The scorching summer in Bangalore saw temperatures soaring into the forties, but it also marked a significant milestone for Waterful, a rehydration power drink brand. “April just took off for us,” Founder Prithish Nair shares. “People are realizing the importance of conscious consumption. Thanks to the heat, they’re looking for healthier hydration options, questioning the sugar and artificial ingredients in traditional drinks.”
In a market saturated with sugary, artificially flavored drinks, Waterful is making waves with its commitment to conscious consumption and natural ingredients. Nair attributes much of their success to one key factor: social media, particularly Instagram. The platform has played a pivotal role in making Waterful go viral and significantly boosting product inquiries.
“We recently shared 2 or 3 cocktail recipes on Instagram, and they went viral. It seems people are looking for fun, cost-effective solutions. We have already created two ASMR videos and are working on a third, featuring a very interesting product called Piña Colada. Interestingly, we received an inquiry from a caterer who serves 50,000 meals a month and is keen to try our products because of the demand for cocktails,” Nair elaborates.
Nair also highlights a particularly impactful story shared on their Instagram page about a six-year-old boy with Type 1 diabetes. His mother tested Waterful and found no spike in his blood sugar levels, a testament to the product’s natural formulation. “That particular video did very well for us,” Nair remarks. “We utilised it in our performance marketing, and it further boosted our visibility.”
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Scaling Success: From 50-60 to 100-150 Orders Daily
The brand’s strategy of leveraging user-generated content (UGC) and relatable stories has paid off. Waterful has already seen significant improvement, going from 50-60 orders a day to 100-150 orders a day.
“Our numbers are looking very healthy. My gut feeling is that we should reach triple-digit growth in the next 2 to 3 months, especially as the B2B segment expands. We’ve experienced some disruptions on Meta due to the IPL and elections, but we expect things to stabilize by the first week of June, allowing us to return to triple-digit growth,” he says.
Future Goals: Scaling Up and Innovating with UGC
Brand’s next milestone is to achieve 300-400 orders a day, focusing on millage packs. Besides that, Nair plans to start using the next level of UGC, hinting at more innovative campaigns in the pipeline. This approach has not only driven sales but also fostered a loyal community that values transparency and quality, he says.
Focusing on primarily two channels: D2C website and Amazon, Waterful has yielded impressive results, Nair says, “Daily D2C sales have reached 2 to 2.5 lakhs, and we expect to hit 50 lakhs this month.”
Besides that an organic boom in the B2B sector has also fueled Waterful’s growth. “We were surprised by the emergence of B2B direct channels,” says Nair. “Golfers, hotels, and even spas are adopting Waterful in large numbers.” The brand has become a favorite among golfers who prefer it over traditional electrolyte drinks, and luxury hotels like JW Marriott and Leela Palace are serving it as a refreshing welcome drink.
Looking ahead, Waterful plans to introduce two groundbreaking products and intensify its focus on B2B and specialized retail channels. “We enlisted a senior person from the industry to grow our B2B segment,” Nair says. Additionally, they aim to enhance their D2C strategy by exploring premium retail and pharmacy channels.
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