Doing things differently

Speaker 1 1:12

Hi hi Lono Nation . So for today's episode , I want to do something a little bit different . This is inspired in part , by my friends over at the Upper Bottom Podcast , who share their booze news at the start of every episode before they jump into their interviews . So I thought I'd be interesting to share some news here . But the news I want to share is about some of the numbers around drinking L no and light drinks . So this week we are going to be taking a look at an article that has been released inside Issue 10 of Low no Drinker magazine and I've also popped it up on my LinkedIn newsletter called Building Low no Nation , which you can find just by Googling or finding me , and it's linked under my profile in LinkedIn , denise Hamilton Mace and in it it looks at the numbers that came from a report by research team Cometric , who looked at 10,000 conversations on Reddit over the last six months that surrounded the topic of no low drinks , and what they looked at were the words that were being used , the topics that were being talked about and how people were responding to no low drinks and what they were saying they use them for and how they enjoy them , and I thought it was really fascinating . There were some really interesting numbers in there . So I realized that a stats episode can be quite dry . So I'm going to do my best to make it as interesting as possible for you , and I'd love to know what you think of this show . So feel free to drop me an email , denise at lonodrinkermagazinecom , and let me know if this is the type of episode that you enjoy from the Lono Drinker podcast , if you'd like more of it , or if you have any other ideas or brands or founders that you want me to get on the show for you .

Drink types

Speaker 1 3:03

So let's start off by looking at the categories that people were talking about . So , to remind you , this was a review of 10,000 conversations around no low drinks . So , unsurprisingly , the most popular topic in the conversation was around beers . Most popular topic in the conversation was around beers . Now , that's not surprising . Low , no and light drinks are dominated by beers . Lagers and ales , in particular , are the most popular category . We are a nation of beer lovers . You know people love to go to the pub and have a pint . When you're relaxing at home , it's beer that's often top of the list for everyone . If you go down any supermarket aisle looking at alcohol , full strength or otherwise , it's dominated by beer . So 52% of the conversations that were recorded or reported on were about low no beer . Interestingly , 16% of the conversations mentioned wine . Now , I love this statistic because it means that , even though there's always a lot of pressure on low and no wines there , finding amazing low-no-light wines that they can really enjoy and the fact that people are still talking about it means that that we haven't given up on the low-no-wine industry , which I'm really pleased to hear , because we have to support these guys , right , we have to support these producers if we want them to continue making these liquids better for us .

Speaker 1 4:37

The next most discussed category was spirits , at 13% . Now , low-nose spirits . Again , people often say , no , they don't taste the same as a real thing and newsflash , no , they don't . When your drink is 40% alcohol and you take that away , it's going to taste different . But low-nose spirits have an upper hand over wine . So even wines even though wines are normally only 14 maximum , roughly um spirits are used in other ways . So once they're mixed with a mixer , once they're put into a cocktail , they're there to add flavor to something , as opposed to carry the whole flavor by themselves . Next was mocktails and ready to drinks , rtds 11% of the conversations were around these and I think that number is going to grow . I think there's going to be more and more people really leaning into the RTD section when it comes to low , no and light drinks . A lot of people in this space might love a spirit , they might love a cocktail but have no idea how to make one . And if you want a quality , low and no alcohol drink but you don't want to or know how to put the effort into making a fancy cocktail , having one in a can that you can just pop and pour and make it look pretty by adding some ice and a slice of lemon , you know that really gives people the chance to have something special without too much effort .

Speaker 1 5:59

And then the least discussed category in Lo and no were aperitifs . I don't know that . I'm particularly surprised about this . Aperitifs are big , they are big business . Everybody loves the spritz , but they're not drinks that people know much about . You know you generally tend to know about the big brands and you'll have one of those and then that's about it . It's not the most discussed area . When I was working in bars and restaurants , people very rarely came in and sat at the bar and had a conversation about aperitifs , but they would sit there and talk all day long about beers or whiskeys or something .

