The market for no-low drinks has grown strongly worldwide and particularly in Europe since the start of the pandemic, driven by alcohol-free alternatives, which are still more successful than their low-alcohol counterparts.
The ISWR, a statistical data institute specialising in beverages, has just published this result in its study: the light and non-alcoholic beverage category (wines, beers and spirits) is expected to increase its sales by 34% by 2024.
However, overall, non-alcoholic beverages account for the most sales. In ten key markets, including France and Germany, the non-alcoholic category saw its sales increase by 4.5% between 2019 and 2020, while sales of low-alcohol drinks fell by 5.5% over the same period.
This is because consumers have turned to non-alcoholic drinks with the aim of taking complete breaks from drinking.
"Consumers are able to moderate their alcohol consumption by enjoying sophisticated products while still occasionally drinking strong drinks. "says Sophia Shaw-Brown, senior insights manager at IWSR.
However, when it comes to low-alcohol drinks, consumers still seem confused: many are wary of the number of drinks they can have, especially before driving. Awareness and education about these new products still seems to be insufficient: "They don't always know what a 20% alcohol spirit means for a brand of gin, or how a 20% alcohol spirit compares to a 5% alcohol wine or a 1% alcohol beer," says Shaw-Brown.
Yet the market for low-alcohol drinks has a bright future ahead of it. There are many new innovations of increasing quality, allowing easier access to spirits and more frequent consumption opportunities due to the lower alcohol content. The challenge for these new products is therefore to focus their communication on these consumption moments and the interest of these alternatives for a more moderate and responsible alcohol consumption.
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Source: Forbes