We’re just a few weeks into 2019, a year full of possibility and necessity, especially when it comes to retaining loyalty of the younger generations. Here are the 2019 alcohol trends you can expect across the industry to help your business build the best strategy for reaching your target audience:
Sustainability
More consumers are looking to buy from three-dimensional brands, so a great product alone is not enough to capture your audience’s attention. Sustainability is on top of the list for what consumers will be looking for in 2019 and beyond. According to Forbes, 73 percent of millennials cite a willingness to spend more on a product that comes from a sustainable brand. From sustainable packaging, like these beer can rings that feed turtles, to sustainable practices, like Kellogg’s turning rejected corn flakes into an IPA, consumers are paying attention to the impact their drinks have. There is room for creativity and innovation when it comes to sustainability, and there will be plenty of growth if you do.
Instagrammable Cocktails
If you’re still wondering how to reach younger consumers, the answer may be prettier than you think. Members of Generation Z, those born after 1995, are four times more likely than older generations to spend more on a drink because of its aesthetic value. Recognition through social platforms like Instagram is an important aspect of the drinking experience for younger generations, so by adding some stunning drinks to your menu, you may see your audience grow – as well as your ability to mark up.
Bright Colors
Riding on the back of Instagrammability are bright, bold colors. Bright colors can be incorporated into many aspects of your brand, from beautiful cocktails and eye-catching branding to the very color of the products you produce. Millennials are drinking more wine than Baby Boomers and they aren’t interested in reading labels. They’re more likely to be attracted to unique logos, bold design, or a name that sticks out. To capture their attention on the shelf, consider how you can make bright colors part of your 2019 strategy.
Unique Fruit Flavors
Fruits of the spiked variety are taking bar menus by storm, and you can expect them to stay throughout 2019. From cactus itself to dragon fruit and prickly pear, consumers love the originality and exotic flavor of these unique fruits. The novelty of rarely seen fruits is something consumers will enjoy this year, so try out different combinations and flavors.
Brandy
Brandy is back in business, and you can expect to see cocktails from the 60’s and 70’s gracing bar tops nationwide in 2019. After 2018 brought the bourbon craze and sparked an old love for brown spirits, it’s not too surprising that Brandy is now getting its turn in the limelight.
Sour Beer
Thanks to a generation-wide love for kombucha, sour beers are among the top 2019 alcohol trends. Wine lovers and females in particular are enjoying this lighter but still flavorful beer, and sales for styles like goses, lambics and wild ales are quickly rising. It’s a beverage to consider if you are looking to broaden the audience you serve.
Sparkling Wine
Sparking wine has been a trend for a while and it will only be growing bigger in 2019. Once a celebratory drink reserved for wedding day toasts, sparkling wine is entering the lives of more consumers on a regular basis. The celebratory factor is not winding down, but rather consumers are finding more to celebrate, and breaking out prosecco and champagne in order to do so. This is another trend driven by the younger, rosé-all-day millennial generation, made possible by more affordable bottles of bubbly.
Hybrid Drinks
Younger consumers love the novelty of something new, leading producers to think outside of the box. We will hear of more mixed spirit drinks like “vodquila” and single-malt whiskeys finished in IPA barrels. It will be an interesting year for innovation and creativity when it comes to satisfying that thirst for originality.
At Wier & Bein Beverage Marketing, we understand the trends that will help propel your business forward in 2019. Utilize untapped marketing services to help your winery, brewery, distillery or cidery get where you want it to go.
