the machine has more connectors than the boiling water system which requests the installer has some professional knowledge to be familiar with the installation. And special must be prepared on the under-counter to exhaust the heat produced by the refrigerating circuit.
.Space request under the kitchen cabinet
The current under sink soda chillers or water chillers use an ice bank as refrigeration, the size of the machine is too big to set for normal standard kitchen space, With the request for ventilation. It is a challenge to keep the efficiency of the chilled water and the size small enough at the same time. While the relatively successful ones in this field are ZIP and Billi from Australia. Zip has been acquired by Culligan in 2017, and Billi is incorporated under Waterlogic. It is even required to customize the cabinet when using the under-sink soda water system. The space problem is not obvious for Australia and United States which are relaxed habitats. But in parts of Europe, China, Japan and South Korea, the kitchen space is limited to have enough room for the filter, water heater, water chiller, and gas cylinder under the sink.
. Laws and regulations and market access barriers
As mentioned above, these products are currently involved in water, electricity, gas management, compressor refrigeration and other industries, chill soda machines and their accessories can not be produced by a factory, but whether it is international electrical standards, standards for refrigeration systems or gas cylinder transportation, different countries have strict decrees and regulations.
In Germany, for example, for the production of products similar to Grohe Blue, which includes the machine, faucet, gas cylinder, water purifier, the manufacturers’ products at least have to be approved by CE, GS, SCCP, ROHS, REACH, KTW/DVGW, ErP, ISO9001, etc. Few companies can complete all the certifications in a short period of time, and the investment in research and development, and time for getting certification are a big item of the product cost. For the after-sale process, CO2 storage, transportation, recycling and refilling require considerable qualifications, all of which are very demanding on the after-sales service team basis on the laws and regulations requested.
.Scarcity of technical personnel
The under-counter chilled soda chiller concentrated multi-industries-water, electricity, filtration, CO2, etc. But no manufacturers can produce all the components. Which requests the technical persons or teams have the level of multi-faceted ability.
.New requirements of the Environmental energy efficiency Association
From 2005 to 2017, energy consumption and CO2 emissions are increasing. According to the EU Act, starting in 2022, electric appliances containing refrigerants will not be allowed to use R134A, which has higher emissions and will be replaced by other refrigerants such as R600A. These machines with R600 refrigerant are more efficient and use less dose than models with R134A, like the Hcdrink soda chiller and water chiller with 42g of R134A refrigerant, while R600A only needs 31g, but with exactly the same efficiency. The change in regulations will have a significant impact on manufacturers adjusting production lines or new product development.
.High production input costs
The investment in a production line with a compressor is at least $0.5 million in China, and the cost for the production line is only the tip of the iceberg. More related testing equipment, technicians, development, and certifications are important hidden costs in the production chain.
Global Market Situation and Analysis
.Market
From the above analysis, we can understand that the global market has more space for development, currently focusing on the US, Europe, Australia, UK, South Africa, UAE, South America and Southeast Asia markets.
As the concept of drinking soda water becomes more popular, the commercial and home soda machine market will be opened.
.Industry Situation
Due to brand awareness and promotion, Grohe Blue is well-known in the market.
Blanco from Germany has a similar idea to Grohe Blue’s. It mainly promotes the boiling water system and chilled water system separately.
In terms of global competition, direct competition among Quooker, Grohe and Blanco in Europe, while another direct competition is between Zip and Billi in Australia. The target competition for these companies is against the traditional countertop or standing water dispenser brands.
Quooker emphasizes that its core factor is 100℃ boiling water, its technology focuses on boiling water, and the target markets are the U.K., the Netherlands, and Germany. The generation 1 Quooker Cube came from Taiwan, China, and in our actual tests, the chilled water capacity was good as expected, with the average temperature of the water reaching about 10℃ and the efficiency of the chilled water just can reach 1.5L each time, after 20 minutes also the users just can get the second 1.5L chilled water. Such efficiency can not meet the commercial request. No data for the new Quooker Cube at this moment. In terms of product promotion, Quooker’s previous marketing was intended to make the Quooker cube a plus for Quooker boiling water. In Quooker’s complete water system, boiling water is the key point, Quooker Cube is optional.
Grohe Blue, because it is a separate system from Grohe Red, is a combination of warm & cold room temperature water and chilled water and chilled soda water, the market segmentation is more clear, benefits from Grohe’s global sales network, and three generations for Grohe blue. It has formed a technical accumulation and more accurate data collection.
Australia’s ZIP and BILL. Zip in Sydney and Billi in Melbourne are well-known brands in this industry. Their first design is not considered for home use, nowadays, both have market segments for home and commercial use. On the websites of these two companies, there is a very user-friendly menu model that selects systems based on the number of people using them. Real users like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft become the best advertising spokesperson.
We also noticed that Zp and Billi are doing Google Ads for the U.S. market, it can be seen that Zip and Billi are walking to the global market for the under sink water systems.
