Aqualisa Quartz: Simply A Better Shower

1a) Customers

Shower buyers fall in three pricing segments: premium, standard and value. First, premium segment is conducted of people who mainly shop in showrooms. Their focus is on great service and high performance. Second segment is called standard. Customers in this segment rely on plumber recommendation and emphasize performance and service. Value segment conducts mainly customers who are primarily concerned with convenience and price. Thus, they like to avoid excavation and also tend to rely on independent plumber in selecting a product. Value segment falls in with DIY market, where people tend to buy in large retail shops, interested mainly in inexpensive models that are easy to install and they are also strongly price sensitive.

1b) Channel

Main three channels of distribution are Trade shops, Showrooms and DIY Sheds.

It is evident that Do-it-Yourself Sheds are dominant in sales for Electric Showers (550.000 units) , which are cheap and easy to install and designed for mass-market. Followed by Mixer Showers (80.000 units) and Power Showers (20.000 units). This represents buyers of lower pricing segment.

Showrooms tend to be for more high end products and customers with higher income. Here the best selling products are Mixer Showers (70.000 units), followed by Electric Showers (55.000 units) and Power Showers (20.000 units).

Trade Shops are places most applicable for plumbers, where reliable product availability is more important then technical advice. Mixer Showers are here also the best selling product (440.000 units), followed by Electric Showers (330.000 units) and Power Showers (110.000 units).

1c) Competition

UK Marketshare Data shows us that UK has five players which sell more then 100.000 units per year (data for year 2000) on the showers market. These are: Triton (545.500 units), Mira (390.000 units), Ganiesborough (203.500 units), Aqualisa (122.000 units) and Masco (120.000 units). If we focus on Electric Showers, Gainesborough (Aqualisa brand) is with 180.000 number of units sold on the 2nd place, behind Triton (479.000 units). In Mixer Showers category, Aqualisa is also second with 94.000 units (behind brand Mira with 200.000 units sold in year 2000).

1d) Company & market environment

UK shower market had (has?) a big potential, since only 60 percent haven’t had a shower. Many homes still had archaic, gravity based plumbing and cold water tank or cistern on the roof. Separate boiler and cylinder were needed to store hot water in a nearby airing cupboard. Sound like a good opportunity.

Aqualisa’s reputation was always strong in UK. It was perceived as a top quality shower, a premium brand with product quality.

2) Quartz shower value (relative to consumers)

Comparing Quartz shower with pump and Aqualisa 609 mixer shower with pump, gives us a few main points.

Aqualisa 609 mixer shower with pump:

- Standard segment

- Retail price = 715 EUR (+ pump 475 EUR)= 1390 EUR

Pros, Cons:

+ High quality, reliable, state of the art technology

- excavating the bathroom wall (two day job), high price

Quartz shower with pump

- Premium segment

- Retail price = 1080 EUR

Pros, Cons:

+