Bengaluru-based water purifier rental company, DrinkPrime is using the subscription model and technology to gain more customers and achieve exponential growth. Co-founder Manas Ranjan Hota is quite bullish about reaching a million subscribers by 2025
By Anurima Das
Subscription is becoming the new norm in India. Realising its potential, many brands have started to adapt it to their benefit to create a niche. Water purification company DrinkPrime, for instance, has experienced 500% growth in 2019-2020.It has recorded 330% growth in the first six months of 2022, piggybacking on the subscription model.
Primarily into water purification, DrinkPrime has created its own niche in retail. Manas Ranjan Hota, Co-founder, and COO, DrinkPrime speaks to IndiaRetailing.com about the brand’s business model and tech-backed retail focus.
How it works
DrinkPrime rents out water purifiers. The subscription plans start as low as ₹339/month. Subscribers get a 7-day risk-free trial, allowing customers to experience all the functionalities before committing to the plan. Usually, 97% of those who try go ahead with the subscription.
Subscribers can sync their water purifiers to the DrinkPrime mobile app to track water consumption, monitor water purifier health, recharge their subscription, reach out for support and refer others. The company proactively schedules free maintenance checks. “We completely rely on technology and digital platforms to reach our subscribers. This helped us expand to Hyderabad in 2020 and Delhi NCR in 2021 amidst the pandemic. We grew by 500% between 2019 and 2021,” co-founder Manas Ranjan Hota said.
Connected to customers
Operating on a D2C model without middlemen like dealers and distributors has helped DrinkPrime understand its customers better. “We noticed two major changes in customer behaviour we have noticed post the COVID period: One, people are more aware of the importance of clean and safe access to drinking water and are much more health conscious. Two, they are also looking for services and products that help them worry less about their day-to-day requirements,” said Hota. He added that both trends have led to an increase in demand for DrinkPrime.
DrinkPrime focuses a lot on its website and uses it as the primary platform to communicate and reach consumers. It ensures that the platform is updated regularly and offers a seamless experience to visitors. “Digital marketing is inevitable for any brand these days. It helps create an image of your brand, helps the customers connect with you, and maintains the touchpoint. From behind the scenes to future plans, your customers can stay with you along your journey and you can be transparent to them,” explained Hota.
The brand places special attention on customer voices and listens to their feedback to rectify or tweak things to register more growth. Hota and his team are quite bullish and want to reach a million subscribers by 2025. They have always aspired to be a brand-driven organization.
More importantly, DrinkPrime is clear about its positioning. “We are not a water purifier manufacturing company, we are a drinking water company. Currently, less than 50% of the Indian population has access to safe drinking water. We will do whatever it takes to make a difference,” he said.
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Success Mantras
- Understand the problem your business is solving.If your product or service does not solve a pain point for the consumer, eventually there will be no need for it.
- Figure out the problem you want to solve or are solving and provide a solution.
- Be present where your audience is.
- Have clear messaging and offerings.
