GSN Alert: Mugs by Day, Pint Glasses by Night

Morning runs to the coffee shop and happy hour cocktails at the bar have been halted for more than two months now. We wanted to know how this impacts in-home brewing and mixology. Influence Central surveyed 630 consumers in May as part of an effort to understand the consumer mindset during COVID-19.

CHEERS TO THE QUARANTINI 

Alcohol has always been a part of restaurant profitability and social culture in the U.S. With varied rules around alcohol sales and delivery state-to-state, alcohol brands have found themselves in an interesting spot. Some creative brands like Grey Goose, have hired out-of-work bartenders to become online mixologists for home-drinking cocktail makers.

• Only 26% of consumers share that they’re consuming even more alcoholic beverages at home now than they were before. But drinks abound even if at typical consumption levels.
• Among all consumers when it comes to drinking choices, wine tops the list of drink choices, with cocktails and beer rounding up the top three:
  • 43% turn to red wine
  • 38% prefer white wine
  • 37% are mixing up cocktails, while 18% prefer hard alcohol straight up or on the rocks.
  • 31% drink beer
  • 14% love hard seltzer
  • 13% like hard cider
• 94% have not utilized any of the home delivery services for alcoholic beverages yet and are still going in-store for their alcohol purchases.
• Of those who are utilizing home delivery services for alcoholic beverages, 65% have only just recently started turning to these services. 

Marketers of alcohol brands and services should be pouring themselves into these findings and capitalizing on a market that hasn’t quite taken off. The momentum of Online Grocery Pick-up can be an example to both national alcohol brands, as well as local businesses, including the rapidly growing craft beer industry.

A HIGHLY CAFFEINATED HOME-BREWED NATION

Home brewed coffee abounds during COVID-19. The number of movies, TV shows and memes that portray the morning hustle and hurry-up mentality of American culture is staggering. So, it’s not surprising that the line at your Starbucks’ or McDonald’s Drive-thru was long or that office coffee stations were as common as copy machines. But what happens when consumers’ to-do lists are still expansive, with increased reliance on caffeine increased to battle long unremitting, but you’re home most mornings? Well, it turns out that it’s coffee that happens:

• 89% of consumers have at least one person in their household who now drinks coffee at home.
• 56% brew more pots and cups of coffee at home than before social distancing, generally brewing 2 or more times each day.
• When asked what they are using to brew coffee, 66% purchase ground coffee, 49% use K-Cups and 20% grind coffee beans.
• Among the different types of coffee brands being purchased for home:
  • 50% opt for well-known chain coffee shop brands (such as Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Caribou).
  • 46% preferring well-known grocery store brands (such as Folgers or Maxwell House).
  • 29% choose other specialty coffee brands.
  • 24% opt for generic supermarket house brand.
• 42% had typically brewed coffee at the office prior to the shift to stay-at-home.
• 71% purchase creamers or other additives specifically for coffee.

People clearly still want their daily pick-me-ups of caffeine during the pandemic, creating a swath of opportunities for coffee brands and coffee appliances alike. Plus, it’s opened the door to new coffee drinks, such as the hugely popular and trending “Dalgona” whipped coffee made with instant coffee whipped with sugar and water, then poured over milk. Clearly, home baristas have arrived!

Stacy DeBroff is a Social and digital media strategist, best-selling author, attorney, and founder and CEO of Influence Central, which delivers cutting-edge social media and digital campaigns focused on influencer marketing.