No & Low Alcohol drinks have gained traction over the past few years. If we look back five years you wouldn’t have heard of it but since then it’s become a frequently used term, with several NPD launches and even alcohol-free pop-up bars appearing. The sector has grown to £63.7m in the GB on-trade1.
There have been No & Low variants emerge across beer, wine and spirits, with consumers perhaps most familiar with beer variants which are seeing significant growth vs a year ago. Consumer interest in No & Low Alc products shows no sign of slowing with industry data experts the IWSR predicting the continued growth for the next two years.
Driving the growth is the change in consumer lifestyles. Adult consumers are looking to lead more balanced lifestyles with 66% proactively trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. This has led to a rise in moderation, rather than abstinence, with 36% of consumers claiming to be moderating their alcohol consumption. Previously moderation was confined to specific times of year like “Dry January” but today we are seeing moderation occasions across the year. Typically, those who are “not drinking” have opted for an alternative soft drink, but these are not seen as special enough for a number of consumers who want a more exciting choice in those moments and hence the growth of the No & Low Alc drinks.
In the past 6 months 32% of adult GB consumers have drunk a No & Low product– equating to 15.5m consumers.3 The No & Low consumer is one who currently drinks alcohol and is looking to moderate rather than teetotalers, whereby online 9% have drunk a No & Low product. The No & Low consumers are within the 18-35 age bracket and eat and drink out more frequently than the average GB consumer. Given they are more frequent visitors to the on-trade, they have a higher average spend in outlet per month, compared to the average consumer so outlets need to ensure they have an adequate No & Low offering.
TAPPING INTO THE NO & LOW OCCASION
WE RECOMMEND THAT
We recommend that you stock a compelling range of products across Beer, Cider, Spirits and Wine depending on your outlet type and drive awareness through merchandising and menus.
To achieve this, you should start by stocking category leaders within the biggest sub-categories of Beer, Cider & Spirits. Once you have established your core range then you should drive further excitement and trade up by stocking premium products and innovation. Next you need to ensure the products are visible to drive awareness and sales in your outlet. We recommend using signage and POS to highlight the category on the backbar and showcase the range on ‘hotspots’ at key points in the year. On menu we advise to showcase the products together to make it clear and easy for consumers to find and purchase.
RECIPE: GRANDAD'S FAVOURITE
INGREDIENTS
- 50ml Seedlip Garden 108
- 25ml Fresh Rhubarb Juice
- 10ml Sugar Syrup
METHOD
Fill a highball glass with cubed ice. Pour over the Seedlip, fresh rhubab juice and sugar syrup. Mix together and top up with soda water. Garnish with mint leaf and serve.
About the author
Bethan Jones
Bethan is Customer Category Manager at Diageo; bringing data to life to create insight and recommendations to grow the adult drinks categories in the GB On-Trade.
