Barbecues top summer imbibing occasion for US

Almost two thirds of regular alcohol consumers in the US say they will drink at barbecues this summer, ranking it the top consumption occasion according to data from analyst Nielsen.

Barbecues are the top drinking occasion for US consumers this summer, according to Nielsen

With more than 90% of regular drinkers above legal drinking age (LDA) planning to consume alcohol outdoors during the season, picnics rank the next most popular occasion, followed by pool-side, at the beach, and then at patio bars.

In terms of summer alcoholic drink qualities, “refreshing” was tanked top by both men and women, at 61% and 64% respectively. “Natural” and “handcrafted” were found to resonate strongly with men, while “fruity”, “sweet”, “citrusy”, “frozen” and “bubbly” claims were more popular among women. Questioning followed a gender binary format.

Nielsen data also found that social media had become a key influencer when choosing drinks for US consumers. One quarter of LDA+ consumers said what other people are seen drinking on social media, increasing to 45% of 21-34-year-olds. 42% of this demographic also said that they like to post pictures of their drinks on social media, well above the average of 25% for all drinkers.

Other key factors of importance to US consumers were drink portability and temperature. 42% of Americans consider buying their beverages cold to be highly important, with an additional 24% saying the temperature is at least “somewhat important”. 73% want packaging options that are easy to carry, 49% feel single-serve portions are at least somewhat important, and 53% say environmentally friendly packaging is at least somewhat important. All these factors were more important for millennial consumers Nielsen notes.

Earlier this year, Nielsen CGA published first on-trade report which found that gin sales in the UK on-trade grew 13.6% in the 12 months leading up to the end of January 2016 but declined 2.2% in the US.