Veylinx Behavioral Research Reveals Canned Cocktails Demand

This blog post summarizes the new Velinx canned cocktail study, Sleight of Canned: Consumer demand for non-alcoholic canned cocktails.

In November 2022, we created a fictional canned cocktail brand, “Elixr,” in order to conduct research on the category independent of existing brand preferences and attitudes. We tested six flavors and, based on the outcomes, published a report, Drinking Outside the Box: The rise of non-alcoholic canned cocktails in the U.S. 

This year, we decided to rerun the study to see how the market has shifted. We tested two benchmark products—alcohol and alcohol-free—plus four variations of our fictional canned cocktail brand.

Research Objectives

We wanted to assess consumers' willingness to pay for non-alcoholic cocktails compared to alcoholic canned cocktails. Moreover, we wanted to understand the target group and its characteristics, as well as measure the impact of drinking habits and attitudes on demand. Most importantly, we aimed to see how consumer behavior changed from 2022 to late 2023.

Research Methodology

For both the 2022 and 2023 research, we used Veylinx's proprietary methodology, which is based on a Nobel Prize-winning approach called the Vickrey Auction. Participants in the study enter a second-price sealed auction and bid the amount they are willing to pay for a product. Participants are notified that they are taking part in a real auction, and if their bid wins, they will have to pay. Participants need to agree to the terms of use in order to proceed with the study: this way, they have actual skin in the game, revealing their true intentions and behavior. Using the Veylinx methodology ensures testing real consumer behavior and not just claims.

Key Findings

Our findings showed demand for both alcoholic and alcohol-free canned cocktails increased between 2022 and 2023. Demand for alcohol-free canned cocktails rose by 4%, and demand for alcoholic canned cocktails increased by 20%.

Furthermore, it seems that functional benefits became less compelling in comparison to 2022. Demand for the CBD version grew by 4%, while demand for the non-alcoholic benchmark without any functional benefits increased by 14%.

Nearly 4 in 10 drinkers are trying to reduce their alcohol intake, an 18% decrease from the previous year. This segment is 50% more interested in non-alcoholic canned cocktails.

Want to know more? Download the report Sleight of Canned: Consumer demand for non-alcoholic canned cocktails. It features further insights, including a ranking of the most popular canned non-alcoholic cocktail brands in the market, what would make consumers purchase more non-alcoholic canned cocktails, what they miss in current non-alcoholic offerings, and more.