Induced Consumerism
We are led to believe that a silent revolution was already taking place and all that was
required was a tipping point. Possibly the impasse in the last 150 days has brought to
fore sweeping new trends which might have arisen on their own as well, though they
were just pushed forward. SLL conducted a research over 250 consumers, hospitality
professionals, beverage experts and opinion leaders to understand how will the
consumer adapt and adopt to the new beverage trends.
Some interesting concepts came alive and are possibly indicators of a larger change that
may have taken place. Some of the findings are as follows – :
A new market for affordable luxury drinks is ready to be unleashed where people will be
drinking better and not drinking more. Strangely enough, people will be drinking more
often with moderate consumption rather than binge drinking on the weekends. People
are also open to new flavours and profiles as well as new categories of spirits. A
significant beneficiary on the home dining movement will be the category of mixers
which include tonic water, bitters and other cocktail ingredients. The new customer will
also emerge as a more value driven customer who will appreciate tangible benefits than
non descript luxury. Most customers would also prefer natural ingredients over artificial
flavours. Consumers will also want to educate themselves and will prefer brands who
demonstrate source, story and sustainability.
Weekday drinking may begin early and will be accompanied by healthy starters and
snacks rather than culminating into heavy dinners. Consumers are keen to use their
weekends towards intimate get togethers rather than formal evenings.
70% customers prefer brands that provide more transparency and product information.
Consumers are also keen to educate themselves on various spirits and there may be a
sharp spike in in-house experiences. Consumers will focus more on exclusivity,
knowledge and stories than money and means.
Keeping in view that health is the new status symbol, there will be a higher focus on
functional ingredients and plant-based alternatives. The consumer of tomorrow will be
far more connected and will prefer online shopping, remote learning but very
individualized experiences.
One of the highlights of the research was a very high focus on the consumers`
willingness to cut down on waste across buying, expenditure, ingredients, etc. the
menus of tomorrow are also looking smaller, smarter and healthier with interesting
beverage pairings for intimate get togethers. There will be a higher focus on experiences
than on products and there is likely to be an addition of digital elements to tell the tale.
Consumers will also prefer brands which showcase animal welfare, fair trade practices
and tangible product value.
At Home with Cuisine
Over 68% respondents stated that they had enjoyed home dining experiences
and would like to continue.
Over 45% are not keen on eating out for 3 months
Over 91% want to go away for a vacation but not for party
Over 73 % would like to socialize in familiar & smaller groups, 71% respondents
created new cocktails over the last 100 days.
70% respondents preferred whisky over other beverages as their preferred pour.
Over 45% prefer drinking 2 drinks a day over 4 days a week, than weekend
drinking
75% respondents are now sensitive to the high cost of drinking out.
55% consumers preferred drinking at home….going ahead
77% of respondents preferred convenience over going out. Looked forward to
spontaneous and intimate get togethers.
Vegetables would be included in more menus than ever before.
Focus will be on grilled and roasted foods and interestingly smokey flavours
came out on top.
People were also open to home chefs to customize small meals and going ahead
menus are likely to be smaller, smarter and healthier.
At Home with Spirits
Over 75% could not confirm, when would they like to go out for Drinking
Over 70% opened wine bottles they had saved for occasions
Indian Beer & Wine took precedence over international counterparts
Over 60% opened higher aged variant of whiskies at home
Most people prefer smaller get togethers with premium spirits, select friends and
pass around food over a higher number of occasions.
People were also keen on to experimenting with new cuisines at home, with
“almost ready’ food being delivered to them.
People attached more importance to spontaneous get togethers than organized
formal dinner parties.
The increase in home dining will also have an impact on the investment on
alcohol retail across the country.
Not only will more brands buy for their shelf space but higher levels of
transparency and sanitation will need to be introduced.
