Brandy Rand, Chief Operating Officer, Americas for the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, will take VIBE Conference 2020 attendees on a tour of the most fascinating drink trends from around the world in a session that examines brands and categories shaping the future of global beverage consumption.
Learn how the gin boom started and what markets to watch and discover why markets like China and India are important drivers in alcohol commerce.
Hear how micro and macro factors like wellness, the premiumization economy, and digital demand are changing the way we drink.
VIBE: You folks gather data from around the world. What can we expect in this, your first appearance at VIBE?
Brandy Rand: Obviously we have lots of data points—we have the world's biggest database of beverage alcohol trends and we also cover underlying consumption drivers and key trends. So, I'll touch on interesting global drink trends and consumption patterns, especially what people are drinking, where and why, and some interesting things happening outside the US.
VIBE: Hard seltzer is on everyone’s mind, especially on-premise’s place with the boom.
In the on-premise, we just did a bartender study in the US and when we interviewed them across 15 cities about trends, what was surprising was how many talked about people asking for seltzers and getting a lot of calls specifically for White Claw. White Claw has made no secret about their desire to go after the vodka and soda drinker to expand on-premise and while the category is not significant on-premise, with White Claw’s investment and Truly’s draft program you're seeing not only cans but draft entering.
A restaurant group in Massachusetts called Tavern on the Square has a whole menu of spiked seltzers using Truly on tap to which they add beverage alcohol and different modifiers and garnishes like elderflower syrup and cucumber and mint.
VIBE: That’s the sort of upgrade that may be needed.
Rand: It’s a good way of elevating the experience of things, including RTDs and canned beverages which tend to be off-premise occasions, given their portability and outdoor suitability. When you move into more premium accounts on-premise, draft programs tend to be more premium, and adding ingredients to seltzers and turning them into a premium experience, that's a trend to watch.
It’s reminiscent of what we’re seeing in some global markets with the rise of Gin & Tonic.It’s huge in the UK, comparable to vodka here. Now in Spain and sweeping across Europe and Brazil is the enhanced serve—using a very large glass with botanicals and citrus added and it becomes a cool and very visual experience. I think the whole sparkling beverage experience—whether it’s Vodka Soda, Gin & Tonic, hard seltzers, the Aperol Spritz—is a big trend that’s adaptable country to country.
VIBE What are you seeing with wine?
Rand: I think the key point to notice, whether wine is up or down, is that consumption has certainly slowed down with a lot having to do with the generational shift. If you think about wine, it’s not an easily transportable or single-serve beverage. But these days consumers want portable and single serve, so we've seen a rise in canned wine, and boxed wine is doing incredibly well; the top ten brands in the US are all in decline except for two box wines.
With wine consumption, about 75 percent of still wine consumption is under $10 and that's dragging the category down. The area above is very healthy and wine value is actually growing. People are spending more and want better quality, while things like wine spritzes and canned and boxed wines are giving consumers more opportunities and occasions to drink wine.
Make sure you're registered for VIBE Conference 2020 and add "Global Drink Trends" to your schedule today!