Table of Contents
Introduction
-
- Definition
- Methodology
- Consumer research
- Abbreviations
Executive Summary
-
- The Market
- Sports and energy drinks remain small but are seeing strong growth
-
- Figure 1: Retail value sales of sports drinks, China, 2008-18
- Figure 2: Retail value sales of energy drinks, China, 2008-18
-
- Figure 3: Retail sales volume growth by drinks category, China, 2008-13
- Growth drivers and barriers
- The forecast
- Companies and brands
-
- Figure 4: Sports drinks market share, by sales value, China, 2011-12
-
- Figure 5: Value and volume share of energy drinks market, China, 2011-12
- The consumer
- Majority of consumers drink sports and energy drinks two to four times a month
- Reasons for not drinking sports and energy drinks
- Purchase locations of sports and energy drinks
- Sports and energy drinks consumption is needs-driven
- Purchasing factors
- Three in five are open to healthier varieties of sports and energy drinks
- Key issue – Building stronger relevance to consumers should support growth
- Associating sports drinks with light exercise
-
- Figure 6: Sports drink products for light sports participants, Japan 2009-2012
- Sports drinks with reduced sugar and calories should tackle concerns over health
-
- Figure 7: Lucozade Sport Lite, UK 2011
- Sports drinks with natural ingredients rich in electrolytes
-
- Figure 8: Coconut sports drink, New Zealand and US, 2011-13
- Repositioning products outside of the sports drink category is both a risk and an opportunity
- Key issue – Positioning sports and energy drinks around new occasions can help generate more sales
-
- Figure 9: Key value points in advertising themes of major sports and energy brands, China, 2013
-
- Figure 10: Sports and energy drink brands with a mental focus positioning, UK and US, 2011-13
- Key issue – Wider distribution points for sports and energy drinks to capture impulse consumption
-
- Figure 11: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Key issue – Women pose a potentially sizeable market to grow sports and energy drinks
-
- Figure 12: Functional claims made in female-targeted energy drinks, Japan and China, 2010-13
-
- Figure 13: Top ten flavour components in female- and male-targeted drinks*, global, 2008-July 2013
- Figure 14: Flavours featured in female-targeted sports and energy drink, global, 2010-13
The Market
-
- Key points
- Sports and energy drinks remain small categories, owing to infrequent consumption levels
-
- Figure 15: Sales value and volume of sports and energy drinks, China, 2007-13
- Figure 16: Retail sales volume and value of sports and energy drinks, China, 2013
-
- Figure 17: Consumption frequency, by drink category, China, November 2012
- Despite a slowdown in soft drinks production, sports and energy drinks maintain their growth momentum
-
- Figure 18: Total output volume of soft drinks market, China, 2007-12
- Figure 19: Retail sales volume growth, by drinks category, China, 2008-13
- Figure 20: Retail sales value growth, by drinks category, China, 2008-13
- Drivers to growth
- Greater interest in sports and exercising to keep fit bodes well for the sports drinks market
- Sports and energy drinks look to cater to a more health-conscious population
- Busier lifestyles should aid growth in energy drinks
- Barriers to growth
- Masculine image and a lack of sports culture in China challenge growth potential
-
- Figure 21: Sports area and venue resources comparison, China vs. developed countries, 2009-10
- Sports and energy drinks face strong competition in the wider soft drinks market
-
- Figure 22: Average price per litre, by beverage category, China, 2012
- Ingredient content poses concerns
- Future of the market
-
- Figure 23: Retail sales volume of sports drinks, China, 2008-18
- Figure 24: Retail sales value of sports drinks, China, 2008-18
-
- Figure 25: Retail sales volume of energy drinks, China, 2008-18
- Figure 26: Retail sales value of energy drinks, China, 2008-18
Companies and Brands
-
- Key points
- Sports and energy drinks are highly concentrated markets
-
- Figure 27: Market concentration, by drinks category, retail market, China, 2012
- Danone dominates sports drinks market by share
-
- Figure 28: Soft drink product portfolio, by leading sports drink manufacturers, China, 2013
- Figure 29: Sports drinks market share, by sales value, China, 2010-12
- Figure 30: Sports drinks market share, by sales volume, China, 2010-12
-
- Figure 31: Sports drinks product positioning, China, 2013
- Red Bull faces increasing challengers within the energy drinks market
-
- Figure 32: Value and volume share of energy drinks market, China, 2011 and 2012
- Figure 33: Energy drinks product positioning, China, 2013
- Red Bull
- Groupe Danone S.A.
-
- Figure 34: Mizone launches blueberry flavour, China, 2013
- Nongfu Spring Co., Ltd
-
- Figure 35: Nongfu Spring’s Scream sports drink, China, 2013
- PepsiCo Inc.
