Beverages: Top Trends from Carlsberg Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2025
- InsightTrendsWorld
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Why it is the topic trending:
Industry Insight from Major Players: The annual soft drinks review by Carlsberg Britvic, two significant players in the beverage industry, provides valuable insights into market performance and future outlook, making it a key topic for industry professionals, retailers, and analysts.
Focus on the Convenience Sector: The review specifically highlights the performance of soft drinks within the convenience channel, which is a crucial segment for impulse purchases and immediate consumption.
Identification of Key Consumer Trends: The review uncovers important shopper behaviors, preferences for product attributes (flavor, functionality, health), and top-performing categories, making it relevant for understanding consumer demand.
Actionable Insights for Retailers: The report offers concrete steps that retailers can take to increase their soft drinks sales, providing practical guidance for business improvement.
Overview:
The Carlsberg Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2025 analyzes the performance of the soft drinks category in 2024 and provides an outlook for 2025, with a particular focus on the convenience sector. The review identifies key shopper trends, top-performing product categories, and actionable strategies for retailers to drive sales growth in this market.
Detailed Findings:
Category Growth: The overall soft drinks category grew by 2.2% in value in 2024, outperforming the beer category, reaching a total market value of £21.1 billion.
Convenience Sector Importance: Soft drinks accounted for £186 million worth of sales within the convenience channel in 2024, highlighting the significance of this sector.
Frequent and High-Spending Convenience Shoppers: Convenience store soft drinks shoppers are frequent visitors, tend to have larger basket sizes, and spend more per shopping trip.
Key Shopper Missions: The top three shopper missions driving soft drink purchases in convenience stores are ‘food-to-go’, ‘top-up’ shopping, and ‘treat’ purchases.
Top-Performing Sub-Categories: Stimulants (energy drinks), colas, and flavored carbonates were the best-performing sub-categories within the soft drinks market.
Dominance of Single Serve: Single-serve pack formats accounted for the majority (three-quarters) of the growth in the convenience channel for soft drinks, indicating a preference for immediate consumption.
Demand for Flavor and Functionality with Health Focus: Consumers are increasingly seeking new soft drink products that offer appealing flavors alongside functional benefits, driven by a growing health consciousness.
Significant Health-Focused Shopper Segment: A substantial portion of soft drink shoppers in convenience stores are classified as “health moderators” (35%) and “health actives” (26%), emphasizing the importance of healthier options.
Key Success Factors of Product (Trend):
Focus on Consumer Needs: The trends highlight the importance of catering to evolving consumer needs, particularly the demand for healthier options, convenience, and specific consumption occasions (food-to-go, treats, social gatherings).
Product Innovation in Flavor and Functionality: New products that successfully combine appealing flavors with added functional benefits are key to attracting and retaining consumers.
Strategic Channel Focus: Recognizing the specific dynamics of the convenience channel, particularly the dominance of single-serve formats and the importance of impulse purchases related to specific shopper missions.
Retailer Adaptation and Optimization: The seven steps outlined for retailers provide actionable strategies to optimize their soft drink offerings and drive sales by aligning with consumer trends.
Key Takeaway:
The soft drinks market continues to grow, with a strong performance in the convenience sector driven by frequent shoppers seeking convenient, flavorful, and increasingly healthier options, particularly in single-serve formats, aligned with specific consumption occasions. Retailers have a significant opportunity to further capitalize on this growth by strategically adapting their offerings and merchandising.
Main Trend:
The Evolving Landscape of Soft Drinks: Convenience, Health, and Occasion-Based Consumption
Description of the Trend:
The main trend in the soft drinks market, as highlighted by the Carlsberg Britvic review, is the dynamic interplay between convenience, a growing consumer focus on health and functionality, and the specific occasions that drive purchases. The convenience channel remains a vital outlet, with shoppers frequently purchasing single-serve formats for immediate consumption related to food-to-go, top-up needs, and treats. Simultaneously, a significant portion of consumers are actively seeking healthier options, prioritizing flavor and functional benefits in their beverage choices. This trend necessitates a nuanced approach from brands and retailers to cater to diverse consumer needs and consumption scenarios.
