Stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your business with Mintel’s UK Drinks Brand Overview Market Report 2024. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, the latest drinks market research, trends, and consumer behaviours affecting brands within the drinks industry.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics to help you align your business strategy with the needs of your audience.
Key Topics Discussed in the Full Report
- How leading drinks brands score on metrics like usage, trust, satisfaction, likely recommendation and perceived differentiation.
- The top-scoring drinks brands for particular personality traits, including innovation, value and quality.
- The brand leaders on hot topics in the drink sector, including ethics, taste and purity.
Drinks Brand Overview: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Brands that are able to improve the health credentials of their offerings are in prime position to appeal to consumers who increasingly seek beverages with natural formulations and functional benefits. There’s also a rising interest in novel and creative flavour combinations, driven by a growing desire to try something new. By understanding and adapting to evolving consumer behaviour and preferences, brands can better connect with their audience and create a unique, innovative image.
The cost of living crisis has led consumers to scrutinise their purchases more closely, seeking the best value in the drink category. However, consumers are looking beyond the cheapest options; they are balancing price and quality, paying closer attention to what products and brands offer. This has consolidated the positions of established brands as they have already built in levels of trust with consumers.
- Consumer attitudes: 70% of adults say affordability is a key brand quality.
Consumers today are becoming increasingly aware of the impact their purchasing decisions have on the environment and society as a whole. As a result, they are putting more importance on ethics and sustainability when making purchases. Consumers are looking for brands that align with their values, therefore brands that prove their eco-credentials will be well positioned to succeed.
- Consumer attitudes: 50% of consumers avoid buying food and drink brands with poor eco credentials.
Readers of this report may also be interested in our UK Carbonated Soft Drinks Market Report 2024, or our range of Drinks Market Research.
Meet the Expert
Luke joined the Mintel household care research team in 2022, researching and writing household care and brand reports, focusing on consumer behaviour and product innovation. Luke has a BA (Hons) in Geography and Spanish from Swansea University.
Brands battle to increase value perception. Consumers embrace flavour innovations and health-conscious launches are appealing in certain categories.
Luke Santos
Household Care and Brand Analyst
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- Opportunities for brands in the drink sector
- Diet/light CSDs are the guilt-free choice
- Opportunities for health innovations in carbonated soft drinks
- Higher price points for CSDs
- Proving value and quality will be essential for brand success
- Consumers are willing to explore taste
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Leading brands and why
- Report coverage
- Usage
- Carbonated soft drink brands lead consumption
- Graph 1: top brands operating in the drink sector, by consumption in the last 12 months, 2022-23
- Diet/light CSDs are popular…
- …but have their own set of concerns
- Putting a health spin on CSDs
- Preference
- The importance of brand name
- Graph 2: drink brands scoring highest for commitment* , 2022-23
- Tropicana’s natural positioning contributes to consumer commitment
- Differentiation
- Unique offerings will separate competing brands
- Graph 3: drink brands scoring highest for differentiation*, 2022-23
- Baileys diversifies its offering…
- …and continues to experiment in the food category
- Fever-Tree’s premium positioning helps the brand to stand out
- Satisfaction and recommendation
- Positive experiences can influence consumer choices and broaden brand reach
- Graph 4: drink brands scoring highest for likely recommendation, 2022-23
- Graph 5: drink brands scoring highest for satisfaction*, 2022-23
- Social influence in the white spirit category
- White spirit purchase driven by recommendation
- Graph 6: prompts to buy a new white spirit, 2023
- Trust
- Established brands have developed consumer confidence
- Graph 7: drink brands scoring highest for trust*, 2022-23
- Established energy drinks brands are the most trusted
- Lucozade is the most trusted sports and energy drinks brand overall
- Quality
- The cost-of-living crisis intensifies demand for quality consistency
- Graph 8: drink brands scoring highest for quality*, 2022-23
- Tighter budgets increase competition
- Value
- Value spotlight shines bright
- Graph 9: drink brands scoring highest for value*, 2022-23
- Changing behaviours due to financial constraints
- Innovative
- Innovation is key to brand growth
- Graph 10: drink brands scoring highest for being ‘Innovative’, 2022-23
- Nescafé’s indulgent dessert range
- Ethics
- Sustainable production methods hold weight
- Graph 11: drink brands scoring highest for being ‘Ethical’, 2022-23
- Innocent’s ethical initiatives
- Taste
- Taste is key
- Graph 12: drink brands scoring highest for being ‘Delicious’, 2022-23
- A growing desire for flavour experimentation
- Familiar brands have more scope to offer flavour experimentation
- Pushing out the flavour boat
- Purity
- Purity perception amongst drink brands
- Graph 13: drink brands scoring highest for being ‘Pure’, 2022-23
- Diversify to appeal to consumers
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Appendix
- Appendix – brands included in this Report, consumer research methodology, abbreviations
- Brands included in this Report
- Consumer research methodology
- Abbreviations and terms
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