Social events

Speaker 1 6:33

The next category that I found was really interesting was the report was talking about the social events in which people are using these drinks , and I really like this one , because the reasons that people were giving for why they were using low and no drinks weren't necessarily what you'd expect . So the first and most popular reason people were saying they used low and no drinks were for social gatherings and events , and that was 43% of the conversation . That in itself is not particularly surprising , of course . The whole point of these drinks is that they allow you to still be part of your social situation and not feel like you're missing out just because you don't have alcohol in your drink . So it was fantastic to hear that it is social gatherings and events that are really driving this category .

Speaker 1 7:20

The next most popular reason people had for using these drinks was their health routines and diets . At 32% of the conversations , full strength alcohol comes in at around about seven kilocalories per milliliter , and it's not surprising that when people are looking at cutting back on their calorific intake , they look at cutting back on alcohol as well , because it's not just the calories in the alcohol , it's not just the seven calories per ml in your drink . It's also what you mix it with . So if you're drinking , say , vodka and Coke , or if you're drinking beer , it's all the other things that it gets mixed with . Plus it's all the decisions that you make on top of drinking it . I would say that if it wasn't for alcohol , the kebab industry in the UK would not be as thriving as it is . So it's understandable that people are looking at these drinks as part of a healthier way of managing their diet .

Speaker 1 8:15

The next most popular category that people were talking about low and no drinks in were meals and food preparing . So 25% of the conversations were around meals and food prep , and that includes things like , you know , making your meal whilst drinking a glass of wine , as well as putting some in the food that you might be preparing . The next category was outdoor activities and sporting events . So a lot of people 15% of the conversations were around using these drinks in those situations . So when you're going to you know , going to watch a game or a match if you're taking your drinks with you , it's 15% of those conversations are about taking low and low and light drinks with you , which is fantastic . Now here's the stat that I said would surprise a lot of people .

Speaker 1 9:04

Of all the conversations about the social occasions in which people use low and no drinks and the reasons that they use them , only 8% of the conversations were about using these drinks to help with sobriety or recovery . This means that only 8% of people are saying that these drinks are solely for use for me to move forward in my sobriety or my recovery , and the rest of the conversations were people going . This isn't about being sober for me . This isn't about being recovery . This is about me wanting to make a better choice for myself in various situations , and I love , love , love that . Obviously , I'm all for people using these drinks to help them with their recovery , to help them stay sober , if that's what they're choosing . But I really love to hear that people who are not necessarily saying that they are going sober are saying they're looking at these drinks without alcohol in them to help them lead a life less intoxicated , to a better standard , to what matters to them , and I think that's absolutely fantastic .

Big Vs small brands

Speaker 1 10:09

Interestingly , or obviously rather , the majority of conversations around these drinks were focused on big alcohol brands , so 62% of the conversations referenced big alcohol brands like Guinness , like Heineken Zero , like Peroni Zero , and only 38% of them were mentioning smaller , independent brands like Lucky Saint or Big Drop or Zeno . That's not necessarily surprising , I mean . I think that most people come into the world of low and low and light via an adjacent brand that they already know . If you're in the supermarket and you're thinking about drinking low or low and you see a brand from a full strength producer that you already know like and trust , it makes sense that you'd go for their lower ABV option .

Drink qualities

Speaker 1 10:55

The next category was looking at what is important about the drink itself for people , and what they were saying matters most in the drink that they were having . So 65% of those conversations were saying that taste and aftertaste were the most important consideration in the drink that they were having , and I'm glad to hear that . Of course it should be . How a drink tastes is the most important thing . Next , 48% of the conversations were looking at the ingredients and the nutrients . This doesn't surprise me in the slightest . The ingredients that we use , having organic ingredients , natural ingredients , ingredients that support our planet but also support our body as well . Nootropics and adaptogenics are important , big , big business at the moment , and I'm in no way surprised that people are really looking for drinks that not only can help them reduce the amount of alcohol that they take in , but also increase the amount of good stuff that they put in themselves as well sort of killing two birds with one stone .