What is Consumer Motivation:
Convenience and Immediacy: Shoppers in the convenience channel are often motivated by the need for quick and easy solutions, whether it's a beverage to accompany a meal on the go, a top-up for their fridge, or an instant treat.
Health and Well-being: A significant and growing segment of consumers are motivated by health considerations, seeking lower-sugar, sugar-free, or functional beverages that align with their health goals.
Taste and Enjoyment: Flavor remains a primary driver for soft drink consumption, with consumers seeking enjoyable and satisfying taste experiences.
Specific Occasion Needs: Consumers' motivations vary depending on the occasion. For food-to-go, it might be thirst-quenching and complementary flavors; for treats, it could be indulgence and enjoyment; and for social occasions, it might involve sharing or specific beverage types.
Hydration: Younger generations, in particular, are motivated by the need for hydration, seeking appealing alternatives to plain water.
What is Driving Trend:
Busy Lifestyles: Modern, fast-paced lifestyles drive the demand for convenient, on-the-go food and beverage options available in convenience stores.
Increased Health Awareness: Growing public awareness and concern about health and nutrition, particularly regarding sugar intake, are fueling the demand for healthier soft drink alternatives.
Product Innovation: The soft drinks industry is continuously innovating, developing new flavors, formats, and functional benefits to meet evolving consumer demands.
Marketing and Promotion: Effective marketing and promotional strategies by brands can influence consumer preferences and highlight new and appealing products.
Retailer Strategies: Retailers' decisions on product assortment, placement, and promotions significantly impact what consumers purchase in convenience stores.
What is Motivation Beyond the Trend:
Basic Needs: Beyond specific trends, consumers are fundamentally motivated by the need for hydration and sustenance.
Social Connection: Beverages often play a role in social gatherings and celebrations, driven by the desire to connect with others.
Emotional Well-being: Food and drinks, including soft drinks, can provide comfort, enjoyment, and a sense of indulgence, contributing to emotional well-being.
Personal Preferences and Habits: Individual taste preferences and established consumption habits also play a significant role in beverage choices.
Description of Consumers Article is Referring to:
Age: While not explicitly stated, the mention of younger generations over-indexing on hydration suggests a focus on younger adults and teenagers. The broader trends likely encompass a wide age range, given the diverse appeal of soft drinks.
Gender: The article does not specify gender differences in consumer behavior for soft drinks, implying the trends are likely relevant across genders.
Income: The convenience sector caters to a broad range of income levels, suggesting the trends identified are likely applicable to various economic demographics.
Lifestyle: The consumers are characterized as having lifestyles that necessitate frequent visits to convenience stores, often for immediate consumption needs related to food-to-go, quick top-ups, and occasional treats. A significant portion also prioritize health and seek functional beverages, indicating a health-conscious lifestyle segment.
Conclusions:
The Carlsberg Britvic Soft Drinks Review 2025 highlights a dynamic soft drinks market driven by convenience, a growing health consciousness, and occasion-based consumption. The convenience channel remains crucial, with single-serve formats dominating growth. Retailers have a significant opportunity to drive sales by aligning their offerings with these trends, particularly by emphasizing healthier options, functional benefits, and catering to specific shopper missions.
Implications for Brands:
Continue to Innovate with Flavor and Functionality: Focus on developing new and appealing flavors while incorporating functional benefits to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers.
Prioritize Sugar-Free and Low-Sugar Options: Expand and prominently feature sugar-free and low-sugar alternatives to cater to the significant segment of health moderators and actives.
Develop Products in Single-Serve Formats: Ensure a strong offering of single-serve packs to align with the dominant purchasing behavior in the convenience channel.
Tailor Products and Marketing to Specific Occasions: Consider developing products and marketing campaigns that specifically target food-to-go, treat times, and social socializing occasions.
Educate Consumers on Functional Benefits: Clearly communicate the functional benefits of their products to help health-conscious shoppers make informed choices.
Implication for Society:
Growing Emphasis on Healthier Beverage Options: The trend towards lower-sugar and functional drinks reflects a broader societal shift towards prioritizing health and well-being.
