This new carbonated segment is helping to invigorate sales and attract customers to this growing category.
Consumers love their beverages, especially the fizzy ones. But the landscape for what people want is changing. More and more customers are looking for drinks made with natural flavors in the form of cane sugar, ginger, fruits and herbs. In fact, 47 percent say they’d be likely to purchase a beverage with reduced sugar.1 Consumption of natural, craft, and naturally sweetened carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) has increased this year compared to last. Craft sodas are typically defined as being manufactured in smaller batches with more natural ingredients and they’re moving from a specialty item to becoming more in demand from a mainstream audience. Discover the benefits of stocking and selling the hottest bubbles on the market.
Don’t be Stubborn about Carrying Craft Soda
Sixty-one percent of adults say they’d be likely to purchase beverages that are naturally sweetened.1 In fact, carbonated beverage sales at natural channels experienced a 14.3 percent sales gain from February 2013-15 and sales for CSDs sweetened with real sugar jumped 22.2 percent in that same time frame.2 Sodas with natural sugars and authentic flavors such as Stubborn Soda®, are one of the reasons. This craft soda is a tasty way to indulge without imbibing a laundry list of artificial ingredients. Made with no artificial sweeteners, no high fructose corn syrup and natural flavors, Stubborn is taking aim at customers looking to mix up the traditional with unexpected flavor combinations like Black Cherry with Tarragon, Orange Hibiscus and Lemon Berry Açaì. On top of unique flavor profiles, Stubborn is packaged in glass bottles, which appeal to those who love retro packaging and their fountains include a "tap-like pouring ritual” called the Stubborn Tapper, and come with special glasses designed to enhance the flavor of the soda. This not only creates a high-end look, it warrants a higher price point that millennials and other adventurous drinkers are willing to pay.
Natural Flavor is a Favorite
1©2016 Technomic Inc. Beverage Consumer Trend Report.
2Lightspeed GMI/Mintel 2015