Our F&B Consumer Behaviour Survey Reveals Your Favourite Drinks
You Platforms, the media group behind Leeds-List.com, Yorkshire-List.com and Manchester-List.com, has released the findings of its F&B Consumer Behaviour Survey.
The survey, which covers everything from how much people drink to where they do it and what they like to consume, offers an insight into changing behaviour and preferences.
We’re drinking less, but we’re still drinking
Although 38% of people have reduced the amount they drink over the last 12 months, 56.8% have more than 3 drinks a week. And it seems that session drinking is still the order of the day.
46.6% of people like to drink beer and cider. Which coupled with reduced alcohol consumption, creates a real opportunity for low and mid ABV beverages to steal market share as people look for long-lasting social experiences.
Wine remains popular with 25.7% of people making it their top choice. But spirits were less so – just 7.1% of people like to drink them on their own, but 18.6% enjoy them in cocktails, making this the gateway drink for spirit brands.
Consumers' favourite beers and ciders revealed
Opinions were split across the lager category but there were some clear winners and losers – Carling’s marketing team have their work cut out for them with 17.6% of people naming it their least favourite lager.
Peroni proved the most popular, with 15.3% making it their first choice. Staropramen, Asahi, Corona and Brooklyn completed the top five with 8.4%, 8.4%, 7.5% and 5.7% consecutively making it their top pick.
There was a very clear middle market here. Grolsch, 1664, Modelo, Sagres, Kingfisher and Amstel owned the middle ground, neither loved nor hated, making them an easy fall back when your favourite isn’t available.
In the craft beer space, there was a clear leaning towards local independents. Kirkstall Brewery was the first choice for 26.6% of people, while North Brewing Co. got 15.5% of the votes.
Widely stocked well-known brands like Brewdog (15.8%), Beavertown (7.4%) and Camden (6.7%) all made the top five. But interesting, Brewdog was an unpopular as it was popular with 14.9% making it their least favourite choice.
As for ales and porters, Guinness was the standout. 31.2% of respondents put them top of the list, blowing the competition out of the water, proving that Guinness is having a moment.
This is helped by the brand’s popularity with gen-z, which is bolstered by a strong alcohol-free offering that has helped to win over new markets.
In fact, the next closest contender, Timothy Taylors, was only half as popular as Guinness with just 16.7% of people naming it as their first choice.
The cider market was a much closer race. Aside from Aspall, which took the top spot with 16.7% of people naming it their favourite, the preference here leaned towards younger, cooler brands with multiple flavours.
Old Mout took 15.5% of votes, putting it just behind Aspall, but Kopparbergs and Rekorderlig came in close with 13.5% and 12.2% of votes consecutively.
Respondents name their favourite spirits
When it comes to consumer preferences, beer may have trumped spirits, but it quickly became clear that consumers not only drink them, but also have very strong opinions on them.
We started by asking people to name their favourite spirits and gin was the overwhelming response – almost a third of people (30.3%) made it their first choice, proving that the G&T is still a firm favourite.
Meanwhile, 18% of people made vodka their top pick and 17.7% chose rum, leaving whisky and tequila to take up the rear with 14.4% and 5.2% of respondents putting them top of their list.
Honing in on individual spirits, Bombay Sapphire took the top spot on our gin league table with 15.8% of people naming it their favourite.
But Tanqueray (14.7%), Masons of Yorkshire (13.6%), Whitley Neill (12.9%) and Gordon’s (10.5%) all came in close behind, showing there’s very little between the top players in the market.
There were three clear favourites in the vodka category. Grey Goose took the top spot with 30.2% of people naming it their favourite. Unsurprisingly, Absolut and Smirnoff came next, both securing 20.3% of votes.
With such strong leaders in the field, it will be harder for new brands and lesser known labels to earn market share, which makes your marketing strategy and the insight that powers it all the more important.
The rum category brought some surprises, including the top spot. Kraken took the crown with 20.5% of people naming it their favourite, while Captain Morgan came in fourth with 11.8% of people plumping for it.
Together, they show a clear preference for Caribbean-style spiced rums, adding a hint of flavour and an appreciated twist to a classic drink.
Havana (14.2%) and Bacardi (12.9%) were more predictable additions to the top 5, with Mount Gay taking the final spot with 8.4% of people naming it as their favourite rum.
There’s a clear divide in this category, splitting the American-style bourbons from Scottish and Irish whiskies. Bourbon won out with 17.1% of people choosing Jack Daniel’s as their number one pick, but the wider top 5 was a mixed bag.
Laphroaig came in second, with 10.5% of people naming it their favourite, while fellow Scotch whiskies Glenmorangie and Glenfiddich took the final spots on the list with 8.5% and 8% of votes.
Overall, Scotch whiskies proved the most popular, but Jameson took a respectable third with 9.9% of people naming it their favourite, giving a nod to the humble Irish whiskey.
As for tequilas, two key players stood out, with an enviable lead over the competition. 29.4% of people chose Jose Cuervo as their top pick, while 23.4% went for Patron.
The next strongest contender was Don Julio, but with just 12.5% of people naming it as their top choice, it lagged behind the leaders. As did El Jimador with 9% and Casamigos with 5.4%.