-
- Figure 36: Gatorade reveals new packaging, China, July 2013
- Ichimore Beverage Co., Ltd
-
- Figure 37: Comparison of Ichimore energy drink products, China, 2013
- Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co., Ltd
- Otsuka Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
- GlaxoSmithKline Plc
- Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
-
- Figure 38: Lipovitan product, China, 2008-11
The Consumer – Frequency of Use
-
- Key points
- Majority of consumers drink sports and energy drinks two to four times a month
-
- Figure 39: Frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Use is biased towards younger men
-
- Figure 40: Most popular frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, by age and gender, March 2013
- Higher prices could limit the potential audience
-
- Figure 41: Most popular frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, by income and city, March 2013
The Consumer – Reasons for not Drinking Sports and Energy Drinks
-
- Key points
- 45% of low and non-users don’t trust product claims
-
- Figure 42: Reasons for not drinking sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Natural ingredients could boost usage among women and older age groups
-
- Figure 43: Most popular perception towards consumption of sports and energy drinks, by age and gender, March 2013
- Low-priced products could expand the market…
- …but could undermine value perceptions across the category
-
- Figure 44: Next most popular perception towards consumption of sports and energy drinks, by age and gender, March 2013
- Non-users struggle to see the benefits
-
- Figure 45: Perception towards consumption of sports and energy drinks, by frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, March 2013
The Consumer – Purchase Location
-
- Key points
- Purchase location of sports and energy drinks
-
- Figure 46: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, March 2013
- Younger consumers are more open to impulse buys
-
- Figure 47: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by gender and age, March 2013
- Gyms offer brands the chance to sell premium variants
-
- Figure 48: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by income and education level, March 2013
-
- Figure 49: Repertoire of location of sports and energy drinks purchase, March 2013
The Consumer – Consumption Occasions
-
- Key points
- Sports and energy drinks consumption is needs-driven
-
- Figure 50: Occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, March 2013
- Vending machines should appeal to key user groups
-
- Figure 51: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, March 2013
- A broader focus on health and wellness could narrow the gender divide
-
- Figure 52: Occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, by gender and age, March 2013
- Emphasise the scientific basis for product claims
-
- Figure 53: Occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, by income and education level, March 2013
The Consumer – Key Choice Factors
-
- Key points
- Natural ingredients are the most important factor when buying sports and energy drinks
-
- Figure 54: Factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Strong potential for flavour and packaging innovation
- New functional benefits could broaden appeal among women
- Still plenty of scope to develop low-calorie variants
-
- Figure 55: Factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks – rank 1, by gender and age, March 2013
-
- Figure 56: Factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks – rank 1, by gender and age, March 2013 (continued)
The Consumer – Attitudes towards Sports and Energy Drinks
-
- Key points
- Three in five are open to healthier varieties of sports and energy drink
-
- Figure 57: Attitudes towards sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Signs that women are less sure of the product benefits than men
-
- Figure 58: Attitudes towards the functional qualities of sports and energy drinks, by gender, March 2013
- “Quick kick” energy boost is valued by older respondents
-
- Figure 59: Attitudes towards sports and energy drinks’ impact on metabolism, energy and hydration, by age, March 2013
Key Issue – Building Stronger Relevance to Consumers is The Number One Challenge Faced by Sports Drink Market
-
- Key points
- The sports drinks market looks to expand beyond the sporting occasion
-
- Figure 60: Change in frequency of exercising, November 2012
-
- Figure 61: Most important factors contributing to healthy living, November 2012
-
- Figure 62: Most important factors contributing to stress on current health, November 2012
- Centring sports drinks on Chinese consumers’ lifestyles and needs
- Associating sports drinks with light exercise
-
- Figure 63: Most practised sports or exercising activities, China, 2008
-
- Figure 64: Sports drink products for light sports participants, Japan, 2009-12
- Sports drinks with reduced sugar and calories should tackle concerns over health
-
- Figure 65: Reasons for not drinking sports/energy drinks, by age, March 2013
-
- Figure 66: Attitudes towards sports/energy drinks, March 2013
-
- Figure 67: Top popular claims of sports drinks new launch, China vs. global, January 2008-July 2013
-
- Figure 68: Average calorie content in sports drinks, China, 2013
-
- Figure 69: Lucozade Sport Lite, UK 2011
-
- Figure 70: Coca-Cola launches Aquarius Zero, Japan 2012
- Emphasising naturalness will help to stave off competition from products such as coconut water
-
- Figure 71: Coconut sports drink, New Zealand and US, 2011-13
- Repositioning products outside of the sports drink category is a double-edged sword
-
- Figure 72: Market size and growth of sports drink vs. bottled water, China, 2008-13
-
- Figure 73: Top popular claims in bottled water market, China, 2008-13
-
- Figure 74: Attitudes towards bottled water, November 2012
-
- Figure 75: Top ten food and drink categories with vitamin-fortified claims, China, 2008-12
-
- Figure 76: Agreement with the statement ‘Sports and energy drinks help increase metabolism’, by age, March 2013
- What does it mean?
