Ready to Dominate? RTDs, Simmering Volatility and Effervescent Trajectories

Capturing the key values, aspirations and rituals embraced by core youth demographics through the ages, RTDs mirror the zeitgeist and will hence remain fluid, adaptable and disruptive. From wine coolers to alcopops and from hard seltzers to ready-to-sip cocktails, the category’s generational cyclicality should not distract from its underlying upward trajectory.

The Ready to Dominate? RTDs, Simmering Volatility and Effervescent Trajectories global briefing offers an insight into to the size and shape of the Alcoholic Drinks market in both the off-trade and the on-trade, it highlights buzz topics, emerging geographies, categories and trends as well as pressing industry issues and white spaces. It identifies the leading companies and brands by total volume, offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product developments, packaging innovations, economic/lifestyle influences, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change and criteria for success.

Key Findings

Change is the only constant: A story of disruption, volatility and evolutionary adaptability

RTDs have been disrupting drinking rituals and occasions since their inception while mirroring the zeitgeist and the values and lifestyles of youth demographics of each era. But behind the dramatic volatility and headline-grabbing controversies faced by key subsegments, the overall category has nearly quadrupled its volumes since the mid-90s.

Significant “Other” and the spirit of evolution

The hard seltzer (“Other” RTDs) segment’s meteoric rise and ongoing downfall should be seen as part of an overreaching pattern that also defined the lifecycles of wine coolers in the 70s and alcopops in the 90s. Lasting roughly five years before peaking, one segment’s demise leads to another one’s rise.

Spirit-based RTDs become the new protagonists in the RTDs saga

Adopting a more aspirational positioning, replicating signature cocktail recipes and utilising iconic spirit or mixer brands that - when combined - can be more than the sum of their parts, experimenting with alternative packaging, formulations and design cues are some of the attributes that will define the segment. 

Non-alc RTDs: Still niche yet intoxicating potential 

While still in its infancy and only just making inroads in key markets, non-alc RTDs will most likely steal the limelight in the short to medium term as the no/lo trend comes of age and cements its position in the mainstream.

Competition will remain fierce, and brand equity will remain elusive

High levels of brand fragmentation and long tails of challenger brands should be expected to continue defining share breakdowns across most subsegments. Building communities, supporting sustainability goals, pushing the limits of flavour sophistication without crossing into oversaturation and prioritising natural ingredients while lowering sugar content will be key.

Report Scope

Product coverage: Beer, Cider/Perry, RTDs, Spirits, Wine.

Data coverage: Market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?

• Get a detailed picture of the Alcoholic Drinks market;
• Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
• Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands;
• Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.