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Understanding Alcoholic Drinking Occasions: The On-Trade

Datamonitor
July 2, 2008
161 Pages - SKU: DFMN1819259

Abstract Table of Contents Search inside this report Related Reports

Introduction

Consumers are adopting a more moderate approach to alcohol consumption, which is encouraging greater diversity within more frequent drinking occasions. Consumers' less but better attitudes and a desire for indulgence, despite economic uncertainty and strong growth in off-trade sales, offer marketers opportunities to tap into the value generation potential that still exists within the on-trade.

Scope

Detailed quantitative analysis of on-trade alcohol consumption indicators including occasions by type, market value and volume data.
Qualitative examination of the 'who, when and why' of on-trade alcoholic drinks consumption, tracking the shift to frequent but moderate occasions.
Detailed action points offering practical strategies based on the trends and insights analyzed in the report.
Covering nine core countries across Europe, North America and Australasia; France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK, US and Australia.

Highlights

Consumers are increasingly looking for enhanced sensory experiences and will trade-up to satisfy this. The on-trade can benefit by offering exclusive products and an environment not easily replicated off-trade. The proliferation of female-friendly environments has widened the consumer base and facilitated more diverse occasions throughout the week.

Moderated alcohol consumption on-trade requires more nuanced approaches to marketing. Tracking consumers' premiumization behavior is a key facet of this, although the industry must be prepared for poor economic circumstances to restrict growth potential sales will increasingly be based on enhanced value and flat volume sales.

The majority of purchased on-trade alcoholic drinks are now consumed during relaxing occasions, with as so-called session drinking continuing to decline. Aging populations and time-scarcity are major motivators in this shift and the more social nature of relaxing occasions offers specific opportunities for premiumization.

Reasons to Purchase

Understand the key issues affecting the market for alcoholic beverages on-trade.
Access detailed quantitative and insightful qualitative data aggregating the most compelling and recent research in this timely and important topic.
Improve your on-trade marketing by following best-practice guidelines for more effective on-trend targeting and relevant communications.

