Soft drinks trends 2024 - what will shape the market this year

This year, in addition to new, exciting taste experiences in soft drinks, the focus is primarily on functional ingredients, the contribution to climate protection, but also price sensitivity. This is reflected in the awareness of food and beverages – and thus in the beverage trends for 2024.

After the crisis years and the latest economic developments, inflation and the noticeable increase in the cost of food are once again influencing consumers' purchasing decisions in supermarkets. They also determine the top trends in the beverage sector this year and, consequently, the trends of non-alcoholic beverages in 2024. Based on the latest data from international market research, we have summarized relevant trends that will accompany the beverage industry this year.

When it comes to non-alcoholic beverage trends, AUSTRIA JUICE has defined four key trends in the beverage market, where the focus of both consumers and the beverage industry is directed to: "Maximise my value", "Hack my health", "Sustainability is key" and "AI appetite".

The Pantone color of the year 2024 "Peach Fuzz", a soft pink shade, will also inspire the food and beverage industry to create peach-flavoured products. 

Soft Drink Trends 2024: Even more value for the same money

Consumers now want to enjoy the best of every product they buy at the fairest possible price. The needs now go far beyond good taste. A good soft drink should support the desire for well-being and happiness and contentment, especially after the crisis years. After all, Corona has brought mental health into the focus of many at the latest. According to FMCG Gurus, 36 percent of people were looking to improve their mental health in 2021, up from 57 percent last year in 2023. 51 percent of consumers worldwide define their mental health by how happy they feel. 52 percent of consumers consider claims for F&B products related to well-being and mood to be attractive.

Many beverage brands therefore continue to rely on lemonades with functional ingredients (such as ginseng or L-theanine) that are specifically geared to the needs of consumers.
Source: FMCG Gurus & Global Data/Agrana Global Trend Presentation

Consumers are currently feeling the effects of inflation and are looking for a balanced price/performance ratio. There are opportunities for the beverage industry to respond to this as well. Especially in the case of beverages with a high fruit juice content, it is advisable to check the traditional recipes. In order to meet the current challenges, AUSTRIA JUICE has developed an innovative, cost-saving process. We check the ingredients of the recipes and help to keep the production costs of the fruit juice drinks cost-effective by means of minor reformulations.

AUSTRIA JUICE has the right beverage concepts for the "Maximize my value" trend and can offers tailor-made products according to market requirements:

• Fruit Juice Concentrates
• Syrups and nectars in all varieties
• Various fruit juices
• Infused tea drinks
• cost-effective juices

Hack my Health: Tailor-made beverages

Today, soft drinks should not only be affordable and taste good, but as "functional drinks" they should also score points with a plus in certain ingredients – for example, vitamins or minerals that support an active and conscious lifestyle as part of a balanced diet overall.

In the future, products will increasingly be tailored to very specific needs. There is now a demand for non-alcoholic beverages that support a lifestyle with the best possible mental and physical health, and that are also tailored to the personal preferences of consumers in terms of flavors and texture.

Specifically, it is about benefits in terms of concentration, stress management and relaxation. Ingredients can be: B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, nootropics, caffeine as well as various plant ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and botanicals. Gut health, women's health, and special drinks for gamers with a focus on eye health and concentration are also on the rise. This also goes hand in hand with the fact that the nature of beverages in terms of appearance, texture and ingredients is increasingly being adapted to different age groups and phases of life.

Beverages enriched with functional ingredients, such as protein drinks from plant sources, are particularly popular with athletes as well as vegetarians or vegans. The application possibilities of purely plant-based proteins in a large number of beverage categories are increasing, so that this trend segment can be pushed further.

Although the cost of living is rising worldwide, consumers will not only be motivated by low prices in 2024. They will value affordable foods and beverages that promise clarity, high nutritional value, and versatility. Functional ingredients should be communicated clearly and simply.

In this context, tea and water beverages continue to experience a hype: they are once again one of the leading soft drink trends this year.

Exemplary product concepts that serve this "Hack my health" trend include:

• Whey Protein Drinks
• Collagen Drinks
• Functional water
• Wellness Teas
• Juice Shots
• Sugar-reduced fruit juices
• Women's beverages
• Men's Beverages
• Energy Drinks
• BCAA
• Sports Drinks

Sustainability leads to soft drinks for a clear conscience

The Internet provides access to more and more information, which increases awareness of self-employment and environmental issues. Consumers are paying more attention to the origin of products, prefer short transport routes, local, seasonal food, less plastic and transparent, ethical and sustainable production methods. Transparency, for example through clean labels and Nutriscore labels, is crucial. Holistic concepts are being developed that promote social and ecological responsibility. Consumers and brands that think beyond CO2 neutrality and give more back to the environment are gaining in importance. Regional, seasonal products and sustainable farming methods aim for climate neutrality. Respectful use of water will also become an increasing concern for conscious consumers and companies.

Different claims can be used in the areas of naturalness and sustainability in food and beverages. AUSTRIA JUICE can offer a wide range of products for various needs and consumer requirements. The applications can range from certified organic products to plant-based beverages and clean label solutions, which are developed according to customer requirements.

Suitable beverage concepts for "Sustainability is key" at the Soft Drink Trends 2024:

• Wellness Tea
• Organic lemonades and syrups
• Vegan Protein Drinks
• Natural Energy Drinks
• Pure Fruit Juice Concentrates
• Cloudy apple juice concentrate as an alternative to cloudy apple juice
• Juice reduction in beverages in general in terms of sustainability
• Apple juice concentrate as a plant-based filler for fruit bars

Social media and AI make you thirsty for more

With the megatrend of individualization, people want to experience themselves in all their facets – and share their experiences with their personal community on social media. This "hunger for experience" – or rather "thirst for experience" – will continue to determine the soft drink trends noticeably in 2024.

We can say: It will be more colourful, more unusual, more original and more individual. The fact that AI is becoming more and more part of our everyday lives will become clear in 2024. Not only when it comes to data collection, but also in content creation on social media. Thanks to artificial intelligence, there will soon be no limits to the editing possibilities of text and images. Not only drinks are becoming more versatile, individual and creative, but with all the tools and apps based on artificial intelligence, so is the presentation of it on social networks – be it through influencers who reach masses of followers or simply through the spontaneous sharing of content by people next door.

Consumers want to try and learn about new textures in new products to enjoy a sense of adventure. Anyone who uses the latest AI tools to stage this in an exciting way can certainly land a viral success with the correctly staged image. In addition, consuming a trendy drink on Instagram and Co. can certainly be a status symbol or at least transport a desired vibe, linked to a certain feeling.

Conclusion:

Personal well-being, conscious consumption, naturalness, transparency and sustainability on the one hand and variety of tastes and experiences on the other are the major signposts for the current product development in the beverage market. This has been summarised by AUSTRIA JUICE in four trends "Maximize my value", "Hack my health", "Sustainability is key" and "AI appetite" for the year 2024. In particular, inflation as well as the global energy and climate crisis will also play a key role in determining the soft drink trends for 2024. Thus, in addition to the highest possible benefit for health and well-being, the focus is on the affordability and thus the price of food and beverages. Today, soft drinks such as fruit juices are supposed to be inexpensive and at the same time contribute to a healthy lifestyle, for example by being enriched with functional ingredients that meet special needs. Naturalness and sustainability continue to be major trend topics. What is new is the impact of artificial intelligence on the food and beverage industry, which is transforming the entire industry, from new technologies in agriculture to support in product creation.