Drinking Consumer Insights

Trend - The popularity of bubble tea in Southeast and East Asian countries has expanded to the CPG space, with packaged bubble tea beverages and bubble tea-inspired foods offering ready-to-go options for those who enjoy the popular beverage.

Insight - After flavor, convenience is a major motivator for consumers when purchasing food and beverage items. People look for items they can consume on-the-go, or for those they can take and store at-home when they don't have the time or ability to make the products themselves. Brands that cater to convenience for beloved consumer goods are held in high regard.

Trend - In an experimental landscape of bold, unexpected flavors, banana remains a staple that brands continue to reinterpret across food and beverage categories. From drinks to snacks and desserts, its familiar sweetness is elevated through global or regional influences and premium pairings.

Insight - Today’s consumers are drawn to flavors that balance nostalgia with novelty, and common fruits deliver on both fronts. Moreover, natural sweetness, versatility, and strong emotional associations make everyday ingredients widely appealing, while adaptability allows for creative pairings across indulgent and better-for-you formats. As shoppers increasingly seek approachable yet elevated taste experiences, banana can offer brands a low-risk way to innovate while still tapping into familiarity and cross-generational interest.

Trend - Adaptogenic seltzers are sparkling beverages infused with adaptogens—plant-based ingredients commonly associated with stress support and overall balance. These drinks blend carbonation with functional ingredients like ashwagandha and lion’s mane, creating a refreshing, alcohol-free alternative designed for mindful relaxation.

Insight - Consumers are increasingly seeking beverages that align with their growing focus on wellness and mindful consumption, with more individuals now wanting options that also support balance and stress management. As a result, consumers are turning to beverages infused with functional ingredients such as adaptogens and botanicals that offer perceived wellness benefits while maintaining the light, refreshing qualities of traditional drinks like seltzers without potential, negative side effects.

Trend - As competition intensifies, food and beverage brands are differentiating themselves by introducing beer-infused menu items and packaged goods. From beer-laced desserts to bold soups, these offerings blend craft brewing with everyday foods to deliver distinctive, experience-driven taste profiles.

Insight - Today’s experience-driven consumers are increasingly drawn to bold, layered flavors that elevate everyday eating. As culinary curiosity grows, shoppers are seeking products that feel artisanal, novel, and shareable. For brands in saturated categories, these infusions offer a way to stand out and align with the cultural cachet of the craft beverage movement. Beer-infused foods can tap into this demand by blending familiar comfort items with craft brewing notes like hops, malt, and stout richness.

Trend - As protein continues to shape nutrition and diet conversations, QSR brands are increasingly making it central to their menus; responding to a demand for options that still deliver speed and convenience. As a result, protein transforms into a normalized, accessible menu feature.

Insight - Many consumers are left balancing wellness aspirations against the realities of time, cost, and convenience. Protein—once associated with niche diets has emerged as a rare point of clarity within this complexity. And as QSR brands look for ways to make fast food feel intentional, the need to incorporate healthier options like protein, arises; resolving the tension between “eating well” and eating "quickly" or "cheaply," allowing everyday meals to signal nutritional awareness without requiring deeper dietary trade-offs.

Trend - Brands are turning fruit into a foam topping using aeration techniques. This foam is added to lattes and specialty drinks, offering a playful alternative to traditional milk foam; resulting in a creamy texture and visual appeal, while reducing the need for syrups or heavy additives.

Insight - Younger consumers and café regulars are moving away from overly sweet, artificial flavors in favor of ingredients that feel fresher, lighter, and more visually engaging. This shift is addressed by reinterpreting familiar fruit profiles in an aerated, textural format that suggests care and experimentation rather than excess, reflecting a growing preference for modest indulgences that feel thoughtful, lighthearted, and deliberately crafted. In doing so, brands tap into the appeal of customization and form social sharing through texture and aesthetics.

Trend - Beverage brands are applying the "slow food" philosophy to drinks, prioritizing mindful consumption, local sourcing, and artisanal production methods over convenience. This movement spans categories from coffee and tea to cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, with brands emphasizing transparency in sourcing, small-batch production, and rituals that encourage consumers to savor rather than gulp.

Insight - Modern consumers are increasingly overwhelmed by the pace of daily life, and many are actively seeking moments of pause and intentionality. This shift also reflects growing skepticism toward mass production and a preference for knowing where products come from and who made them. For consumers, choosing a "slow" beverage becomes a small but meaningful act of resistance against hustle culture, allowing them to reclaim a sense of control and mindfulness in

Trend - The global cocktail industry is experiencing unprecedented geographic diversification as premium cocktail bars thrive in cities like Bangkok, Mexico City, Athens, and other historically overlooked markets. Expertise and innovation are no longer concentrated in a handful of established Western centers, with bartenders worldwide earning international recognition for their craft.

Insight - Globalization has fundamentally changed how consumers discover and value culture—travel content, social media, and cross-cultural exchange mean people are exposed to flavors and techniques from around the world daily. What was once exotic is now familiar, and consumers increasingly seek out ingredients and preparations that feel genuinely rooted in tradition rather than watered-down interpretations designed for mass appeal.

Trend - Bars and hospitality venues are incorporating theatrical elements into their service models, transforming drinking into entertainment. Tableside cocktail preparation, dramatic presentations, and immersive environments position these establishments as entertainment destinations where the drink is just one component of a broader experiential offering.

Insight - In an era of infinite entertainment options and economic uncertainty, consumers scrutinize every dollar spent outside the home. The psychological barrier isn't the cost of the drink itself—it's justifying why this particular evening out deserves precious time and disposable income when streaming services, home bars, and countless alternatives compete for attention.

Trend - Going beyond simply launching functional beverages, sparkling water brands are ensuring that their drinks are not only health-focused, but are also aesthetic while delivering positive messaging. These drinks boost consumers moods from mental, and physical standpoints, appealing to younger customers.

Insight - Younger consumers seek beverages that deliver tangible benefits and reflect their identity. They value mental wellness, immune support, gentle energy and hydration while rejecting overtly medicinal or clinical cues. At the same time they respond strongly to optimistic language and aesthetics that feel authentic. Brands that fuse subtle functional claims with cheerful design and community-driven campaigns can convert curiosity into habitual purchase by making functional hydration feel fun.