Holiday Data Series: How Will Shoppers Get Into Holiday Spirits? Hint: Cheers included

Alcoholic beverages, while popular throughout the year, are among the most seasonal items that grocery shoppers add to their lists. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the consumption rate for different types of alcohol and brands during the holiday season. We’ll also determine whether historical trends can continue during the holiday season of 2022. 

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ALCOHOL TYPES

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RUM

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Many alcoholic beverages experienced a spike in popularity during the spring of 2020 when Covid forced shoppers to stay home and avoid drinking at bars. A standing question in the alcohol industry has been whether increased consumption habits could be maintained, particularly during the holidays. 

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When compared to November of 2019, rum saw a 26% increase in list transactions in November 2020. It also spiked significantly year-over-year in December 2020, jumping 25%. While the November jump wasn’t maintained in 2021, rum did sustain its list presence in December 2021 with a rise of 4% year-over-year. 

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In the first few months of 2020, rum consumption appeared to decrease slightly versus 2021 levels. However, barring a significant shift, the add-to-list rates appear to be headed toward levels similar to 2021 for this holiday season.

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BRANDED ITEMS

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BAILEYS

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Some alcohol brands are more popular during the holidays, and Baileys is no exception. As the weather grows colder, the presence of Bailey’s typically grows with peaks coming in November and December. 

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While Baileys saw 34%, 15%, and 59% year-over-year growth in the respective months of October, November, and December of 2020, it did not sustain its newfound highs in 2021. 

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In the early months of 2022, Baileys has continued to drop year-over-year. If this holds the same into this year’s holiday season, Baileys will likely see its list presence come closer to 2019 levels than 2020 highs. 

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KAHLUA

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The story of Kahlua is similar to that of Bailey’s in some ways; it experiences a late-year hike in list transactions that was especially pronounced during 2020. However, there are other distinct differences. 

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The presence of Kahlua on grocery lists fell only 4% in November of 2021 versus the year prior and increased 1% year-over-year in December 2021. In the first half of 2022, Kahlua has experienced some months of year-over-year growth and others of decline. But, overall, it shows little significant decline this year versus November and December volumes from 2020 to 2021.

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FIREBALL

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When looking at holiday seasons’ list data, Fireball appears to be another alcoholic beverage brand that saw a sustained rise in consumption at the end of both 2021 and 2022. 

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In the first five months of 2022, Fireball has matched or exceeded list presence compared to the same time frames in 2021. If this continues, Fireball may reach or exceed its record high level of consumption that it saw in December of 2021. 

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TO BE CONTINUED…

While the exact levels of alcohol consumption during the 2022 holiday season are still unknown, beverage brands can still use list data to gain insights into what might happen later this year. To learn more about what is happening on the lists of alcoholic beverage consumers and to get in front of them ahead of this holiday season, email info@adadapted.com

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