Passive drinking is over. Consumption has become a costume: chosen, layered and expressive. Beverages are no longer background behaviour; they are cultural artefacts, signalling values, identity and aspiration. We are entering an era of abundant choice and zero tolerance for mediocrity. Drinks now blur the lines between supplements, meals and rituals, compressing entire categories into a single sip.
What are the new opportunities, rituals and needs shaping the future of drinks? From morning until evening, we track a future day of drinks in which every sip must earn its place through flavour, function and form.
This shift is creating new behaviours, shown by the fact that nearly three in five young adults in America drink rarely or not at all (source: Attest). Meanwhile, two in five (40%) of the UK population now buy functional drinks several times a month, rising to nearly two thirds (61%) of Gen Z (source: Ocado Retail).
Circadian rhythms are emerging as a critical driver of opportunity. In a pressurised economy, value is defined by versatility, not volume.
This report maps out a full day in your future consumers’ shoes, exploring both non-alcoholic and alcoholic opportunities at home and out of home.
Dirty Shirley by Black Lines, UK
'The drinks industry is at a crucial turning point. With perpetual sector innovation, it is imperative for brands to understand how to navigate this tsunami of change.
More than ever, consumers expect you to deliver on a promise. They need bang for their buck and want to create moments that matter.
From joining new communities to deepening aspirational identities, pursuing longevity to stepping into stories, this is an exciting time in the drinks market, ripe for experimentation and full of opportunities.
Liquid Intentions is a strategic handbook on how your brand could shape the human experience by fuelling joy, optimising everyday moments and creating rituals that leave a lasting imprint on your consumers’ lives.'
: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst, The Future Laboratory
Maïzly, US
Learn how to move beyond traditional occasions to align with mood, mindset and modern life, and make your beverages work harder, mean more and stand apart.
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