Overview: Catalyst; Summary; Table of tables; Table of figures; The Future Decoded; Introduction; TREND: Societal, legislative and economic trends will impact the future of the on-trade sector; Consumers' spending behavior is being pressured by negative economic trends; Further legislation restricting alcohol marketing and consumption is a possibility; Smoking bans are reshaping the behavior of smoking and non-smoking consumers on-trade; Most academic studies suggest the long term negative impact of smoking bans on the on-trade will be minimal; The on-trade smoking ban provides opportunities to encourage non-smokers to visit more often; Key take-outs and implications: the on-trade must be flexible and responsive to circumstances counter to the channel's interests; TREND: Consumers are going out more frequently, but moderating their alcohol consumption; On-trade alcoholic beverage occasions are rising slowly; Consumers are moderating their alcohol intake per on-trade occasion; Consumers are premiumizing their on-trade purchases; Key take-outs and implications: consumer moderation requires strategic reorientation for the on-trade; TREND: Consumers' shift to midweek drinking is driving on-trade sales growth; While weekend occasions will continue to rise, midweek drinking is gaining a larger share of on-trade occasions overall; Consumers' midweek drinking occasions are increasingly diverse; The declining importance of Young Adults to the on-trade will contribute to midweek growth; Key take-outs and implications: midweek on-trade occasions offer marketers diversity in consumers, occasions and demand for products; INSIGHT: Consumption volumes are dictated by the dynamics of differing occasions; Relaxed social drinking is consumers' preferred on-trade behavior; Time-scarcity, moderation behavior and external pressures are diminishing the propensity for session drinking; The demographic shift due to aging populations also favors relaxed consumption; Key take-outs and implications: relaxed occasions offer opportunities to promote premiumization; INSIGHT: Health allies with premiumization in driving less but better approaches to alcohol consumption; The positive effects of moderate alcohol consumption are regularly published in the media; There are substantial differences between the technical definition and the public perception of binge-drinking; Consumers are more conscious of health and wellbeing issues when drinking alcohol midweek; The trend for healthy drinking favors the off-trade; Key take-outs and implications: healthy consumption faces greater challenges as a concept in the on-trade setting; INSIGHT: Female consumers account for a growing number of on-trade occasions; Gender-related preferences affect the on-trade performance of different alcoholic beverages; Feminization of the on-trade has expanded the channel's appeal; Products specifically targeted at females are encouraging greater on-trade alcohol consumption; The on-trade risks alienating core male consumers, driving them off-trade; Key take-outs and implications: feminization of the on-trade has yielded results but core male consumers must be accommodated; Action Points; ACTION: Align drinks with the healthy indulgence trend; Case Study: US gastro-bartenders tap directly into health and indulgence trends through healthier cocktails; ACTION: Enhance product portfolios to ensure appeal to both male and female consumers; Explore female-focused branding and product development, but consider that traditional brands can also be given female appeal; Cross-gender appeal can be emphasized through products aimed at sharing and socializing; Avoid alienation of the male consumer base; Sponsorship deals can help to align drinks with masculine pursuits; ACTION: align drinks with more relaxing occasions and continental café culture; ACTION: Promote the compatibility of drinks with food; ACTION: attract attention through point-of-sale activity and innovation; Assist in making the on-trade experience more interactive
APPENDIX: Supplementary Data; Definitions; Methodology; Further reading; Ask the analyst; Datamonitor consulting; Disclaimer
List of Tables: Table 1: Standard drink driving limits across Europe, the US and Australia; Table 2: Number of smokers (millions) and as share of adult population (%), US & Europe, 2002-2012; Table 3: The extent of on-trade smoking bans, US, Europe and Australia; Table 4: Overall on-trade alcoholic beverage occasions (millions), US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 5: Weekly alcoholic beverage occasions per capita, US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 6: On-trade alcoholic beverage sales by volume (liters millions), US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 7: Volume consumed per on-trade alcoholic beverage occasion (liters), US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 8: Total spending on alcoholic beverages, (US$m), US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 9: On-trade alcoholic beverage occasions (millions), by time of week, US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 10: Share of on-trade alcoholic beverage occasions (%) by time of week, US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 11: Midweek and weekend volumes consumed per alcoholic drinking occasion (liters), US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 12: Share of on-trade alcoholic beverage occasions by type (%), US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 13: Overall alcoholic beverage occasions by type (millions), US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 14: Overall on-trade alcoholic beverage consumption (liters millions) by occasion type, US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 15: Volume consumed per on-trade alcoholic beverage occasion (liters) by occasion type, US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 16: Share of on-trade alcoholic beverage consumption (%) by gender, US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 17: Share of female on-trade alcoholic beverage consumption (%) by category, US, Europe and Australia, 2002-2012; Table 18: The number of smokers as a percentage of the adult population, Europe and US, 2002-2012
List of Figures: Figure 1: The on-trade alcoholic drinks market faces a variety of drivers and inhibitors; Figure 2: The average price (US$) of a pint of lager in 2008, US, Europe and Australia; Figure 3: Case Study: All Bar One's success is based on its female-friendliness and contemporary styling; Figure 4: Case Study: beer producers are actively targeting the female audience with gender specific brands; Figure 5: Case study: Canadian Club's marketing epitomizes the counter-trend to the feminization of alcoholic drinking behaviors; Figure 6: Case Study: Australian light beer brand Hahn Super Dry channels male-oriented marketing to achieve high growth; Figure 7: Case Study: Beck's Vier offers premium attributes at a reduced strength, suiting more everyday occasions; Figure 8: Case Study: Southern Comfort has driven renewed sales growth through a focus on cross-gender appeal and socializing; Figure 9: Case Study: Food associations play a role in Peroni Nastro Azzurro's UK success; Figure 10: Case Study: The interactive bar concept offers convenience and total personalization of the serving experience; Figure 11: Case Study: The iBar interactive concept shows the potential of future point-of-sale marketing opportunities

Understanding Alcoholic Drinking Occasions: The On-Trade

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