Drinking Consumer Insights

Trend - Bubble tea options have expanded into ready-to-drink formats, and even brewing companies are taking inspiration from the beverage's ingredients. Specialty brews with creamy textures, tapioca pearls, brown sugar and fruity flavors offer a new take on the popular Taiwanese beverage.

Insight - Gen Z and Millennials are adventurous eaters, with these generations more likely to try new F&B products and explore global foods. Their openness to F&B has been impacted by social media--where being introduced to global cuisines or novelty foods is the norm. These demographics seek out new food experiences and purchase from brands that prioritize authenticity when replicating traditional foods.

Trend - As more consumers turn to healthier alternatives to alcohol, no or low-alcohol beverages and mixers are being infused with vitamins to up their nutritional benefits. Wine, beer, seltzers and mixers are all being adapted for the modern, health-conscious consumer.

Insight - Millennial and Gen Z are changing what social drinking looks like, opting for low abv, healthy ingredients, or alternatives to alcohol altogether--like using cannabis instead. These consumers are increasingly seeking out drinking experiences that help relax them and make them feel good--on top of being better for them. As Gen Z consume less alcohol than proceeding generations, they seek out brands that adapt to their lifestyle and more casual approach to drinking.

Trend - Coffee brands have focused their sustainability goals to the pods and coffee grounds themselves, but some brands are now making machines and brewers that are also eco-friendly. Brewers are being made with low-power functions, recycled (and recyclable) materials, and extended lifespans.

Insight - As more consumers are introduced to convenient and effective eco-friendly alternatives to traditional products, they're more likely to value sustainability when searching for products they intend to use in the long term. Eco conscious consumers are looking for ways to steadily adopt a lifestyle that has minimal environmental impact--and seek out brands that make sustainable claims without asking consumers to change their habits and routines.

Trend - Soju seltzers and cocktails are alcoholic beverages that are made with soju, a distilled spirit that originated in Korea. Soju has a mild flavor profile and lower alcohol content in contrast to other alcohols and is often mixed with other ingredients to create refreshing and flavorful drinks.

Insight - Soju is often shared among friends or enjoyed during meals, so consumers gravitate toward it to foster a sense of togetherness and enhance their social interactions. It is often considered an affordable alcoholic option, making it ideal for consumers who want to enjoy good and cheap alcohol. Soju also typically has a lower alcohol content compared to other spirits, appealing to individuals who prefer milder alcoholic beverages. It contains fewer calories than other spirits and is often lower in sugar, making it a popular choice for people who want to drink but are conscious about their health and consumption habits.

Trend - Brands are tapping into nostalgic soda flavors, reimagining these drinks as health-positive products filled with probiotics. These items satisfy nostalgic desires for hearty, classic sodas while simultaneously boosting consumers' gut health.

Insight - Many consumers remember the joy of drinking soda as a youth. However, far fewer customers continue to drink soda in adulthood for health reasons. These consumers desire to recapture these flavorful, youthful experiences, but not to the detriment of their own health. Therefore these customers place pressure on brands to create better-for-you products that appease nostalgia.

Trend - Brands are repurposing a traditional Japanese tea style, Hojicha, in drinks and desserts in the west. Hojicha, while commonly a health-focused drink in Japan, has a strong roasted flavor profile that suits desserts and sweet drinks well. The ingredient is gaining popularity in North America.

Insight - Tea drinkers in the west gravitate toward teas with strong flavors and underlying health benefits. Even when seeking dessert-style drinks like bubble tea, these consumers do not always want caffeinated black teas as the base, but rather something lighter and healthier mixed with sweet ingredients. These green teas leave the consumers feeling less bloated, but they often have a bitter flavor profile. This led to brands looking to more traditional teas for alternate flavor palates.

Trend - Brands are crafting non-alcoholic sparkling sodas with common cocktail ingredients like bitters and spritzes. These sodas offer the strong bitter flavor of cocktails in a bar mixed with the refreshing nature of sparkling sodas while enabling guilt-free consumption without alcohol.

Insight - Consumers are drawn to cocktails over traditional drinks for their strong bittersweet flavors. However, the inflated prices charged at bars combined with the challenges associated with drinking alcohol, make these flavors less accessible in everyday life. Thus, consumers place pressure on brands to craft alcohol-free, refreshing products that do not compromise on the powerful bittersweet flavors of cocktails.

Trend - Hotels are infusing drinks and dishes with CBD, incorporating CBD oils into massages, and selling products infused with high-quality CBD for health purposes. These businesses focus on the health benefits of CBD as it pertains to rest, relaxation, stress relief--all fundamental aspects of the hospitality industry.

Insight - Travellers prioritize rest and relaxation while staying at a hotel or resort. This is especially true now, as the wellness industry grows and enters even the most unlikely categories. Now, more customers are seeking out hotels that prioritize mental and physical wellness in the modern ways that they're accustomed to. Hotels are responding to this pressure by implementing experimental practices across spa services, restaurants and amenities.

Trend - At-home beverage kits that encapsulate the flavors that are popular in Latin American countries are seeing more popularity. These kits offer nostalgia for those who grew up with these flavors--and for those who didn't, an interactive way to expand their knowledge of other cuisines.

Insight - Food kits are popular because they make busy consumers' lives easier by reducing time spent cooking, without sacrificing quality. The growth of the meal kit business model has resulted in brands competing for market share, often by broadening their demographic appeal. Authenticity in this process is important to consumers who are accustomed to homemade cultural foods, and therefore have high expectations for food brands that prioritize convenience in their cultural offerings.

Trend - The restaurant and QSR industries are bouncing back from the Pandemic by better gathering insights on what consumers care about. Technologies dedicated to listening to and implementing suggestions for improving the dining experience are increasing in popularity. This can be done by gathering data on ordering platforms, surveys, and more.

Insight - Now that restrictions have been lifted in most parts of the world, the return to dining is in full force. That said, consumer attitudes toward in-person experiences have changed dramatically over the Pandemic, meaning the experiences themselves must evolve in turn. Further to that, consumer expectations of in-person experiences vary greatly depending on their political beliefs, risk tolerance, enthusiasm, etc. Thus, more insight and technology-enabled personalization are necessary.