| Literature DB >> 35003399 |
Alejandro Plata1, Kosuke Motoki2, Charles Spence3, Carlos Velasco4.
Abstract
During the first sequence of lockdowns implemented in many countries around the world in early 2020 as a result of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, there was widespread concern amongst many health professionals regarding a predicted rise in alcohol consumption. However, studies have reported diverse findings, with some consumer groups exhibiting an increase and others a decrease in their alcohol purchase and consumption patterns. Although the long-lasting changes in alcohol consumption, if any, are still unknown, the current situation has effectively accelerated a number of pre-existing trends which will likely continue in the future. E-commerce is growing steadily, mainly because of the restrictions within the on-trade channel and concerns around catching COVID-19 amongst consumers, thus lifting traditional barriers to the adoption of digital channels. Premiumization has also grown significantly during the pandemic, especially in the spirits category, due, in part, to the fact that consumers have been increasingly trying to recreate bar and restaurant quality gastronomic experiences in the privacy of their own homes. The trend toward homemade experiences is multi-stakeholder as consumers, retailers, restaurateurs, bar owners, and brands all try to help facilitate at-home consumption experiences. Larger size purchases seem to reflect not only the stockpiling phenomena that occurred during the initial phases of the pandemic but also convenience for consumers (e.g., avoiding queues). Additionally, the growing home mixology movement has been observed to result in consumers buying larger amounts of alcohol in order to facilitate cocktail making experimentation at home. It is important to stress, though, that this review was specially focused on available data from the first three quarters of 2020, as an effort to identify and understand the initial impacts the COVID-19 was creating amongst alcohol consumers. It currently remains uncertain how these trends will evolve, and whether or not they will continue post COVID-19 (whenever that might be). Key similarities and differences across national markets are highlighted.Entities:
Keywords: Alcoholic beverages; COVID-19; Consumer; Home-based experiences; Premiumization; Quarantine cocktails; e-commerce
Year: 2021 PMID: 35003399 PMCID: PMC8717736 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijgfs.2021.100397
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Int J Gastron Food Sci ISSN: 1878-450X
Alcohol sales growth per country. Data for the US, from Statista (2020), for Mexico from Forbes (2020), for France from You (2020), for Australia from Colbert et al. (2020) for the UK from Finlay and Gilmore (2020). This table compares data from different sources, with different information gathering methodologies, and measures different reported time frames Nevertheless, a general tendency toward a growth in consumption in each country is revealed by comparing the same timeframes analyzed in each country in 2019 and 2020.
| Country | Change in sales |
|---|---|
| US | +55% |
| Mexico | +67% |
| France | −3% |
| UK | +67% |
| Australia | +28% |
Individual alcohol consumption during lockdown as compared to similar periods in 2019. Data for the US from Piacenza (2020), for Mexico from Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (2020), for France from Santé Publique France (2020), for Australia from Alcohol and Drug Foundation (2020), and for the UK from Alcohol Change UK (2020). The percentages shown in this table highlight different answers about alcohol consumption from citizens in different countries, where 2020 lockdown periods were compared to similar periods in 2019.
| Country | Increased | Stable | Decreased |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 21% | 55% | 9% |
| US | 16% | 55% | 19% |
| Australia | 12% | 64% | 24% |
| France | 11% | 65% | 24% |
| Mexico | 12% | 49% | 39% |