The US performance and sports drinks market is experiencing robust growth, fueled by consumer interest in beverages that offer benefits beyond hydration, such as added nutritional value and energy boosts. These drinks are becoming a regular part of consumers’ daily routines, with a growing demand for products that provide enhanced nutrition and functionality for various occasions.
The performance and sports drinks industry looks to sustain steady growth, with a forecasted prediction of reaching $27.5 billion by 2028. This surge comes from consumers who utilize these beverages to enhance their workout experiences − before, during, or after exercise – as well as more casual users that seek hydration sans heavy physical activity. Many people are incorporating sports and performance beverages into their daily routine to boost energy, increase their protein consumption, or simply quench their thirst.
The appeal of sports and performance drinks spans demographics, with men typically seeking muscle-building and recovery benefits, while women may favor drinks for quick pick-me-ups through on-the-go consumption or as meal replacements. Consumers desire sports and performance beverages that offer benefits beyond just hydration, which could lead to a further blurring of the category. With so many options available, it can feel overwhelming to choose the right drink, resulting in consumers tending to stick to familiar brands and product types despite this interest in more nutritional and functional benefits.
This report is written by Kamari Davis. Kamari joined Mintel in 2023 as a Food & Drink Analyst on the US Reports Team. He brings a background within the alcoholic beverage industry as a category analyst. Kamari holds a degree in Food & Consumer Package Goods Marketing from Western Michigan University.
The sports and performance drinks category continues to experience steady growth, with consumers showing interest in more functional and flavor-forward innovations.
Kamari Davis
Research Analyst, Food & Drink
Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.
Access high-quality market research with every purchase of Mintel’s consumer reports. Here’s what else is included in your report purchase:
From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.
Find out more£ 5,000 – £ 21,600
Mintel’s 2024-25 Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study is designed to help you understand what brands and companies should prioritise in order to educate consumers and ensure...
Find out more£ 3,695
8 in 10 consumers are engaged in the packaged water space, and while tap water is the most common water source, unflavored bottled water is not far behind....
Find out more£ 3,695
At their core, energy drinks offer what many consumers are looking for—an immediate boost in energy. Whether it's to power through a long workday, an intense workout, or...
Find out more£ 3,695
The US nutrition drinks market is poised for growth, projected to reach $13.2 billion by 2029. With a current market value of $8.7 billion, the nutrition segment is...
Find out more£ 3,695
Just over one-third of consumers consider trying new non-alcoholic beverage flavors exciting, an opportunity to explore what consumer are really looking for. Consumers are influenced by a mix...
Find out more£ 3,695
Consumer preferences are shifting towards unique and globally-inspired flavors, giving alcohol brands the go-ahead innovate. A notable 40% of consumers express enjoyment in experimenting with new and trending...
Find out more
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.
Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.
They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.
So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.
From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.
Find out more