Potential for Reduced Sugar Consumption: The increasing availability and promotion of sugar-free alternatives could contribute to a reduction in overall sugar intake from soft drinks.
Role of the Beverage Industry in Public Health: The industry's response to health trends, such as offering healthier options and providing consumer education, has implications for public health.
Implications for Consumers:
Increased Availability of Healthier Choices: Consumers will likely see a wider variety of lower-sugar, sugar-free, and functional soft drink options available.
More Convenient On-the-Go Options: The continued focus on single-serve formats will provide consumers with more convenient choices for immediate consumption.
Potential for More Informed Purchasing Decisions: Increased emphasis on communicating functional benefits can empower consumers to make more informed choices based on their needs.
Implication for Future:
Continued Growth of the Health-Focused Segment: The demand for healthier soft drink options is expected to continue to grow, driving further innovation in this area.
Further Blurring of Lines Between Beverage Categories: We may see more hybrid beverages that combine flavor, functionality, and health benefits, potentially blurring the lines between traditional soft drinks, energy drinks, and even health drinks.
Increased Personalization and Customization: Future innovations might explore more personalized beverage options or ways for consumers to customize their drinks based on their individual needs and preferences.
Consumer Trend:
Health-Conscious Hydration: Consumers are increasingly prioritizing hydration but are also actively seeking healthier alternatives to traditional sugary soft drinks, opting for lower-sugar, sugar-free, and functional beverages.
Consumer Sub Trend:
Occasion-Based Beverage Selection: Consumers are increasingly choosing specific types of soft drinks based on the intended consumption occasion, such as energy drinks for a boost, refreshing drinks for food-to-go, or indulgent options for treats.
Big Social Trend:
The Wellness Movement: A broad societal trend characterized by an increased focus on physical and mental health, influencing consumer choices across various industries, including food and beverage.
Worldwide Social Trend:
Growing Global Concern About Sugar Consumption: Globally, there is increasing awareness and concern regarding the negative health impacts of high sugar intake, leading to a demand for lower-sugar and healthier food and beverage options.
Social Drive:
Desire for Well-being, Convenience, and Enjoyment: Consumers are driven by a desire to maintain or improve their well-being, seek convenient solutions for their busy lifestyles, and still enjoy flavorful and satisfying beverage experiences.
Learnings for Brands to Use in 2025:
Invest Heavily in Research and Development for Healthy Options: Continue to innovate and expand portfolios with low-sugar, sugar-free, and naturally sweetened beverages with appealing flavors.
Clearly Communicate Functional Benefits and Nutritional Information: Ensure that packaging and marketing materials clearly highlight any functional benefits and provide transparent nutritional information.
Optimize Product Portfolios for the Convenience Channel: Ensure a strong presence of single-serve formats and tailor offerings to align with key shopper missions in convenience stores.
Develop Targeted Marketing Campaigns for Different Consumption Occasions: Create marketing messages that resonate with consumers seeking beverages for specific occasions like food-to-go, treats, or social gatherings.
Strategy Recommendations for Brands to Follow in 2025:
Set Ambitious Targets for Reducing Sugar Content Across Product Lines: Actively work towards reformulating existing products and developing new offerings with significantly reduced or zero added sugar.
Increase Marketing Investment in Healthy and Functional Beverage Options: Dedicate a larger portion of the marketing budget to promoting healthier choices and educating consumers about their benefits.
Strengthen Partnerships with Convenience Retailers: Collaborate closely with convenience store operators to optimize product placement, visibility, and promotions for key categories and formats.
Explore Opportunities in Emerging Beverage Categories: Stay informed about and potentially invest in emerging categories like functional waters, low-calorie flavored sparkling waters, and natural energy drinks.
Final sentence: The Carlsberg Britvic Soft Drinks Review 2025 highlights a clear trend towards consumers prioritizing convenience, health, and occasion-based consumption in their soft drink choices, urging brands and companies to respond in 2025 by continuing to innovate healthier options in convenient formats and tailoring their products and marketing strategies to meet specific consumer needs and consumption scenarios within the vital convenience channel.
