Stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your business with Mintel’s UK White Spirits and RTD Market Report 2024. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, the latest alcoholic drinks market research, trends and consumer behaviours affecting your business. Get a 360° view of the RTD and white spirits market including market size, share and forecasted growth to help you align your business strategy with the needs of your audience.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics.
Topics Analysed in this Report
- The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on value and volume sales of white spirits market and RTD alcoholic drinks.
- Shifts in purchase channels for white spirits and RTDs over 2021-23.
- RTD and spirit industry trends in launch activity and opportunities for further innovation.
- Key at-home and out-of-home drinking occasions for white spirits and RTDs.
- Key factors prompting purchase of a white spirit brand/flavour not bought before.
RTD and White Spirits Market Overview
Inflationary pressures on household incomes in 2023 drove down volume sales of the RTD and white spirits market as consumers cut back on discretionary spending.
Mintel’s market research reveals that the projected decline in the population of 20-34s over 2023-28 will erode volume sales within the RTD and white spirits industry. This continues to highlight the need for brands to retain interest among older groups, such as through links with low-key occasions.
White Spirits and RTD Market Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Focus on at-home occasions
A focus on low-key at-home occasions remains relevant in 2024, as sluggish income growth continues to curb people’s out-of-home leisure activities. Marketing messages portraying white spirits as helping to elevate ‘ordinary’ at-home occasions should resonate.
- Spirits industry trends: 47% of drinkers chose to have white spirits when they drink at home during day/evening drinking occasions.
Utilise glassware to enhance the enjoyment
Exploring glass giveaways beyond giftpacks, and guiding people on how to boost the aesthetics of the serve, hold promise for RTD and the white spirits market, with many consumers agreeing that glassware makes drinking white spirits more enjoyable. Also, branded glassware has the advantage of acting as a reminder of the brand once the original drink has been used up.
- Spirits industry trends: 73% of consumers agree that visually appealing glassware makes drinking white spirits more enjoyable.
Purchase our UK White Spirits and RTD Market Report to receive a five-year forecast, consumer behaviour analysis, and recommendations for market opportunities. Readers of this report may also be interested in our A Year of Innovation in Wine, Spirits and RTDs, or our range of Spirits and RTD Market Research.
Brands Featured in the Full Report
Tanqueray, Sierra, White Claw, Don Julio, Bombay Sapphire, Silent Pool, Absolut, Smirnoff, Myatt, VK, Hampton Court and many more.
Expert Insights from a Drinks Analyst
This report, written by Alice Baker, a leading research analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight white spirits and RTD market trends and add expert context to the numbers.
A continued marketing focus on how white spirits and RTDs can elevate ordinary at-home occasions is key to driving purchase in 2024 amid sluggish income growth.
Alice Baker
Food and Drink Analyst
Collapse All
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- Key issues covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the white spirits and RTDs market
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Graph 1: total value sales of white spirits and RTDs, by on- and off-trade, 2021-23
- Graph 2: retail value sales of white spirits, by top five brands, 2020/21-2022/23
- Graph 3: RPI inflation for wine & spirits and all items, 2022-23
- Graph 4: usage of white spirits and RTDs, by age group, 2023
- What consumers want and why
- Graph 5: usage of white spirits and RTDs (net), 2023
- Graph 6: white spirits and RTDs usage at home and out of home (net), 2023
- Graph 7: prompts to buy a new white spirit, 2023
- Graph 8: behaviours relating to white spirits, 2023
- Graph 9: behaviours relating to RTDs, 2023
- Innovation and marketing
- Graph 10: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising on white spirits^ and RTDs, by top four advertisers, 2019-23
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Graph 11: total value sales of white spirits and RTDs, 2018-23
- Graph 12: total volume sales of white spirits and RTDs, 2018-23
- Market forecast
- Graph 13: projected growth in total value and volume sales of white spirits and RTDs, 2023-28
- Graph 14: value and volume sales growth/decline for white spirits and RTDs, 2009-14
- Market segmentation and channels to market
- Graph 15: value sales of white spirits and RTDs, by on- and off-trade, 2021-23
- Graph 16: white sprits and RTDs value sales, by segment, 2021-23
- Graph 17: white sprits and RTDs volume sales, by segment, 2021-23
- Graph 18: change in value sales of white spirits and RTDs in the on- and off-trade, by segment, 2023
- Market share
- Graph 19: retail value sales of white spirits, by top five brands, 2020/21-2022/23
- Graph 20: change in value and volume sales of top five white spirits brands and own-label, 2022/23*
- Graph 21: retail value sales of RTD alcoholic drinks, by top five brands, 2020/21-2022/23
- Graph 22: change in retail sales of top four RTDs brands and own-label, 2022/23*
- Graph 23: retail value sales of Au Vodka RTDs, 2021/22-2022/23
- Macroeconomic factors
- Graph 24: GDP, 2021-23
- Graph 25: CPI inflation rate, 2021-23
- Graph 26: “Have you been affected by any of these issues over the last two months? Please select all that apply.”, 2023
- Graph 27: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- Graph 28: the financial confidence index, 2016-23
- Graph 29: RPI inflation for beer, wine & spirits and all items, 2022-23
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- Graph 30: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2023-28
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Usage of white spirits and RTDs
- Graph 31: usage of white spirits, by serve, 2023
- Graph 32: usage of white spirits, by type (net), 2023
- Graph 33: white spirits usage frequency, by how people describe their household finances, 2023
- Graph 34: usage of RTD alcoholic drinks, by type, 2023
- Usage occasions for white spirits and RTDs
- Graph 35: usage occasions for white spirits and RTDs, by at home and out of home (net), 2023
- Graph 36: selected at-home usage occasions for white spirits and RTDs, 2023
- Graph 37: “seeing white spirits being drunk in TV shows/films has prompted me to buy them”, by age group, 2023
- Prompts to buy white spirits
- Graph 38: prompts to buy a new white spirit, 2023
- Graph 39: “I have shared photos of white spirits on social media in the last six months”, by age group, 2023
- Behaviours relating to white spirits
- Graph 40: behaviours relating to white spirits, 2023
- Behaviours relating to RTDs
- Graph 41: behaviours relating to RTDs, 2023
- Graph 42: retail volume sales decline for white spirits and RTDs, by segment, 2023
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Graph 43: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising on white spirits^ and RTDs, by top four advertisers, 2019-23
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Appendix
- Supplementary data
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- The consumer
- Graph 44: drinking of different serves of white spirits, by type, 2023
- Report scope and definitions
- Methodology
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