The global water softener market is forecast to grow by 6.98% per year between 2016 and 2020, according to a new report from Research and Markets. A significant driver of this growth is consumers purchasing water softeners in conjunction with RO (reverse osmosis) water purifiers. Among the other trends highlighted by the publication is the rise of wirelessly connected “smart devices”: by 2020, 70 million households in Europe and North America are expected to have most appliances monitored and controlled via the internet.