Nonalcoholic Drinks Raising Spirits and the Market During the Pandemic

Japan’s nonalcoholic beverage market has grown 15% from 2020, with a record 40 million cases sold in 2021, according to estimates by beverage maker Suntory. This marks the seventh straight year of expansion, with the market expected to increase even further in 2022 to 41.71 million cases, marking a 4% year-on-year rise.

In early September, Suntory conducted a survey of 30,000 people in their twenties to sixties living in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba Prefectures about their consumption of nonalcoholic drinks. The poll revealed that 53.2% of respondents had consumed nonalcoholic beverages at least once. Among the 12,387 individuals who had drunk such beverages at home, 37.8% said they did so more than once a month, while 21.8% answered they drank nonalcoholic beverages at least once a week.

When those who drank nonalcoholic beverages more than once a month at home were asked how they thought their future drinking habits would change, 46.3% said that they intended to drink alcohol-free options more often, indicating that the market will continue to expand.

Regarding the reasons for why people are drinking more nonalcoholic beverages compared to before the pandemic, an overwhelming 58.6% said that the taste of drinks had improved, followed by 42.1% who cited health concerns and 32.7% who felt the beverages improve their mood.

When respondents who drank nonalcoholic beer at home were asked what other alcohol-free beverages they also consumed, 52.5% said “lemon sour, ” a lemon-flavored highball-like drink. Other common choices were chūhai, drinks mimicking shōchū highballs, and mocktails.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)