The Top CPG Alcoholic Beverage Trends to Expect in 2023

The CPG landscape is constantly evolving and so are consumers’ tastes. That’s why staying ahead of trends — identifying what’s popular before it peaks — is so important.

When CPG companies can identify what consumers want, why a certain ingredient is so popular, and where they’ll have the best chance at distribution success, alcoholic beverage operators are able to continuously evolve their business and stay ahead of the competition.

In this post, we’ll cover the three top CPG alcoholic beverage trends to expect next year, and how Helio can help organizations uncover and make sense of these trends.

1. Consumers’ desire for wellness beverages is here to stay.

Gone are the days when calorie-heavy alcohol brands were on the tops of consumers’ minds.

Now, the beverage industry is addressing a niche group of consumers who have become very mainstream: those interested in low-cal, light alcoholic brands that support their wellness goals.

Wellness is sometimes a buzz-word that you may hear across TikTok and other social media channels discussing various direct-to-consumer topics. Since the pandemic, millennials and generation Z are focused on their health. More than 60% of Gen Z’ers agree that one of the primary impacts of the pandemic is how they approach and “take care of their health.”

Alcoholic beverages that appeal to consumers’ wellbeing and offer health benefits (whether that is through probiotics or other adaptogens) will continue to be at the forefront of the consumers minds in the year to come.

2. Vertically integrated alcoholic brands are positioned well to defy the obstacles before them.

If 2022 was the year of supply chain inefficiencies, next year will be the one where the CPG brands that overcame them will rise to the top.

That’s why digitally native, vertically integrated alcoholic brands who control their own supply chains will distinguish themselves from the competition. It’s all about developing the right distribution mix, ecommerce strategy, and retail strategy.

These consumer packaged goods alcoholic brands that deliver on time to retailers, grocery stores and their ecommerce customers will dominate this beverage category.

3. Varying alcoholic beverage types and a wide-array of flavors will enter the market.

Gen Z consumers will continue to seek out new CPG alcoholic beverages — both in category and flavor.

The seltzer market will continue to be a focus for CPG alcoholic brands with new flavors launching in the market to satisfy consumer’s desires. Last year was an incredible one for the hard seltzer industry with the market estimated to be worth $4.6 billion.

Beyond seltzers, consumers will also seek low-alcohol alternatives as well. More than 23% of Gen Z consumers believe they will drink less this year and will seek out drinks with low-alcohol content to accomplish that goal.

Leading in the CPG Alcoholic Beverage Category

Staying ahead of the trends is a must for any successful CPG brand. With the right data, you can forecast and anticipate what is around the next corner.

Helio’s comprehensive CPG alcoholic beverage brand insights will enable you to position your business for success.

To learn more about Helio or get in touch, visit heliodata.com.