How Sober Curiosity is Driving the Growth of the Boozeless Beverage Industry
Another Dry January has come and gone. Well, for me it never really came. But for those out there with self-control, it came. So, why only January? Why not tack on February? Or all the months?
As it turns out, there are people doing this. In fact, there are a lot of people piquing their sober curiosity. This movement is not about cutting 100% of your alcohol intake (thank goodness). It’s meant to open each individual’s eyes to when, why, and how much they drink, and see if there’s room for healthy reductions. And let’s be honest, I don’t have to know you to know you – there’s room.
But is this just another one of those fads like beanie babies or the Harlem Shake? After all, it’s early. It’s like a Friday night happy hour, no one’s really sure where the night will end up yet but you left your laptop at the office just in case.
There is compelling evidence that this emerging market is actually here to stay:
- The beverage industry is investing in the non-alcoholic liquor category with plans to grow by 7.1% by 2022.
- Bacardi’s 2020 Cocktail Report found that 83% of bartenders said low alcohol drinks were popular among their customers
- Google saw a 42% increase in “mocktail” searches.
In the case of “hold my beer”, the US is currently the beerholder (as in, we still boozin’) BUT we’re preparing to jump off the roof into the pool with all the other #sobercurious folk like Hong Kong, Australia and Europe. Huge growth is expected to happen in this market over the next 12 – 18 months, and truly, my liver can hardly wait.
And since no alcohol content means no beer goggles, looks really do matter. Pretty packaging will help along the way, but it’s a waste if the final presentation is sad. People may not want the hangover but they do want to feel fancy! Which opens up a new world of gadgets and gizmos aplenty: fruit cutters, rim garnishes, stirrers, muddlers, and a long-ass spoon just to name a few. Stir in some smart marketing and shake it up with a strong e-commerce offering and BAM! they’ll be addicted (figuratively).
