Diageo’s AI Listening Finds Non-Alc Trend Growing, Heineken Highlights Social Barriers

Fifty-one percent of people who said they wouldn’t end up drinking alcohol still did so, per Heineken.

Beverage consumption trends are shifting, with non-alcoholic alternatives to spirits and beer gaining interest among consumers but social pressures continuing to inhibit growth in the category, according to recent studies from Diageo and Heineken. 

Diageo, which produces such brands as Johnnie Walker, Don Julio Tequila, and Guinness, has tapped into online discourse, using its proprietary AI-powered listening tool, Foresight System, built in partnership with Share Creative and Kantar, which scans over 160 million conversations to identify global consumer trends in the BevAlc space. 

Its annual Distilled report found that consumers are participating in a trend referred to as “zebra striping” — alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages during a single social event. This is tied to a 37% increase in “celebrating self-love,” per Diageo, and a 79% YoY increase in discussions around “decelerated occasions.”

Non-alcoholic brands are becoming increasingly available in mass retail, with stores such as Target stocking options. For example, Bero, a premium non-alcoholic beer brand founded by Tom Holland, just hit shelves.

“Non-alcoholic beverage has been a growth category at Target for five years now,” said John Conlin, senior vice president of merchandising, food, and beverage at Target, in response to the Bero announcement. 

Also read: Diageo North America Acquires Non-Alc Brand Ritual Spirits