Speaker 1 11:57

The next was pricing and value . Only 22% of the conversations around low and no drinks and what they contain and how they're delivered and presented to us were about pricing and value , and I love that , because what it means is that all these conversations that we've been hearing people saying about how much it costs and why it doesn't cost much more less considering it doesn't have alcohol in it , means that actually people are starting to realize that the value of their drink is not related to the cost of the drink and it's not related to the amount of alcohol that's in there . Packaging and branding was next at 15% of the conversations around how the drink is presented were about packaging and branding . We know that how something looks is part of how we enjoy it , but it's interesting to see that it's not top of the list at all . So I think as long as something looks presentable , people are happy to give it a try . And then the least considered element in this category was the ESG the environmental , social and governance around the drink . So whether or not it was a B Corp , whether or not they're giving back what charitable donations they work with , so that was the least consequence for people when it came to how their drinks were presented and marketed to them . So I found all of that really , really interesting , because it goes to show that there is a lot more going on in terms of low note and light drinks and how people are enjoying them . So I found all of that really really interesting , because it goes to show that there is a lot more going on in terms of low-no and light drinks and how people are enjoying them than we might initially have thought

Personality types

Speaker 1 13:33

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Speaker 1 13:34

What happened at the end of this report was that Cometric established five personas or personalities that they felt represented the low-no drinker , and they did this quote to understand the motivation and preferences of behaviors of various market segments , which is a lot of long words for saying they want to know why people do what they do . So what they found was that 31 percent of people were had the persona that they described as being a discerning palette , and and I'll read what they say word for word so as not to butcher their definitions . So they said that this persona dominates the discussions , with many comments focusing on low-low drinks that closely mimic the taste and experience of alcoholic beverages . This includes a keen interest in the quality and authenticity of flavors . Keen interest in the quality and authenticity of flavors . The next was the flavor explorer , so they found that 27% of people fell into this category . And the flavor explorer , unlike the discerning palate , this persona is not focused on no load drinks that create the taste of real alcohol , but is rather keen on trying new flavors and brands , particularly those that offer unique or innovative takes on traditional beverages .

Speaker 1 14:51

Next , they found that 20% of people fell into the health enthusiast category , and about that , they said that these people are choosing no-load drinks to avoid the health drawbacks associated with alcohol . This persona is interested in beverages that are not only free from alcohol but also made with healthier ingredients . 13% of the people in this study were found to be safe socialites . This persona values social interaction and uses no low drinks to stay involved in social activities without the effects of alcohol . They often seek bars where no low options are served .

Speaker 1 15:31

And then , finally , they've said that only 9% of people from their research , fell into this last category , which is the sobriety advocate . And about this they said the sobriety advocate is a consumer who's either in recovery or supporting someone who is , and they choose no low drinks as a way to enjoy social . So I wonder , which category do you fall into ? Are you a discerning palate ? Are you a flavour explorer ? Are you a health enthusiast ? Are you a safe socialite or are you a sobriety advocate ?

What it all means

Speaker 1 16:08

I thought this was a really interesting report . I know that I can be a little bit nerdy about no low drinks and the industry . That's why I do what I do , because I think it's absolutely fascinating and really interesting . I hope that you found this interesting and insightful too , and what I really hope is that it supports you in your choices to be looking at these drinks , to realize that this isn't about making sober choices . This is about making the best choices for you , for the way that you want to live your life .

Speaker 1 16:34

So thanks very much for joining me on this episode . Like I said , I'd love to know what you think of this , because I would like to do some more . Obviously , there are some really interesting stats around low-no and light drinking that I can share . Inside Low-No Drinker magazine there's always a stats page which is sharing some of the numbers and how things are looking for us as a nation of low-no and light drinkers . So thank you very much . I hope you join me on the next episode where I will be back to interviewing a founder or industry expert in the low , no and light space . And in the meantime , don't forget to go and check out Lono Drinker magazine , the number one UK magazine for sober , curious and mindful drinkers . Thanks guys , I'll see you next time .