The modern consumer will pay for anything. There are so many things in life that we simply don’t need that we pay crazy money for. Years ago when a product was created the first question that was asked was “do consumers actually need this product?” and “what will they pay for it?”. Today these questions don’t make as much sense as many products bought today simply aren’t needed. The best example is bottled water. While in some countries tap water can not be consumed in most modern countries it can be consumed easily. This would make you think that bottled water should have low sales in countries with access to good tap water while higher sales in countries with poor tap water. The opposite is true. In the most developed countries in the world bottled water is one of the highest selling items. It makes no sense.
From an economic perspective we are told that bottled water sells because of the convenience it offers, the better taste it offers and the practical use that a small bottle provides. Yet most drinking water tastes perfectly fine, most people have easy access to tap water and everyone could purchase a long life bottle and refill it with tap water very easily. Considering the current environmental issues that are taking place that are many that are actually calling for the sale of bottled water to be banned.
Bottled water is incredibly cheap. You can buy a bottle of 750ml water for around $1 in most shops. While that is cheap it is a lot more expensive than free. Yet water can be purchased at a much higher price too. Let’s take a look at some of the most expensive bottles of water that money can buy.
There are a wide range of luxury water brands that charge around $5 for water that comes from a spring or well that supposedly offers some life changing nutrients. Yet for $23 you can purchase a bottle of Veen 5. Veen comes from Finland and is said to be one of the freshest and purest waters on the planet. The water is naturally filtered through ice before being collected. Bling H20 is another brand that costs $40. It has a taste that has won several awards and goes through a nine stage filtration process. The design of the bottle clearly indicates this is something created for upmarket nightclubs.
From here things start to get really expensive. A bottle of Fillico could cost you $219. The water here comes from a famous spring in Japan and the bottle is adorned with Swarovski crystals. Fancy. It appears people will pay extremely high amounts for something that is either really fancy or with strong health claims. The second most expensive bottle that we found claims to cure many of life’s ailments. Kona Nigari Water works out at around $402 and is said to help you lose weight, improve your skin and make you live longer. The bottle is very popular with 8,000 being sold each day in Japan alone.
The most expensive water on our list doesn’t seem so special at all. Acqua di Cristallo Tributo a Modigliani sells for $60,000 for 750ml making it the finest luxury brand of water in the world. The water comes from the natural springs of Fiji which likely make it pretty nice but then there are many other brands of water that come from Fiji so it’s not particularly special. What is special though is the 24 karat gold bottle that it comes in. This makes this bottle a product that is reserved for the rich and famous.