The coronavirus crisis is catalysing adoption of contactless shower toilets as hygiene concerns escalate, says Lixil Thailand, a maker of sanitaryware and housing products.
Lixil country manager Audrey Yeo said people are paying more attention to personal hygiene and maintaining higher hygiene standards as the outbreak alters everyday life.
"Demand for hygienic sanitaryware is on the rise as hygiene becomes more important at both commercial and residential properties," she said. "We will refocus on hygiene in our products."
During the virus spread, 60% of customers in Thailand chose contactless shower toilets, up from 20% pre-pandemic.
Many project owners also upgraded their products to sensor toilets in the wake of the virus concern.
Ms Yeo said the trend also dominates the market in China, as well as Indonesia, where locals use washlet toilets but with a manual bidet.
"Thailand was the first adopter in Asia-Pacific, in line with the path of the virus spread," she said. "In the US and the EU, shower toilets became popular as more people changed from paper to shower toilets."
Launched over 50 years ago, shower toilets are popular in Japan, where nearly all toilets are shower toilets.
To capitalise on rising demand for hygienic sanitaryware, Lixil will launch three new models of contactless shower toilets in the third quarter this year, up from only one or two new models per year.
"We launched washlet toilets in Thailand three years ago when demand was not surging as it is this year," Ms Yeo said. "The virus has been a catalyst for behaviour changes over a short period."
She said the need for hygiene will push stronger demand for products and technologies like touchless faucets, shower toilets and Internet of Things-enabled solutions.
When people travel less and spend more time at home, this behaviour also boosts demand for home renovation.
Commercial buildings will need better hygiene management measures. This will be a key component for tenants, increasing the overall value of properties that offer these solutions, Ms Yeo said.
She said some hotels have taken the opportunity to renovate their properties for post-virus services.
"After a slowdown in the second quarter, the sanitaryware market in Thailand will improve in the second half, driven by government stimulus," she said.
Lixil has four key brands -- Japan's Inax and Tostem, Germany's Grohe and the 140-year-old American Standard brand from the US -- with 93 factories across the globe.