Market Update
By : MANMITA KAMLAPURKAR
- Editor at Transparency Market Research
B
ets are that you will soon find
yourself trading your champagne
for a refreshing fruit juice, or
for an aged non-alcoholic drink. The
beverage industry is buzzing with
the emergence of several options
for teetotallers. A plethora of fruit-
flavoured drinks, energy boosting
drinks, dairy drinks and other non-
alcoholic drinks are surfacing in the
global non-alcoholic drinks market.
Several studies indicate that booze
is losing out to low-alcohol or zero-
alcohol beverages. Forbes writes
about how anti-wine advertisements
are gaining attention to declining beer
sales. As a result, prominent brands
in the alcoholic beverages section are
venturing into non-alcoholic products.
For instance, Budweiser is reportedly
expanding its line of non-alcoholic
drinks and 8 percent of the company’s
global beer sales volume comes from
low or non-alcoholic drinks.
Now, the question is - what all trends
are influencing this industry? A study by
Transparency Market Research (TMR)
identifies a few prominent trends that
affect the consumption of non-alcoholic
drinks across the globe.
It’s not ‘Cool’ to get
Drunk Anymore
While the millennial generation’s
typical night out or weekend soiree
is incomplete without alcohol, the
next-generation youth exhibits a new
behaviour. Generation Z, heavily
documenting their lives on social media,
are aware that the internet never
forgets. This generation is reportedly
drinking lower amounts of alcohol
than their millennial counterparts
when they were between the ages
of 18 and 24 years. This generation
is hyper-aware of trends such as:
veganism; organic products; quality
healthcare; and sobriety. Termed as
‘clean lifers’ members of this class
are turning their backs on alcohol, or
indulging less frequently in activities
that could tarnish their online image.
While millennials are blamed for the
downfall of beer sales over the last
few years, the changing ‘coolness’
quotient of the upcoming generation
further incites the need for alternative
options, boosting opportunities in the
non-alcoholic drinks segment.
TMR projects the global non-alcoholic
drinks market will reach revenue
Drink Asia
14
July-August 2019
of $1,937.73 bn by 2020. These
numbers speak of non-alcoholic drinks’
popularity, and this trend will continue
an upward spiral.
Health is Wealth
The upcoming generations, blessed
with information at a touch, are
exposed to sundry anti-alcohol
initiatives, empowered by knowledge,
and avoidant of undesirable health
implications of alcohol. Self-care,
healthcare and wellness are placed
higher on their priority list than the
buzz offered by alcohol. While the
millennial were driven by the glamour
of intoxication due to the influence of
celebrities and pop-groups, the current
and upcoming generations aren’t
swayed by this.
Alcohol is no longer considered to be
a prerequisite for being or appearing
‘cool’. This is further emphasised by
the growing awareness regarding the
health implications of alcohol and
alcohol-containing beverages. Veganism
is a prominent and rising trend, and
being followed by a large number of
people globally. TMR’s report attributes
the growth of non-alcoholic beverages