Final Note:
Core Trend:
Name: Health-Driven Convenience in Soft Drinks
Detailed Description: The dominant trend is the increasing demand for convenient soft drink options, particularly in single-serve formats within the convenience channel, that also align with consumers' growing health consciousness, emphasizing lower sugar content, functional benefits, and natural ingredients.
Core Strategy:
Name: Optimize for Health, Convenience, and Occasion
Detailed Description: Brands and retailers should strategically optimize their product portfolios, merchandising, and marketing efforts to cater to the demand for healthier beverages in convenient formats that meet the needs of specific consumption occasions.
Core Industry Trend:
Name: The Rise of Functional and Permissible Indulgence
Detailed Description: The soft drinks industry is experiencing a rise in beverages that offer functional benefits beyond basic hydration, while also providing a sense of "permissible indulgence" through appealing flavors and formats, particularly in lower-sugar or sugar-free varieties.
Core Consumer Motivation:
Name: Seeking Healthy, Convenient, and Enjoyable Choices
Detailed Description: Consumers are primarily motivated by the desire to make healthier beverage choices that fit their busy lifestyles and still provide an enjoyable and satisfying taste experience for various occasions.
Final Conclusion: The soft drinks market in 2025, particularly within the convenience sector, will be heavily influenced by consumers' dual priorities of convenience and health. Brands and retailers that effectively cater to these evolving needs through innovation, strategic product placement, and targeted marketing will be best positioned for success.
Core Trend: Health-Driven Convenience in Soft Drinks
Key Characteristics of the Trend (summary):
Increasing consumer demand for convenient soft drink options, particularly in single-serve formats common in convenience stores.
Strong emphasis on health considerations, with a preference for lower-sugar, sugar-free, and functional beverages.
Alignment with specific consumption occasions like food-to-go, top-ups, and treats within the convenience sector.
Reflects a broader consumer desire for healthier choices that fit into busy lifestyles without sacrificing flavor or enjoyment.
Market and Cultural Signals Supporting the Trend (summary):
Overall growth of the soft drinks category, with a strong performance in the convenience channel.
Rise of health-conscious shoppers (health moderators and actives) seeking healthier alternatives.
Dominance of single-serve formats in convenience stores indicating a need for immediate and portable options.
Consumer interest in new products offering both flavor and functional benefits.
Younger generations prioritizing hydration and seeking appealing alternatives to plain water.
How the Trend Is Changing Consumer Behavior (summary):
Consumers are actively seeking out and purchasing lower-sugar and sugar-free soft drink options.
There is an increasing demand for functional beverages that offer added health benefits.
Single-serve formats are preferred for on-the-go consumption and convenience.
Beverage choices are becoming more aligned with specific consumption occasions throughout the day.
Consumers are more likely to trade up to flavored or enhanced water options for hydration.
Implications Across the Ecosystem (For Brands and CPGs, For Retailers, For Consumers, summary):
(For Brands and CPGs): Requires a focus on innovation in healthier formulations, particularly reducing sugar content and adding functional ingredients. Prioritization of single-serve formats and tailoring products for specific consumption occasions. Clear communication of health benefits and nutritional information is crucial.
(For Retailers): Need to optimize shelf space and promotional activities to highlight healthier options and single-serve formats. Aligning soft drink offerings with key shopper missions (food-to-go, treats) can drive impulse purchases. Educating shoppers about functional drinks is also important.
(For Consumers): Increased availability of healthier and more convenient soft drink options. Potential for more informed choices based on clearer labeling and communication of benefits. Opportunity to find beverages that better align with health goals and on-the-go lifestyles.
Strategic Forecast: The trend of health-driven convenience in soft drinks is expected to intensify. Brands will continue to innovate in the healthier beverage space, with further developments in natural sweeteners, functional ingredients, and appealing flavors. The convenience channel will remain a critical battleground for capturing immediate consumption needs. Retailers who proactively cater to this trend by offering a balanced and clearly segmented range of healthy and convenient options will likely see the most success.
Final Thought: The soft drinks market is undergoing a significant transformation driven by health-conscious consumers seeking convenient solutions. For continued growth and relevance, brands and retailers must prioritize innovation in healthier formulations and align their offerings with the evolving needs and consumption patterns of today's consumers.
