Demand for alternative choices to alcohol is doubling month on month with growth unlike anything seen before, according to Ashleigh Murray, global vice president for ecommerce for Australian start-up, Lyre’s Spirit Co.
“Non-alcohol is the new vegetarian on the menu and the globe has been craving alternative choices to alcohol,” Murray told Retailbiz.
“I have brought ecommerce to 10 countries in under one year and the demands continue in more regions with South East Asia, Canada, South Africa, China and the Middle East next on the list.”
So why are non-alcoholic spirits trending right now?
“With the movement of mindfulness and health conscious choices on the rise, naturally the world is seeking healthier choices when it comes to alcohol consumption. From the calorie intake, hangxiety, mental and physical wellbeing, pregnancy, religion, medical reasons, designated drivers and more are seeking an alternative with an adult flavour profile instead of soft drink,” she said.
COVID-19 has driven a spike in online sales and although alcohol consumption increased, people also realised that they couldn’t sustain that new pattern and turned to more mindful choices.
“We have also seen an increase in Average Order Value (AOV) with people buying by the case and looking for fun challenges to pass the time. For example, we launched a 30-day booze free month challenge during dry July which proved to be extremely popular, lifting sales by 37%.”
Murray believes that businesses doing well online now will continue to thrive, if not grow, with COVID crafting a new behaviour where people who didn’t necessarily shop online previously are becoming more confident in the space.
In response to this trend, Lyre’s plans to launch refer and friend loyalty and subscriptions to make the online shopping experience even easier.
Lyre’s crafted non-alcoholic spirits are the most awarded range of non-alcoholic spirits in the world.