NielsenIQ

The adult non-alc category is on its way to hitting $1 billion in off-premise sales as new entries shake up the top brand families and begin to drive prices down, according to market research firm NIQ.

Beverage-alcohol sales are down 3% year-to-date (YTD) in off-premise channels, market research firm NIQ shared in its “Halftime Report.” Beer, wine and spirits dollar sales topped $53 billion as of July 5, the firm reported. Declines occurred across all off-premise measured channels.

Alcoholic beverages are feeling a squeeze, and not of the lime variety. Beer and alcohol businesses are facing economic pressures from tariffs, shifts in consumer spending, and health and wellness trends — yet many opportunities for growth remain, particularly among Gen Z (21+) consumers, the newest group to reach the legal drinking age.

The beer category is in the black to start 2025, with off-premise dollar sales growing +3% and volume +0.7% year-to-date (YTD) through January 18 in NIQ-tracked channels (total U.S. xAOC plus liquor plus convenience).

The beverage-alcohol industry is undergoing a transformative shift driven by the explosive growth of ready-to-drink (RTD) products.

The latest data shows a modest rebound for total BevAlc sales growth in the two-week period ending May 4, reflecting easing volume declines and relatively steady pricing growth, according to Goldman Sachs Equity Research’s latest analysis of NielsenIQ data.

Off-premise dollar sales of beer topped $47.9 billion in 2023, according to market research firm NIQ. Beer accounts for half of total alcohol off-premise dollar sales, which reached $89.8 billion last year, a +1.1% increase compared to 2022. Although dollar sales increased for beer (+1.4%), volume declined -3% compared to a year ago. Beer was… Read more »

Total BevAlc sales growth improved slightly with volume performance up across beer, flavored malt beverage, cider and hard seltzer, while dipping negative on sequential basis in wine and spirits categories during the two-week period that ended November 4, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.

On-premise sales velocity slowed slightly in recent weeks, down -2% week-over-week (WoW) in the latest week (ending November 5) and -3% in the previous week, according to CGA, a NIQ-powered on-premise market research firm, in the latest On-Premise Impact Report.

Ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage alcohol consumption has grown 104% in the past two years, according to NIQ, but how are consumers making shopping decisions, and where are they enjoying the growing variety of flavored malt beverages, canned cocktails and seltzers?

New beer category products have delivered more than half a billion dollars in off-premise sales in the last year, according to market research firm NielsenIQ (NIQ).