AQUALISA QUARTZ

AQUALISA QUARTZ
The Future of Showering

MARKET SCENARIO
Initial Days:
1. Archaic Plumbing
2. Gravity Fed hence cold water tank needed at roof
3.

Separate boiler and cylinder needed to store hot water

Limitations:
4. Poor to- low water pressure i.e 3-4 litres/min
5. Temperature variation due to frequent fluctuations in pressure
Solution:
ELECTRIC SHOWERS or Special UK showers

SHOWER TYPES LAUNCHED

- Electric elements present

to heat water which were
mounted on a bulky box
visible in shower stall
- Eliminated need for boiler
- Aqualisa sold them under
Gainsborough brand
Disadvantage:
-Did not solve poor water
flow problem

- Two types available:

1. Manual (user controlled
temperature)
2. Thermostatic (automatic
temperature control)
- Required excavation of
bathroom wall to install, 2
day process
- Booster pump could be
installed to boost pump, cost
extra

- Single compact unit

- Combined thermostatic
mixer
valve and a booster pump
Disadvantages:
- Had to be mounted in the
shower
- Not reliable

AQUALISA MAJOR SHOWERS

Mixer Shower Valve
- Major product: Aquavalve 609

Integral Power Shower

- Major Product: Aquastream

Thermostatic mixer
valve
and booster
pump
-Qualities
1. Reliable
power
2. High quality
3. State of art technology
- Supplemented by Aquaforce
Booster pump for stronger presure

-20,000 units sold per year

- Strongest selling shower in the
shower category

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS AND DRAWBACKS

Apart from Low Pressure and temperature fluctuations, other complaints were:
1. Break after sometime
2. Valves become stiff and hard to turn
3. Seals leak or go out of date
4. Worn out easily
Few drawbacks observe were:
5. Uninformed customers
6. Lower understanding of product options
7. Low brand awareness

PRICING SEGMENTS

Premium

Standard

Value

Do- ItYourself

Shopped in
showrooms

Relied on
independent
plumber to
select product
for them

Relied on
independent
plumber to
select product
for them

Shopped at large
retail outlets

Style determined
selection of
product

Emphasizes on
performance and
service

Concerned with
convenience and
price

Primary interest
was inexpensive
model that are
easy to install

BREAKTHROUGHS??
Developer concerns after property development in UK:
1.

Build reliable, nice looking products

2.

Products that work in multiple settings

3.

Happy plumbers were crucial

ShowerMax Showers :
4.

Delivered high pressure shower at lower cost

5.

Had Aqualisa technology

Result:
Satisfied consumers
Rawlinson quoted: At Aqualisa we have tended to do a re-launch every 3 to 4
years. We have changed the look and made incremental technological changes to
boost performance and quality
Drawback:
Mechanisms inside new products had not changed

Channels of Distributions
Trade Shop
Primary customers were plumbers.AquaLisa was
available in 40% of trade shop. Trade shops focuses on
availability of product rather than technical advice.

Showrooms
Keeps high-end product for designing bathroom as per
the requirement of the customers. Showrooms also
offers installation services by subcontracting with
contractors and plumbers.

DIY Sheds
Do it yourself outlets sales products which are cheaper
and easier to retrofit. Aqualisa was not available in
these kind of outlet but its Gainsbourough brand was
available in 70% of approx 3000 outlets.

U.K shower by product type and channel

Power Shower

DIY

Showrooms

Trade Shops

DIY

Others

Mixer Shower

DIY

Showrooms

Trade Shops

Others

Showrooms

Trade Shops

Others

Plumbers
These are the peoples with high end technical expertise.
Has to undergo several years of training 3years of
apprenticeship to become master plumber.
Has significant shortage of plumber in uk.
Charges about 40 to 50 pound per hour for there services.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE

QUARTZ SHOWER VALVE

THE BACKGROUND

Aqualisa was a sought-after brand in the

premium segment that made top quality
showers with a market share of number
three in the overall U.K shower market

REASONS BEHIND AQUALISAS

VULNERABILITY
Increase in competition
Markets perception that the product is overpriced
Drop in service quality

MEASURES TAKEN TO MAINTAIN MARKET

SHARE
Brought together a team that consisted of:
Engineers
R and D personnel
Sales and Marketing people
Market researcher
The above people brainstormed to come up with methods to improve
the shower

THE MEASURES THAT WERE ADOPTED

Pressure was adjusted based on customer

preference
Temperatures were set optimally
Use of electronics to control the valve to mix water
seperately

A BREAKTHROUGH IN SHOWER TECHNOLOGY

Quartz Standard Shower

- Designed for installations that already had or did not need a pump.

Quartz Power Shower

-Designed for installations that needed a pump ; it came with a pump.

INSTALLATION

Steps of Installation
- The plumber had to identify a physical space to
accommodate the remote processor.
- The processor contained the thermostatic mixing valve and
pump.
- The device could be mounted horizontally, vertically or any
side depending on available space.
- It took just half a day to install.
- The plumbers found it pretty easy to install.
- It provided one touch control to user.
- The temperature control is automatic.

Proof of the pudding

It was a curtain Raiser at major shows like Bathroom

Expo: Adjudged the Winner!
It was highly appreciated by the press on its
cleverness and elegant design.
It Featured on the covers of trade journals .
As they were dealing with electronics, the wireless
technology to do wonders with it was almost trivial.

INITIAL SALES RESULT

20 person sales force

Sold to distributors, trade shops, showrooms,
developers & plumbers
90% focus of sales force on maintaining existing
customer 10% on developing new customers
After launch Aqualisa sales force contacted its
network of plumbers, calling face-to-face to introduce
& explain the new product

Initially very few products were sold. Production

manager & channel partner took a huge loss and
considered Quartz products a failure
Main reason was the resistance towards new innovation
by plumbers
Gained high acceptance in showroom and gradually
change in demand for the product was expected

DEVELOPMENT OF QUARTZ SHOWER

VALVE

WHAT LED TO THE CHANGE?

Rawlinson believed innovation was needed to survive in
future
Reasons:
1. Other companies catching up in terms of product quality
2. Actual service of Aqualisa had slipped over the past few
years
3. 105 showers still went wrong

PROCESS FOLLOWED TO IMPROVE

Research studies to understand consumers problems

Applied technology to industrial applications

Research Results
a. Consumers needs:

Great looking shower

Delivers good pressure at stable temperatures

Easy to use

Does not break down

b. Plumbers needs

Easy to install

Guarantee regarding break down

Requires no servicing

RESULTED PRODUCT

Quartz
Electronics in Shower for controlling valve
Two thirds running speed which was preferred more
than maximum pressure
Maximum temperature of 45 degrees instead of 41
degrees which was optimal water temperature

GROUP MEMBERS
SHAGUN BHATNAGAR
NIKHILESH S
SANKET ROY
RONAK SHARMA
UTKARSH PRASAD
POOJA RAWAT
MOUKTIK ADAK
AMBAR A