Insight Retail Software Blog

​LILBURN, Ga. – According to Beverage Digest, Americans spent nearly $2 billion more on non-alcoholic beverages last year. Carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks and bottled water added $1 billion in retail value to the industry’s overall $135.7 billion in sales—up $2.1 billion in retail value, a value increase of 1.6% alongside a volume boost of 1.4%.

The report measures the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverage category and breaks down retail value growth by carbonated soft drinks (+1.3%); water (+3.8%); RTD teas (+1.5%); and RTD coffees/dairy-based and other (+11.7%) each reported healthy retail value growth. Only two categories—juice/juice drinks (-0.9%) and sports drinks (-1.8%)—posted value declines.

Beverage Digest noted that “value has become an important metric to consider when judging beverage industry health and performance during the current era of premiumization and market fragmentation”—emphasizing that this is “especially true” when looking at the growth of carbonated soft drinks. “While volume remains an important measure of long-term consumer demand, executives have focused increasingly on dollar sales growth as they raise prices (both rate and mix) amid volume sales declines.”

Reports attribute part of the growth to new product innovation from companies like Coca-Cola, such as the inclusion of more flavor versions to its Diet Coke lineup. The brand momentum brought strong retail sales growth: Trademark Coca-Cola (which includes Coca-Cola, Coke Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Life and Diet Coke) grew 1%; trademark Sprite (which includes Sprite and Sprite Zero) was up 6.8%; DASANI bumped 2.5% and retail sales of the company’s energy drink partner, Monster, grew nearly 11%.