It’s clear that hard seltzers have been a huge success story in many markets around the world, but most notably in the USA. Although the hard seltzers category is still relatively new in the Australian On Premise, CGA’s most recent deep dive into On Premise consumer trends (OPUS) highlights a 67% increase in engagement with the category. In Autumn 2021, 5.3% of Australian consumers were drinking hard seltzers when visiting the On Premise, and this had grown to 8.9% by Spring 2022. OPUS shows that not only trial is evident, but also repeat purchase, with 42% of Australian hard seltzer drinkers stating that they are now drinking the category more frequently versus a year ago.
Interestingly, a number of different serve formats have already hit the Australian On Premise, something that took a lot longer in the US as the category was initially building. The latest research shows that 38% of Australian hard seltzer drinkers have already tried it on draught, with another 50% saying that they would consider the category in this format.
What is driving this consumer engagement? A desire for health and wellness seems to be a big influence, as hard seltzers are the second most popular category for consumers choosing them when they’re making a ‘healthier’ decision (18%). Since hard seltzers typically have less calories, brands have an opportunity to target a growing consumer segment in Australia who are looking for healthier drink options – with 36% of all On Premise visitors saying they are likely to base their drink decision on whether it was low in sugar or fat.
James Phillips, client solutions director – ANZ, said: “These latest OPUS insights show that there is a growing degree of consumer interest and engagement with the hard seltzer category in Australia. Inevitably, this leads to competition, so drinks suppliers really need to understand how to position their specific hard seltzer offering, and how sales-critical consumer segments respond to their brands in different serve formats. Get this right, and they will be able to offer their customers high quality advice and can better present an opportunity for them to list the right assortment, in the optimal range of formats, of this growing category.”
CGA’s twice-yearly OPUS survey is a rich resource of data and insights into consumers’ behaviours, habits and preferences in the On Premise. It provides comprehensive analysis of the latest trends and topics, and solutions to questions about brand, category, channel and occasion-specific performance. To learn how this definitive picture of consumers’ interaction with the On Premise can help all suppliers and operators build winning sales and marketing strategies, email James Phillips at james.phillips@cgastrategy.com
