“Besides the calories, people are just looking for better-quality drinks. That helps open up occasions. If people are buying RTDs for convenience, that’s the only time you want to drink these things. They’re not necessarily at the quality standards that would get you to keep them in the fridge to drink at home or bring to a party. When you’re getting better-quality options, that will open up more occasions to RTDs and that’s exciting.”
Kuppin’s work takes place at the vanguard of emerging trends, so we ask if she has observed anything that bar owners and retailers should bear in mind as they bid to grow sales in the months ahead. “People are definitely looking at more sophisticated flavours and we’ve seen interest in cocktails grow,” she says. “Health and wellness of course continues to be a big theme – people are opting for ‘better for you’ alternatives to what they might have chosen a few years ago.
“Finally, I think convenience just really continues to escalate year after year. People are willing to pay increasing premiums for it, but also expect better – just because it’s convenience, it doesn’t mean they are willing to accept poorer quality.”
