Page 31 - Food&Drink magazine Feb-Mar 2023

Gen Zs tend to drink socially, not to just get drunk. It was a common theme within the research that their relationship with alcohol was thoughtful and socially driven.
Even when selecting a location to imbibe, Gen Zs prefer places that offer opportunities for socialisation that also allow them to save money, leaning into the homebody economy.
What they are drinking also provides brands with some key information. Flavoured malt beverages (FMBs), like hard or spiked seltzers, drive huge interest among these
young consumers (69.4 per cent)
largely due to the lower carb and calorie count they often tout. However, the most popular alcoholic beverages are liquor and spirits at
74.4 per cent.
Vodka was named
the go-to spirit with 88.5 per cent of Gen Zs preferring it over other options. Tequila and mezcal came in second at
71.2 per cent and gin also gained popularity.
With wellness and mental health becoming a bigger priority for Gen Z, there is a subset that chooses to simply abstain from alcohol altogether, or scale back.
They will skip the celebratory drink if it means focusing on their self-care.
Alcohol abstinence is becoming more
acceptable among the
generation. Nielsen reported a
315 per cent year-over-year
increase in online sales of non- alcoholic and low-alcohol
alternatives in October 2021.
Gen Zs said the reasons they chose not to drink were because they disliked the taste or smell of alcohol (51.7 per cent), wanted to avoid hangovers (44.8 per cent), or wanted to prevent any long term effects
of alcohol (41.4 per cent).
FOR CONSIDERATION
When it comes to Gen Z, brands have to rethink their strategy and realign with Gen Z values and goals.
Maybe most importantly, teasing out the difference between peer-to-peer influence and peer pressure will be especially crucial in the alcoholic beverage space.
Understanding Gen Zs’ predisposition to wellness and self-care along with their propensity towards engaging with brands that align with their values means brands will need to lean into community influence, smart messaging, and strategic positioning to win their trust. ✷
✷ ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
TRENDS 2023
Aneesh Dhawan is the
CEO and co-founder of
the start-up Knit, an
insights platform on Gen
Z and millennials.
Dhawan launched his
first company, a Gen Z agency called Feed A Friend, at the age of 16. A few years later, he started Knit, helping brands like JBL, the WNBA, and NASCAR understand the next generation of consumers.
RollsTechGlobalPty Ltd
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