In today’s blog post, we will discuss behavioural economics in the field of water consumption and how our Alxedo Smart Water Purifier can be actively part of the solution for reducing unnecessary bottled water consumption.
What is Behavioral economics?
Behavioral economics is the field of study which blends psychology and economics and can help to provide insights into how and why individuals act in ways which are against their best interests.
Contrary to traditional economics, behavioural economics demonstrates that people are subjected to numerous biases and self-control issues when making decisions.
According to a study conducted by Gregory Donworth and Vaidehi Uberoi (University of Pennsylvania), there are several hidden biases such as social perceptions of drinking bottled water and perceived low cost of bottled water which considerably contribute towards its heavy consumption across the world. Single-use plastic water bottles are a major source of pollution and energy consumption not to mention a financial burden on consumers worldwide.
In order to spread more awareness among people consuming bottled water, principles from behavioural economics can be used to develop solutions to reduce the status symbol effect that branded water can have, and better frame its actual exorbitantly high costs.
As demonstrated in Gregory Donworth and Vaidehi Uberoi’s study, there are three main factors that influence consumers in their bottled water purchases: Lack of Trust, Status Symbol and Wrongly perceived bottled water’s low cost.
Lack of Trust
To this day, a general lack of trust in water quality constitutes the primary reason why consumers prefer buying bottled water; this is due to safety concerns on drinking tap water which is generally perceived as unhealthy to consume. Furthermore, individuals are influenced by the status quo bias where they prefer things to stay the same by doing nothing, or by continuing with a decision that was previously made even though this might affect them negatively.
How can our Smart Water Purifier possibly encourage safe and drinkable tap water consumption for consumers?
Thanks to its highly effective reverse osmosis system allowing to remove all chemicals, non-dissolved and dissolved solids, viruses, bacteria present in the water, people can safely consume their purified tap water. To provide evidence for their safe consumption, our Smart Water Purifier is equipped with sensors and WIFI to provide a real-time indication of the water quality to its users. Therefore, Alxedo offers a safe solution for accessibility and a new level of confidence in drinkable tap water.
Status Symbol
Status symbol constitutes the second reason which might lead consumers in their bottled water’s purchase decisions: as the majority of consumer-packaged goods, also bottled water has been heavily branded and marketed in recent years. Consumers are most likely to consider buying branded bottled water if they are properly sponsored by renowned athletes, celebrities and other authority figures.
Being an environmentally conscious company, Alxedo believes that a habit of sustainable living will be considered as an honorable and demanded status in our society. We are starting a movement towards a plastic-free water consumption where being part of is perceived as a more valuable status than a branded plastic bottle ever was.
Perceived low costs of bottled water
Generally bottled water on average costs 300 times more than tap water, but still, when people shop in convenience or grocery stores, bottled water is perceived as one of the lower-priced items available, causing it to be a largely common purchased item.
We at Alxedo want to overcome once and for all the obstacle of bottled water consumption by providing the best water quality for our consumers at a more affordable price than bottled water. Our app allows monitoring your money savings through using our Smart Water Purifier and avoiding bottled water consumption.
How can we at Alxedo manage to do so?
The Alxedo’s monthly subscription offers a free installation of the purifier, more than 50% discount on the purifier, all features of the app for water quality monitoring and the free delivery and exchange of the cartridges. With our offer we guarantee the best possible water quality to our clients, provide the evidence of our quality standards through the water quality indication in our app, the convivence of the automated and free cartridge exchange and at an average cost reduction of 43% in comparison to bottled water.
We at Alxedo strongly believe that we can be part of the solution by offering an affordable, safe, and environmentally friendly alternative for drinkable tap water directly available inside of our homes.
To learn more about us: alxedo.mx
