The under-50 age segment has doubled its consumption of iced tea and breakfast drinks, while the number of Australians 14+ consuming flavoured carbonated soft drinks continues to decline, according to Roy Morgan research in September.
Whereas 11,347,000 people (or 71% of the population) drank at least one soft drink in any given four weeks in 2003, this fell to 9,996,000 (52%) by June 2014, a loss of more than 1.3 million people.
While a much smaller market than that of soft drinks, iced tea and breakfast drinks are among the few non-alcoholic beverages to be gaining in popularity with Australian consumers, Roy Morgan Research said.
In June 2003, 851,000 people (or 5% of the population) drank iced tea and/or breakfast drinks, but by June 2014, this more than doubled to 2,038,000 people (11%).
Between 2003 and 2014, the proportion of young men and women aged 25–34 who drank iced tea and/or breakfast drinks in an average four weeks doubled, while growth among the 35–49 age bracket during this period was even more substantial.
Group account director – Consumer Products, Roy Morgan Research, Warren Reid said: “Some new drinks varieties have become popular through changing lifestyles, and some as a result of other factors like creative new offerings.
“The breakfast drinks category has for many years been the sole domain of Up’n’Go, but in the last couple of years we have seen other manufacturers getting in on the action, which suggests that this category is likely to continue to grow.”