Helping alcohol brands raise the bar with YouGov’s consumer insights webinar

Alcohol consumption has shifted greatly over the past two years. The pandemic changed when and where consumers imbibed, starting with the decrease in demand for on-premises consumption at restaurants and bars. But the health crisis has evolved since then, shifting both the alcohol landscape and consumer behaviors with it.

In a recent webinar hosted by Derek Daugherty, Global Sector Head of FMCG/CPG & Retail at YouGov, and Emma Baret, our Research Solutions Partner, we look at the current landscape of alcohol consumption to help marketers and beer brands find their footing in the new year and meet consumer demand quickly and accurately.

For the most up to date insights into in-home vs. out-of-home beer consumption, watch YouGov's webinar for free here

YouGov’s latest data into beer and alcohol consumptions indicates there may never be a “return to normal”. We’ve been keeping a consistent pulse on when and how consumers consume alcohol for several years at both the global and local level and what’s clear is that drinking will simply not go back to what it was before the pandemic.

The state of alcohol consumption and magnitude of change varies depending on where you look. In the US, for example, fewer adults aged 21 and over say they have never drunk alcohol in 2021 (43%), down 4-points from what people said in 2019 (47%).

In addition, not only are more people drinking alcohol now in the US, 10% of adults aged 21 and over say they increased their alcohol consumption over the course of 2021 (vs. 6% in 2019). This indicates an overall increase in the US for both new consumers and current drinkers drinking more.

Delving deeper into those who imbibed more over last year reveals that this group is more likely to fall between the ages of 21-24 and 55-64 and more likely to be women compared to the overall US population aged 21+. Notably, this group is also more likely to say they don’t have a favorite alcoholic beverage, indicating an opportunity for alcohol brands to become the go-to drink for these consumers.

Moving the focus to Great Britain reveals a similar lift in perceived alcohol consumption. Roughly one in nine Brits say they increased their consumption of alcohol over the last year (12%) and among this group, it’s 35–54-year-olds who are more likely to say this (compared to America’s youngest adults and older age cohorts).

Tune into the webinar for more insights into how alcohol consumption has changed in Germany, the US and Great Britain

Under the spotlight in YouGov’s recent webinar was the beer category and we looked specifically at consumer behaviors and attitudes of beer audiences. Our data shows that this category resonates strongly in markets such as the US, where 17% of adults 21+ say their favorite alcoholic beverage is none other than beer. Beer is also loved by one in five consumers aged 18+ in Great Britain (20% say beers are their favorite alcoholic beverage) and by a quarter of Germans (25%).

To gain a better understanding of when beer lovers are most likely to imbibe, our experts looked at the top in-home and out-of-home occasions among this key audience.

Across the board, people who drink beers out-of-home at least once a month Great Britain (21%), Germany (20%) and the US (15%) say they did so while catching up with friends. Over the last year, family get togethers were another important out-of-home occasion, with roughly 8% of consumers in our three focus markets saying they did so.

People’s taste for beer brands also varies by these occasions and the data shows that certain brands are more likely to be considered in different moments.

When it comes to the top occasions among people who drink beer at home, consumers in Germany (28%), the US (18%) and Great Britain (30%) align in saying they are most likely to be drinking while staying in with a partner or spouse. Drinking alone at home is also another key occasion among beer audiences, with roughly 13% of consumers across the three markets saying they did so over the last year. And similar to our data on out-of-home occasions, some beer brands perform better than others across various in-home occasions for alcohol consumption.

It’s vital to understand where your brand stands in the eyes of consumers and among your competitors, especially as we approach big occasions such as the Superbowl in the US. In the webinar, Derek Daugherty notes, “one of the keys to growing a brand’s penetration and usage is being salient in the minds of category users across consumption occasions. A difference between brands that win and lose is which brand occupies mental real estate when consumers are ready to use.”

including:

• People’s favorite types of beers at the local level in US, Germany and Great Britain
• How consideration for certain beer brands have changed over the course of the pandemic
• How beer lovers in Germany, the US and Great Britain differ from the general population of each market
• Which beer brands fare best in moving consumers through the purchase funnel
• Whether sustainability matters to beer audiences
• The market for hard seltzers in the US and how it transformed during the pandemic

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