Let’s have some data on different brands of under-sink soda chillers.
| PICTURE | BRAND | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
 |
ZIP | AUSTRALIA |
 |
BILLI | AUSTRALIA |
 |
BlANCO | GERMANY |
 |
GROHE BLUE | GERMANY |
 |
QUOOKER CUBE | NETHERLANDS |
It is not yet possible to make a prediction about the market, it will take some time to have more market feedback, But there is not yet a clear product segmentation between home or commercial soda chillers and there is not a leading brand for it.
.Market size
There is no detailed data on this point, in 2017 ZIP was acquired by Culligan for $0.55 billion. Being a single brand in this segment can achieve such a valuation is very respectable, currently affected by the epidemic since 2020, the market size has not expanded significantly. After the end of the pandemic in 2023, with office workers returning to the workplace and normal daily life, We believe that the entire under sink water system will have significant growth, under sink drinking water equipment will appear more and more in the public area, commercial places and residence.
Australia’s population is ranked 55th in the world (2019), GDP per capita in 2017 is $49,930.00. There are more than 60 countries whose GDP per capita is more than $10,000(2019 statistics). Based on a 10% market estimate, the estimated overall market size of a single brand of more than $ 5.5billion = $0.55bilionX10 is reasonable.
Thoughts on Development
.Technology development direction
1. Chang refrigeration R134 asap
Due to the stricter environmental protection act by the EU from 2020, the refrigerant for compressors will be forcibly converted from R134A to R600A. For new manufacturers entering the industry, or for existing products, it is necessary to convert the compressor refrigerant to a refrigerant adapted to the new EU regulations soonest.
iWater is the first company in the industry to use R600A refrigerant in China. The filling equipment for R600A is completely different from R134A. And it requests that the factories have higher environmental protection, fire fighting and safety.
2. Full integration of atomized water and CO2
As mentioned above, the taste of soda water comes from the concentration of CO2 and the temperature of the water, so the full integration of water and CO2 is very important. The atomization of water is a necessary step in making soda water.
3. Separate or All-in-One
In actual sales, some customers check if there are any other brands like Zip to deliver boiling, chilled and chilled sparkling water from one machine. We call it an all-in-one under-sink machine.
Designing a compact size, and excellent performance of the all-in-one machine is the goal of all companies, but the problem of the all-in-one machine is also very obvious, big size affects each other the functions. Once the soda water function fails, the entire equipment has to be stopped using. which brings big trouble for consumers that there are no other functions they can get. The writer of the article agrees with Quooker, Hcdrink does, produce separate machines for the water boiler and chiller. And consumers can choose what they need or combine them.
4. Provide standard interface CO2 cylinders
At present, all brands are promoting their own non-standard interface cylinders, if the main brands can use the same interface cylinder, which can be easier for the sales service and quite helpful for consumers.
5. Filter cartridge replacement monitor
In the actual use of the process, it is difficult for consumers to remember to change filters regularly, if the manufacturer can add a filter cartridge monitor, or dealers in the after-sale market can remind the consumers, it would give consumers no worries for the after-sale service.
6. CO2 cylinder replacement reminder
Consumers can not realize whether there is gas inside the CO2 cylinder, if the manufacturer can equip a monitor to show how much is left in the CO2 cylinder, it will be greatly convenient for users to decide when to replace a new cylinder.
7. Faucet with space for coffee capsules or beverage capsules
Faucet with space for coffee capsules or drink capsules For office or business places, if the user wants to drink something, just put a coffee capsule or a different fizzy water taste flavoring capsule, a cup of the requested drink will be ready immediately, it would be more convenient to make different flavor drink. Of course, if we only want to drink a glass of plain water or the household does not want to use the capsule space, it does not matter, just leave it there as it is just part of the faucet.
8. Separate waterways for cleaning water and drinking water.
Filtered water is very common to drinking water from kitchen faucets, but filtered drinking water can be recontaminated if it comes out of the same pipe as regular cold&warm water. So providing separate pipes for drinking water from normal cold&warm water pipes should be considered when designing the faucet.
9. Cost Control
From the product’s functional concentration, the market potential of under-kitchen drinking water dispensers is huge but limited by the cost of the compressor, resulting in a small consumer market. If we can solve the cost problem from the technology level, or even we can abandon compressor refrigeration with a lower-cost way. So more consumers will benefit from under sink chilled water dispensers or sparkling water dispensers, perhaps this will bring real change to this industry.
10. Under sink soda machines are also available without a chilled water function.
Soda Streams and other countertop soda makers become daily consumer goods for their lower prices, the market size has reached a fairly rapid growth in the past few years. They attract a large number of young users. Is it possible to have under sink soda machine without chilled water? It will offer a wider range of options for those who like the taste of sparkling water, but not necessarily the taste of chilled water such as Chinese people. And for Northern Europe, where the inlet water temperatures are already low. This option would also make sense for manufacturing costs and sales prices.
