Water Sensations Storms Beverage Industry with 3,500 Stores in its First Year
How does a new company get their product into 3,500 stores in its first year? Nina Riley, entrepreneur and CEO of Water Sensations, maker of the first clear liquid flavor enhancer for water admits that four key factors converged to help Water Sensations penetrate the market quickly and effectively; first to market with a product that filled a real need, know the trends and use them to your advantage, maximize every single sales opportunity and build a business the old fashion way, with hard work and infinite enthusiasm.
Southport, CT (PRWEB) May 31, 2006 -- Nina Riley remembers the day she went to the gym without her post-Spin Class drink – a bottle of fruit-flavored water. “Everything in the gym vending machines was either packed with sugar and calories, or boring and flavorless,” Riley explains. “It gave me an idea that it would be great if there was just a simple packet of clear liquid natural flavor that you could add to your water, anytime and anywhere," Riley recalls. She mentioned the idea to her workout partner Carolyn Frzop, and the two realized they were on to something new, different and trend-setting. With Riley’s 20-year background as a marketing executive in brand management, and Frzop’s experience as a Wall Street executive, it wasn’t long before the two decided to take their partnership to the next level.
"We saw this gap in the beverage industry as a real opportunity and we knew we had the experience to start a business that would fill the void," Riley explains. We wanted to offer a convenient, clear liquid water enhancement product that, when added to a single-serving bottle or glass of water, would infuse it with delicious and exciting flavor – but no sugar, carbs or calories and with no stirring or shaking required, unlike messy powders. “It had to have great flavor and be convenient,” Riley notes. “And just as importantly, it had to be more economical than buying flavored bottled water.” She and Frzop founded Water Sensations, Inc., and in early 2005 they launched the product line that bears the same name in six natural flavors: lemon, grape, orange, kiwi-strawberry, mixed berry and peach.
“In one year alone, we have placed the Water Sensations product line in more than 3,500 stores across the country,” Riley notes, “including powerhouse retailers like Target, Shop & Stop, Giant, Cub Foods, The Food Emporium, Big Y and Kroger, along with hundreds of small chain and independent stores.” Most industry buyers and hopeful vendors would agree that such initial “saturation” is far from usual, and Riley admits that four key factors converged to help them penetrate the market quickly and effectively.
1. First to Market: Water Sensations is the first product on the market that satisfied an unfulfilled need within a growing industry – a convenient, neat, individually packaged clear liquid flavor enhancer for water that truly makes drinking water more enjoyable without adding sugar, calories or artificial flavors or colors. At Ahold USA, the parent company to Stop & Shop, Tops, Giant Food (Landover, MD) and Giant Food Stores (Carlisle, PA) grocery store chains, James Sturgis, Jr., Director of Supplier Diversity, said, “When we look at a product for placement in our stores, we look for products that
are unique and innovative. We feel that Water Sensations fits both of these criteria. We're confident that this product would do very well in our stores."
2. Know the Trend: Riley and Frzop knew that bottled water sales were outpacing every other soft drink category by a rapid clip. In fact, according to Beverage Marketing magazine’s most recent market study, Americans purchased nearly 7 billion gallons of bottled water in 2004 – up 8.6% over 2003 levels. They also knew that, while some enhancers existed and the trend was growing, the offerings came mostly in powder form or pre-flavored water directly from the bottlers. “We recognized this trend early on, and we found ways to improve on it by making clear liquid flavor enhancers for water that were more convenient, less messy, more flavorful, less artificial and more cost-effective,” Riley recalls. Even the packaging is far different than that of the competition; its patent-approved bottled shape foil “liqui-pack” is brighter, cleaner and more upbeat, appealing to the brand’s target market in a happy, uncluttered way. “Unique packaging and its clear liquid product form is what gives Water Sensations its point of difference in the market, which is key to penetration, “ she adds. “If you’re no different – or better – than the other products on the shelves, the stores have no reason to put you there.”
3. Maximize the Opportunities: Riley and Frzop took advantage of every lead and resource that could help them launch and grow the Water Sensations business. Key among them was getting certified as a Women-owned business through the WBENC which opened doors to supplier diversity directors within the grocery industry. Networking was also extremely important in terms of establishing key contacts for sales brokers, product developers and package designers. “Having long-term marketing experience in the food industry, meant that launching Water Sensations was familiar terrain” Riley notes.
4. Built the Old-Fashioned Way: Finally, Riley and Frzop agree, Water Sensations, Inc. has been built largely the “old-fashioned” way, through dogged determination and diligence. “We decided very early on that ‘can’t’ wasn’t an option, and we stuck with that philosophy throughout the first year,” Frzop confirms. Riley adds, “With decades of experience in the business world, we knew the key to success was following up, and never giving up.”
Riley and Frzop are hardly content to rest on the success of the Water Sensations line. Building the “Sensations” brand is important and there are more opportunities for strong line extensions. Their recent launch called Sport Sensations is the first all-natural clear liquid sport drink concentrate provides active athletes with a new alternative to artificially colored sport drinks. Because it’s a concentrate, it is less expensive than leading ready-to-drink sport drink brands. Sport Sensations is available in lemon-lime, fruit punch and mixed berry flavors. It replenishes electrolytes lost during exercise, but contains only 45 calories and 12 grams of sugar per serving.
The trend toward replacing other soft drink consumption with water is still rising, and industry experts predict it will continue to do so. Meanwhile, the water enhancement “niche” is open to the possibilities of more flavors, functions and other variables. “We are confident that Water Sensations is in the right place at the right time for continued success,” Riley concludes.
About Water Sensations, Inc.
Water Sensations, Inc. markets the industry’s newest water enhancer, Water Sensations®, as the first clear liquid flavor enhancer for water. All natural and sweetened with sucralose, Water Sensations® is sugar free, calorie free and carbohydrate free. Water Sensations® is available in 3,500 stores in the U.S., including Target, Shop & Stop, The Food Emporium, IGA, Big Y, Krogers and more. Water Sensations, Inc. was founded in 2005 by Nina Riley, a marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience in classic marketing and brand management for companies including Philips Electronics, Unilever, Lipton, General Foods and General Mills. Ms. Riley has developed brand strategy, retail strategic alliances, advertising campaigns and joint ventures for high profile brands including Norelco Razors, Lipton Soups and Side Dishes, Wishbone Salad Dressings, Lawry’s Seasoning, Ragu Chicken Tonight Simmer Sauces, Post Cereal and more. She holds an MBA from Penn State and a BS from Ithaca College. More information on Ms. Riley and her company, Water Sensations, can be found online at www.WaterSensations.com/health/.
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