Women’s Growing Influence on Alcoholic Beverage Trends

Female consumers increasingly drive alcohol sales.

October 17, 2014

CHICAGO – Men have traditionally been the target of alcoholic beverages marketing, but women — young and ethnic women in particular — are an increasingly important force in this market, confirms a new Technomic report on women's "adult" beverage purchases and preferences, as reported by Marketing Daily.

According to the research, in comparison with the general population, women are more likely to spend more on adult beverages on-premise than last year (30% of women versus 19% of the general population), and more likely to try new adult beverages, than buy them for at-home consumption (42% of women versus 35% of the general population).

In addition, women are more likely to take "cues" in deciding what beverages to order. Menu descriptions and samples influence 39% and 32% of women, respectively, whereas the same cues influence 29% and 26% of the general population, respectively.

The report also confirms that female alcoholic beverage behaviors vary by location, age, income and ethnicity. For example, Caucasian women consume fewer drinks per occasion, are less exploratory (consume fewer types of wine, beer and spirits) and are less likely to order straight spirits or shots than Hispanic, African-American and Asian women.

On the age front, one finding is that younger women (21 to 34) are more engaged with beers, malt beverages and hard ciders than older (35+) women. In fact, young women are also more engaged than the general population with these alcoholic beverage categories.

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