Energy Drinks have become a staple in any soft drinks chiller and key to overall category growth. This is clear through the influx of Energy Drink buyers in recent years and is now purchased by 3 million shoppers within the impulse channel alone, up 25% on the previous year[1].
The Opportunity
Red Bull is the category leader and the original Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml continues to sell more units than any other single-serve soft drink[2], so making sure this is well-stocked and available at all times is essential. Alongside this, innovation has been a key part of the success of Energy Drinks growth this year, with particular engagement around new flavours, which has helped broaden the category’s appeal to new groups of shoppers, where taste was previously a barrier.
As a result, the demand for Flavoured Energy Drinks has never been stronger, acting as an entry point for consumers, particularly during the summer when they are looking for hydration as well as a functional benefit. Selling on average +38% more units per store vs 2 years ago[3], the category has been tapping into this demand with new and exciting options. Last year 71% of shoppers that were new to Energy Drinks bought a flavoured product, so it is a key part of the category to drive penetration[4].
Red Bull has successfully recruited new shoppers through flavours, and NPD has been largely incremental with 45% of shoppers that bought into the flavoured Editions range being new to the brand[5]. Shopper recruitment has been fast, with 2.8 million now buying Red Bull Editions, growing seven-fold in just 2 years[6]. This was reinforced last year, by the launch of the brand’s most successful NPD yet: The Summer Edition with the taste of Juneberry, which sold 9.4 million 250ml cans[7], and has now been made permanent in the range as The Blue Edition.
What’s New?
Aiming to replicate the success of the Blue Edition, Red Bull has even more flavour innovation planned for 2024. The first of these, available now, is Red Bull Summer Edition Curuba Elderflower, which offers the perfect taste blend of exotic curuba, rounded off with floral notes of elderflower to excite shoppers and drive trial.
Boasting a flavour profile described as exotic, refreshing, and floral with hints of melon, pineapple and elderflower, the new Red Bull Summer Edition performed well in consumer testing with more than 2/3 of Energy Drink buyers say they would likely purchase a Curuba & Elderflower flavoured Energy Drink[8].
Additionally, given the category dynamics of delivering functional benefits, there is a clear consumer demand for both Full Sugar and Sugarfree alternatives within Energy Drinks, with shoppers increasingly buying into both. To ensure, it continue to meet the demand across the full range, Red Bull is also leveraging the Sugarfree need across the flavoured part of its portfolio with the launch of its first fully Sugarfree Edition. Red Bull Pink Edition Sugarfree combines the tastes of raspberry and other forest fruits, complemented by exciting herbal notes of verbena. Now exclusively live in Booker stores in 250ml (£1.55), 355ml (£1.95) and 4 x 250ml (£5) pack formats, Red Bull Pink Edition Sugarfree will be available nationwide from July.
Get Involved
Contact your local Red Bull representative for more information about how you can maximise Flavoured Energy Drinks in your store or click here for more information about the full range.
[1] Kantar Worldpanel | Combined Panel | Independents & Symbols | 52 weeks to 9th July 2023
[2] NIELSEN SCANTRACK, TOTAL COVERAGE, UNIT SALES, MAT 23.03.2024
[3] NIELSEN SCANTRACK, TOTAL COVERAGE, UNIT RATE OF SALE VS 2YA, MAT 20.01.2024
[4] KANTAR WORLDPANEL, TAKE-HOME, MAT 24.12.2023
[5] KANTAR COMBINED PANEL, BUYER NUMBERS VS YA, MAT 21.01.2024
[6] KANTAR COMBINED PANEL, BUYER NUMBERS, MAT 21.01.2024
[7] Nielsen Scantrack | Total Coverage | Red Bull Summer Edition | MAT 20.01.24
[8] APPINIO Editions Research Sept 2023, Energy Drink Buyers n = 707
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