Consumer lifestyle changes will impact key moments for beer brands

The pandemic will reshape how American consumers celebrate festive occasions this year. While the holidays have always been a time for friends and relatives to gather, coronavirus-related restrictions will limit travel and force smaller gatherings. This inevitably alters holiday spending compared to previous years — particularly on beer brands that are present and preferred during holiday occasions.

YouGov measured consumer perceptions around key moments during the holiday season. We looked at what consumers typically do during the holiday period, what they plan to do this year amid the pandemic, and which occasions they will be drinking beer.

First of all, our data shows many Americans plan to opt out of social gatherings and other public activities such as shopping or traveling this holiday season. The biggest negative changes occur to small gatherings, holiday parties, and shopping. Brands that are typically promoted during these occasions may want to review their forecasts, because simply put, you can’t be present if an event doesn’t occur.

On the other hand, events with immediate family and time spent watching sports prove more resilient to change and have the highest potential to survive this year.

Will beer be included in the holiday cheer?

The changes occurring this holiday season will inevitably affect beer consumption to some degree but the good news is that many of the occasions where beer is likely to be consumed will still be on this holiday season. These include key moments for beer brands such as relaxing with immediate family, spending time watching sports, and attending holiday dinners.

As beer will be present in some form at many of these occasions it will be up to marketers to make sure their campaigns retain a relevance to this new-look holiday season.

Identifying how beer drinkers will spend their time this holiday season and which beers are preferred at each event will be critical to making sure your brand gets in on the celebration.

Methodology: The data is based on the interviews of 2,586 US adults aged 18 and over from November 30 – December 3, 2020. The question on beer consumption at holiday events was fielded only among US adults aged 21 and over. All interviews were conducted online and results have been weighted to be nationally representative.