According to new findings from The Functional Drinks Collective report and following research conducted by KAM Insights, the demand for feel-good beverages is growing much faster than understanding amongst consumers. While 79% of UK adults are open to trying functional drinks, only 16% feel very confident about their ingredients.
The call to action for retailers is clear: 83% of shoppers want more in-store information – from benefit descriptions (60%) and clear ingredient lists (53%). Meanwhile, 96% say they want to understand the science behind functional drinks to some extent.
Visibility is another barrier. Only 36% have seen functional drinks in retailers and consumers are split on where they expect to find them – with 46% preferring health & wellbeing aisles, 29% soft drinks and 27% fruit juices.
Laura Willoughby, MBE, founder of Club Soda, said: “People aren’t just cutting back on alcohol, they’re looking for drinks that do something. Functional drinks are fast becoming the go-to for winding down, switching off, or feeling good, and people are drinking them more regularly to feel the benefits. For retailers and on-trade venues, this is a category that’s about to boom. The Functional Drinks Collective is working together to help consumers and the industry understand this space and make these drinks part of everyday life.”
Retailers who signpost this category and invest in shopper education could be the ones to shape its next phase. With consumers eager for products that fit wellness into daily life, functional drinks could stand alongside soft drinks as a core third pillar in retail.
The Functional Drinks Collective is a collective of functional drinks brands and partners, made up of Three Spirit, Smiling Wolf, NU Wave, Nekta, Muush, High and Dry, G Spot, Goodrays, Collider, Authentic Brew, PB Creative and Heineken
