American consumers are thirsting for water like never before. Behind soft drinks, bottled water is currently the No. 2 non-alcohol beverage category by sales and has amassed $12.7 billion in sales, up 6.9 percent, in U.S. supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers, gas and convenience stores, military commissaries, and select club and dollar retail chains for the 52 weeks ending May 17, according to data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI), Chicago.
A November 2014 Harris online poll commissioned by the Alexandria, Va.-based International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) found that 96 percent of Americans believe they should be drinking more water.