Targeting the consumer – a global roundup

If the alcoholic drinks market had to be summarised with a single threat and a single opportunity it would arguably be these: declining consumption in developed markets and increasing consumption among the expanding middle classes of emerging markets.

In its new global alcoholic beverage report, Consumer Targeting in Alcoholic Drinks: Effective Marketing and Innovation Strategies, market research and market data specialists ResearchAndMarkets – a leading source for international market research and market data – believes that tackling both can be helped with smart consumer segmentations.

“Alcoholic drinks companies are using these to improve the targeting and take-up of their products as well as to find the common ground between segments that permit the creation of truly mass global (or at least continental) markets,” states the report. 

This report provides data on the percentage of consumption accounted for by different demographic groups (by gender, age and income band). It demonstrates how product development targeted towards these different groups is being pursued. And it draws out the key trends that are shaping the future of consumer segmentation in this market.  

Among the report’s key findings: men account for 64 per cent of alcoholic drinks consumption, women for 36 per cent. Within this total men account for 71 per cent of beer consumption and 64 per cent of spirits consumption while women consume just over half of the world’s wine.  

The most significant degree of under-consumption in alcoholic drinks is of wine by young adults. This is starting to change as wine companies target this market, just as spirits companies rather successfully started to do 15 years ago.  

Young adults receive the most marketing attention, but those aged 25 to 34 account for 23 per cent of overall consumption as do those aged 35-44. People in the 45-54 age group drink 17 per cent while those aged 55+ drink 22 per cent.  

The US Hispanic population is the ethnic group most targeted by alcoholic drinks companies. But even within this group there are subtle sub-segments, such as Mexican immigrants, that respond to even more targeted marketing.  

Across all alcoholic drinks markets in the world, the top fifth of income earners accounts for 28 per cent of consumption and the bottom fifth for 13 per cent. Therefore, on average, the richest consume twice as much as the poorest.

 
Over the last 30 years the proportion of alcoholic drink product launches that are premium and above has doubled from around one in 10 to around one in five. There are cycles of activity with annual highs of between 35 per cent and 40 per cent.