T. Hasegawa released a Non-Alcoholic Beverage Flavor Flash Report 2024. The report reads, "Flavors aren’t required to offer actual functional advantages to appeal to consumers. The critical aspect is that they must be flavorful, irrespective of other attributes. What constitutes “good taste” can differ depending on the product type, and younger demographics often factor sweetness into their evaluation of what tastes good."
Below are some of the Non-Alcoholic Beverage Flavor Flash Report highlights by T. Hasegawa:
· Fruit flavors: While exotic fruits such as starfruit are successfully capturing consumer curiosity, all fruits offer familiarity. According to research, if a consumer appreciates familiar flavors like watermelon and mango, they are more likely to enjoy new fruit flavors as well.
· Sour flavors: More than 64% of Gen Z consumers in Mintel survey cited interest in trying new sour flavors, with Millennials not far behind at 59 percent. Tart tastes provide a unique twist compared to the conventional versions of a flavor – and younger demographics are actively seeking sensory excitement.
· Functionality can often focus on a certain type of drink or even specific ingredients, but brands need to make functionality more accessible to consumers by focusing on the overall benefit – such as refreshment, energy or satisfying cravings.
· Floral flavors, herbs and vegetables remain relatively niche. While these flavors have been the popular focus for many beverage brands in the non-alcoholic category in recent years, data indicates that fruit flavors still attract the most consumer interest, especially refreshing flavors like coconut, kiwi, watermelon and mango.
· Work-from-homers (WFH) demand diversity: Working from home motivates people to keep a variety of drinks accessible at all times, because hydration and thirst-quenching is less of a priority for these consumers, compared to other benefits such as energy, concentration and nutrition.
