Reach3 Insights
Reach3 Insights · Beverage Study 2026

From Function
to Feeling

Decoding today's beverage choices using modern conversational research — and why the emotional outcome of a drink matters more than you think.

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Setting the Scene

The Beverage Explosion

The beverage landscape has undergone a seismic shift. In just over five years, the number of distinct categories has multiplied — transforming how consumers drink, shop, and think about beverages entirely.

4×

category growth in just a few years

~5
Then · ~5 years ago A handful of core categories dominated shelf and menu space
20+
Now · 2026 Categories still growing, with shelf and menu space squeezed to keep up

Finding One

Beverages Have Been Promoted

Beverages aren't just there to wash down food anymore. Drinkers now have specific expectations and needs to be fulfilled — and what those look like varies meaningfully by category and where the drink is consumed.

Everyday Beverages

Everyday wellness tools — not simple refreshments

🏠 At Home

Routine purchases focused on value, familiarity, and wellness — with greater control over ingredients and access to premium quality.

🚶 Away from Home

Convenient, reliable options that support the day — getting to the next moment, or rewarding yourself along the way.

Alcoholic Beverages

Defined by the quality of the experience, not just alcohol content

🏠 At Home

Shaping an evening of relaxation and controlled indulgence — a deliberate choice for personal enjoyment.

🍸 Away from Home

Elevating the moment — aligning drink choices with the location or mood to deepen social ties and connections.

55%

of drinkers agree they think about what the beverage does for them, not just how it tastes

7 in 10

drinkers use beverages as a reward or pick-me-up — emphasizing the outcome of boosted feelings

Finding Two

How Beverages Make Us Feel

When consumers reach for a drink, they're reaching for a feeling. And overwhelmingly, that feeling is a positive one — regardless of whether it's a morning smoothie or an evening cocktail.

88%

of drinkers chose a positive emotion to describe how beverages make them feel

Only 2% chose any negative emotion. Positivity dominates across every category.

Top emotions by category

Everyday Beverages

Love Deep affinity and connection to daily ritual
Peace Calm and restoration woven into the routine
Excitement Energy and anticipation — especially for functional drinks

Alcoholic Beverages

Love Strong personal connection to favourite drinks
Peace Relaxation and unwinding as a core outcome
Confidence Social ease and self-assurance in the moment

Finding Three

Feeling Is the #4 Factor in Beverage Choice

Taste, value, and availability are the price of entry — every brand clears those bars. What separates preferred drinks from the rest? How the drink makes you feel.

  1. 1
    Taste / Craving The baseline — sensory appeal and immediate desire
    Table stakes
  2. 2
    Value Price relative to perceived worth
    Table stakes
  3. 3
    Availability Accessible when and where I need it
    Table stakes
  4. 4
    I like how the drink makes me feel The emotional outcome matters more than specific features or benefits
    Feeling
  5. 5
    Is Convenient / Available Easy to find and access when and where I want it
    Table stakes
  6. 6
    Fits my desired feeling or mood Drink choice as emotional alignment — the right drink for the right moment
    Feeling

Finding Four

Drinkers Want It All

Today's drinkers aren't choosing between health and pleasure, or between indulgence and restraint. They expect both — and they're asking beverages to deliver on all of it at once.

Everyday Beverages

Healthy Nutritious, functional, good for me
&
Delicious Tastes great, craveable, enjoyable

Consumers no longer accept a trade-off. A drink that's good for you must also taste good — functional benefits alone aren't enough to earn repeat purchase.

Alcoholic Beverages

Indulge Enjoy the experience fully
&
Limit Minimize the downside of alcohol

Drinkers want the social and sensory pleasure of alcohol without the negative consequences — driving growing interest in low/no options alongside full-strength drinks.

What This Means for Brands

Five Ways to Win in the Modern Beverage Landscape

The data points to a clear strategic agenda. Brands that meet drinkers on their own terms — functionally, emotionally, and contextually — will earn lasting relevance.

1 Make Health Effortless Flip to learn more
Make Health Effortless Clean ingredients without compromise — good for you and genuinely delicious
2 Solve a Need Flip to learn more
Solve a Need Multi-task with functional benefits — hydrate, energize, replenish, and more
3 Celebrate Every Occasion Flip to learn more
Celebrate Every Occasion Match the mood and the moment — the right drink for every location and feeling
4 Keep It Fresh Flip to learn more
Keep It Fresh Drive excitement through continuous innovation in both flavor and function
5 Earn Everyday Relevance Flip to learn more
Earn Everyday Relevance Combine value and personalization to become a fixture in daily life

👆 Tap each card to reveal

Methodology

A Word on Our Approach

This study was designed to go beyond surface-level attitudes — using conversational research and forced trade-off exercises to reveal what truly drives beverage choice.

2,000 US Consumers Balanced across age, gender, region, and income
1,000 Everyday Beverage Drinkers Non-alcoholic — ages 18+
1,000 Alcoholic Beverage Drinkers Legal drinking age — Angus Reid US panel
Panel Angus Reid US Reach3's proprietary consumer panel
Methodology Conversational mobile research Via the Rival Technologies platform — chat-based survey with MaxDiff trade-off exercises and video selfie responses
Coverage End-to-end beverage landscape Beverage needs, choice factors, attitudes, brand perceptions, and future category predictions

Want to explore what these findings mean for your brand or category? Request the full report and let's dig deeper together.

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Contact
Reach3 Insights, Rival Technologies, Angus Reid Group

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