Consumers still prepared to socialise over drinks

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“Against a background of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, consumers definitely aren’t going out less. A proliferation of events on virtually every night of the week over the festive season meant partygoers were spoilt for choice,” says Bridget Dore, head of consumer insights at Pernod Ricard South Africa.

The trend towards premiumisation that the group has been tracking for some years still exists, with consumers making strong statements about their personal taste and status through their choices of prestige and premium alcohol brands.

The encouraging news is that responsible alcohol consumption is increasingly a consideration with awareness of drink driving on the rise and consumers citing growing use of Uber and Taxify. In addition, instead of going out to clubs and parties consumers are adding to their repertoire with ‘hometainment’ and are enjoying connecting with their friends at their homes or hanging out in more informal venues.

The research, conducted by Instant Grass International, focused on the South African market and targeted 18-35 consumers who are highly active on social media.

“These are early adopters on the trend curve but the conversations we monitored online and in social spaces shows that amongst this segment of consumers the decision of where, how and what to drink is increasingly complex. Factors such as safety, cost, who is paying, who is driving and what networking and connection values there are, are being closely considered,” concludes Dore.