11. Electronic control and the Internet of things
Mainstream brands use electronic faucets to control the system, Grohe and Zip have energy-saving modes, water leakage protection, Zip developed a sensor model to have no-touch control during epidemics. Which are worth learning. But as for remote control, Wifi docking, APP to view the CO2 residuals and cartridge replacement time. Can this idea be integrated into the kitchen products? The concept of the Internet of Things is not easy for niche classes of products and requires larger brands for whole-house smart integration. This involves the participation of overall kitchen brands, and such brands in this area have not yet entered this field, but in the special boiling water Chinese market, in 2021 several major brands occupied a large market share for under-sink water systems including boiling water and filtered normal temperature water. Such as Midea, Culligan, and A.O. Smith, each brand has a nice achievement for the Double 11 Promotion. But how about the under sink chilled water system, need time to have the result. A variety of new concepts were shown on the Netherlands Aquatech, the United States KBIS and other well-known global exhibitions, but from the actual market sales situation, it has not yet driven out a significant consumer trend.
Marketing directions
– From durable home appliances to fashionable consumer goods
Mainstream brands such as Grohe, ZIP sell the system as low-frequency & high-end appliances, we know that low-frequency procurement requires high pricing, and high-frequency procurement is normally set at a low price. Let us check the connection and reminds Grohe Blue’s FAQ:
WILL FILTERS FROM OTHER MANUFACTURERS FIT?
No, only original GROHE filters fit.
CO2 CYLINDERS:
WILL CYLINDERS FROM OTHER MANUFACTURERS FIT?
Unfortunately, 425 g CO2 cylinders are not standardized in the EU and valves and connections vary. Using a third-party CO2 cylinder can therefore result in damage to the CO2 pressure reducing valve and the seals built into it. This can lead to CO2 escaping, which endangers your health as a user. If the system is damaged by a third-party CO2 cylinder, the voluntary manufacturer’s warranty will be void. Only by using our CO2 cylinders can you, therefore, be sure that everything fits and is in full working order.
Having a standard to keep the quality is one aspect, but we can understand that the consumable items are the source of long-term profits. Just like in China, many brands of water purifiers are free to use and once you are used to having them, the cost of replacing the cartridge is completely more than the water purifier itself.
Grohe Blue’s marketing is still moderate, more borrowed for the influence of the brand and product features, target users are the high-end consumers. To improve the added value, there are multi-functions shown such as TDS value, leak protection, health management, personalization, App operation to remind and filter replacement, faucet operation with light flashing, digital display, etc.
But Quooker uses the concept of A tap does it all for promotion, basis on the product functions, using its fashion and cool elements in video advertisements. Such as opening the faucet with a flashing display and the number of rotating the nuts to have different functions of water. This is very attractive to young users and designers, seizing this attractive point, gives the faucet a more innovative way of expression.
But we also note that the Quooker CUBE’ss sales are much less than the boiling water system, we truly expect the Quooker New Cube to have an eye-catching marketing approach that can lead the under-sink soda machine to a new market.
Reinventing the market channel
On the consumer side, the first impression of seeing the under-kitchen drinking water system is: wow, this faucet is awesome with multi-functions! No matter where the boiling water or chilled water is produced from, the focus of consumer attention is on the faucet.
On the production side, the main production chain of the under-sink drinking water system is the electrical machines. Like ISE, Grohe, Quooker, and HCdrink produce the electrical machines in their own factory from development, design to production. While the faucet parts are produced from sourcing factories with independent design.
How is the sales process? Whether in advertising which shows more for the function of the faucet. Or the dealers are most from the sanitary ware field focus on multi-function faucets.
Here is the problem, for the lack of knowledge related to electrical appliances， the sales meet difficulties to promote the under sink water system with traditional sanitary knowledge. For example, the guarantee, for mechanical faucets, they are very durable for 5-10 years. But it is hard to request 5-10 years for electric parts/ the machines.
The dealer team must have relevant knowledge of electrical appliances and sanitary ware for maintenance during the after-sale process. In fact, it is requested from sale to after-sale. Otherwise, the sales enthusiasm will be hit by claims from consumers, which is not conducive to deep marketing.
The writer thinks it is important to have more home electric appliance brands participate in marketing. Or the sanitary ware distributors must have some professional plumbers with trained knowledge.
On the other hand, the under sink drinking water system concentrates electrical appliances and sanitary ware two industries, there are various certifications from different countries both for electric machines and faucets, the investment is quite high for the manufacturer to enter into different countries. And faucet for the under sink water system is not an ordinary faucet, limited by the high cost of a complete system, the market volume is small compared with normal kitchen faucets, the quantity for the multi-function kitchen faucet is low. But the consumers have personalized requests for both styles and finishings for the faucets, basis on the small order for faucets, the faucet manufacturers do have not high motivation in production.
Summary of R&D and market thinking on under-kitchen chilled water soda makers. The crossover of multiple markets (sanitary ware, electric appliance and filtration) and blurred positioning is the chance and problem under-sink soda chillers facing. Producing affordable, compact, easy to install, and convenient to use soda chiller is far more important than a remote control, adjusting vapor concentration and low temperatures machine. The global market currently lacks a globally recognized brand. And we expect there is an emergence of a leader in the field soon.
Following the introduction of the Hcdrink soda chiller, warmly welcome your comments and suggestion.