Three-quarters of consumers who said they would abstain from alcohol this month have stayed committed to Dry January, according to a survey by CGA, NIQ’s on-premise market research firm.
One-in-four consumers surveyed prior to January said they would participate in the yearly tradition, while six in 10 specifically said they plan to abstain from alcohol in bars and restaurants. The primary driver for participating was for “health reasons” (41%), followed by wanting to save money (35%), to “challenge myself” (30%) and to decrease alcohol intake (27%).
Of note, 12% of participating consumers said there are “better non-alcoholic options available than in previous years.”
Still, soft drinks are the primary replacement for bev-alc in the on-premise, chosen by 65% of participating consumers, followed by “hot drinks” (30%), energy drinks (26%) and sparkling water (23%). Nearly one-in-five consumers (19%) are replacing bev-alc with mocktails, followed by non-alcoholic (NA) or alcohol-free beer (15%), NA wine (14%) and NA spirits (13%).
Of those who had a mocktail this month, 77% plan to continue to drink the alternative beverage past Dry January – the largest commitment of the four NA alternatives of bev-alc. The majority of consumers drinking NA beer and NA wine plan to continue drinking beverages in the segments past January (59% and 57%, respectively), while 46% of NA spirits consumers plan to continue.
CGA also dove into expected consumer behavior in the on-premise for the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day.
Super Bowl LVIII will take place February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nearly one-third of consumers (28%) plan to visit the on-premise to watch the game. That number increases to 42% when including only consumers aged 21-34.
Of those planning to watch at bars and restaurants and consume bev-alc, the majority (53%) plan to drink beer. Whiskey is the second most popular drink of choice (28%), followed by shots (27%), vodka (26%), tequila (24%) and cocktails (24%).
The most popular venue of choice is sports bars (57%), followed by neighborhood bars (26%) and cocktail bars (19%). Consumers are most likely to visit the on-premise pre-game (64%) or during the game (64%), while 22% of consumers plan to extend their festivities in bars and restaurants after the game is over.
CGA also asked consumers: “If you see a commercial during the NFL’s ‘Big Game’ for an alcoholic drink brand you have or haven’t tried, where would you be likely to try it?”
For bev-alc consumers who have not tried the advertised product, the majority of respondents said they would try it in the on-premise (62%), followed by at home (40%) and at someone else’s home (32%). For bev-alc that consumers have had before, the on-premise is still the venue of choice for 61% of respondents, followed by at home (45%) and at someone else’s home (34%).
Seven percent of consumers said they wouldn’t try a new brand after seeing a Super Bowl commercial, while 9% said it would depend on the drink.
Valentine’s Day (February 14), falls on a Wednesday this year. More than one-third of consumers (37%) said they plan to visit the on-premise for the holiday. That number increases to 13% for consumers 21-34 years old.
Of those consumers who plan to celebrate at bars and restaurants, 28% plan to drink table wine, followed by beer (25%), cocktails (24%), sparkling wine (23%), whiskey (19%) and vodka (19%).
Fine dining restaurants are expected to be the most popular during the holiday, chosen by 42% of consumers, followed by casual dining chains (28%) and independently owned restaurants (26%).
The majority of consumers (64%) plan to visit the on-premise the day of Valentine’s Day, followed by the following Thursday and/or Friday, February 15 and 16 (19%), the prior Saturday, February 10 (18%) or the prior Sunday, February 11 (18%).
The most popular time of day for visiting the on-premise for the holiday is the early evening, between 5 and 8 p.m., chosen by 54% of respondents, followed by the late evening (32%) and happy hour (24%).