US Beverage Packaging Consumer Insights

Report Overview

There Is No Single “Perfect” Beverage Packaging Option – See How Consumer Insights Can Guide Decisions

This study examines consumer insights and trends in the US regarding beverage packaging. Survey data display historical trends and consumer sentiment for 2023 and 2024. Survey responses in this study reveal consumer trends in beverage packaging, including sustainability views, beverage packaging priorities, and preferences by beverage packaging type, materials, and size.

Additionally, consumer insights are analyzed for the evolution of pandemic outlook, vaccinations, mental and physical effects, inflation concerns, and work-from-home habits (from 2020 to 2024) that could affect interest in different types of beverages or beverages packaged in different forms. Consumer opinions on the topics above are analyzed by gender, age group, presence of minor children at home, urban/suburban/rural location, and household income. Beverage packaging demand (historical data from 2020 and forecasts through 2024) and beverage retail sales (historical data from 2019 and forecasts through 2027) are also presented.

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Consumer beverage shopping habits are evolving. The most notable influence is online shopping, but work-from-home habits, on-the-go patterns, and sustainability preferences also have sway. Therefore, an analysis of consumer trends can give insight to ways in which packaging can present opportunities through additional sales, marketing initiatives, and product innovations.

This report contains analysis and data-driven discussions relating to beverage packaging, including a look at concerns about inflation and pricing increases, sustainability views, work-from-home trends, and beverage shopping habits, behaviors, and attitudes.

This report makes use of analysis, data, trends, and customized cross tabs incorporating two survey resources:

• data from The Freedonia Group’s proprietary national online survey conducted in April-May 2020, August 2020, November-December 2020, February-March 2021, June 2021, August-September 2021, October-November 2021, November-December 2021, February 2022, May 2022. August 2022, November 2022, February 2023, May 2023, August 2023, September-October 2023, November-December 2023, and February-March 2024

• data from syndicated national consumer survey results from MRI-Simmons Fall 2023 Report

Retail Beverage Sales: Historical Trends (2019-2022)

Sales of covered categories spiked by 9.2% in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus, as consumers ate virtually all meals and snacks at home. Overall beverage sales did not see as large of an increase in 2020 as major food categories (which were up 14%), as much beverage consumption occurs when people are out of home. Also, a significant percentage of beverage sales (especially bottled water, soda, energy drinks, RTD juices and teas) occurs in convenience stores, which lost consumer traffic in 2020.

Beverage sales increased 7.6% in 2021; this was less than the increase in 2020, but still higher than pre-pandemic levels and much higher than the 1.5% gain seen in major food categories. Sales of most beverages benefited from consumers returning to out-of-home activities and the reopening of key distribution points that drive higher-priced impulse purchases – convenience stores, vending machines, etc. Sales value generally increased more than volume in 2021, largely due to inflationary effects, greater sales from out-of-home channels, and an influx of pricier single-serve units.

In 2022, total beverage dollar sales increased at a higher rate (10.5%) than in 2020 because inflation-fueled higher prices drove extraordinary sales gains for most categories. Even the worst performers of 2021 saw dollar sales soar in 2022. While dollar sales surged, volumes declined for nearly all categories.

Work-From-Home Trends

For some remote workers, ready-to-drink beverages can be a convenience throughout the workday when compared to beverages that must be prepared. However, RTD beverages are more commonly consumed away from home (and away from a person’s home kitchen), especially regarding coffee and tea drinks.

In-person shopping and ordering carryout became less convenient for individuals who were no longer already on the go and away from home for their jobs. This – and other factors – also gave rise to more delivery of groceries or meals and beverages.

In the November 2022 edition of The Freedonia Group National Online Consumer Survey, two-thirds of respondents who worked full- or part-time reported that they were set up to do their usual work from home, whether they did so ordinarily, part-time, or only when necessary. This level has increased since the October/November 2021 edition of the survey, when 58% of respondents noted that they were set up to work in this way.

Individuals set up to work from home were most likely to be male, middle aged, have minor children living at home, and have higher incomes. However, women and younger workers have more recently increased their participation in work-from-home on at least a part-time or as-needed basis. By the November 2022 survey:

• The share of women working from home was higher than men.

• The age group most likely to be working from home were 18-34 year olds.

Knowledge workers have always had the most flexibility to do remote work, as computers and web connectivity are their most important tools.