Key Issue – Positioning Sports and Energy Drinks Around New Occasions Can Help to Generate Sales
-
- Key points
- Building on emotional need states can encourage more repeat sales
-
- Figure 77: Consumption frequency, by drink category, China, November 2012
-
- Figure 78: Key value points in advertising themes of major sports and energy brands, China, 2013
- Figure 79: Red Bull GmbH’s multi-country content marketing, 2013
-
- Figure 80: Marketing communication by global energy drink brands, 2013
- Positioning around mental alertness offers scope to extend the proposition of sports and energy drinks
-
- Figure 81: Mizone’s marketing campaign The Cube, China, 2013
- Figure 82: Sports and energy drink brands with a mental focus positioning, UK and US, 2011-13
-
- Figure 83: US energy drink brand 5-hour energy advertising, 2013
- What does it mean?
Key Issue – Wider Distribution Points for Sports and Energy Drinks to Capture Impulse Consumption
-
- Key points
- Catering to impulse purchases can help to drive sales, particularly among on-the-go consumers
-
- Figure 84: Occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, March 2013
-
- Figure 85: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Figure 86: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, March 2013
- Transportation hubs and tourist destinations and leisure venues pose potential for capturing on-the-go consumers
- What does it mean?
Key Issue – Women Pose a Potentially Sizeable Market to Grow Sports and Energy Drinks
-
- Key points
- Women pose a potentially sizeable market for sports and energy drinks
-
- Figure 87: Frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, by gender, March 2013
- Figure 88: Leisure activities by China’s middle class, by gender, China, April 2012
-
- Figure 89: Sports and energy drink brands targeting women, China, 2013
- Women are concerned about calorie content and artificial ingredients
-
- Figure 90: Reasons for not drinking sports and energy drinks, by gender, March 2013
- Figure 91: Top ten claims of female-targeted sports and energy drinks, global, 2008-July 2013
-
- Figure 92: Ingredients most likely to choose – women, China, December 2012
- Women need more convincing about the product’s advantages
-
- Figure 93: Attitudes towards sports and energy drinks, by gender, March 2013
- Figure 94: Occasions for drinking sports and energy drinks, by gender and age, China, March 2013
- Taking marketing cues from beauty and skincare
-
- Figure 95: Functional claims made in female-targeted energy drinks, Japan and China, 2010-13
- Tailoring flavours and packaging to women would help to demystify the category
- Flavours such as ginger, raspberry and peach are used to target women
-
- Figure 96: Top ten flavour components in female- and male-targeted drinks*, global, 2008-July 2013
- Figure 97: Flavours featured in female-targeted sports and energy drink, global, 2010-13
- Packaging innovation can help to target women
-
- Figure 98: Top ten pack sizes in female-targeted drinks*, global, 2008-12
- Connect women through associations with value and lifestyle
-
- Figure 99: Glacéau vitaminwater new advertising campaign, China, 2013
-
- Figure 100: Glacéau vitaminwater’s packaging, China, 2013
- Figure 101: Baileys cream liqueur advertising campaign, China, 2013
-
- Figure 102: Agreed descriptions of healthy lifestyle – women, by age, China, November 2012
- What does it mean?
Appendix – Frequency of Drinking Sports and Energy Drinks
-
-
- Figure 103: Frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Figure 104: Most popular frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 105: Next most popular frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, by demographics, March 2013
-
Appendix – Reasons for not Drinking Sports and Energy Drinks
-
-
- Figure 106: Perception towards consumption of sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Figure 107: Most popular perception towards consumption of sports and energy drinks, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 108: Next most popular perception towards consumption of sports and energy drinks, by demographics, March 2013
- Figure 109: Perception towards consumption of sports and energy drinks, by frequency of drinking sports and energy drinks, March 2013
-
Appendix – Location of Sports and Energy Drinks Purchase
-
-
- Figure 110: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, March 2013
- Figure 111: Most popular location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 112: Next most popular location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by demographics, March 2013
- Figure 113: Location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, March 2013
- Repertoire analysis
-
- Figure 114: Repertoire of location of sports and energy drinks purchase, March 2013
- Figure 115: Repertoire of location of sports and energy drinks purchase, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 116: Occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, by repertoire of location of sports and energy drinks purchase, March 2013
-
Appendix – Occasion of Sports and Energy Drinks Consumption
-
-
- Figure 117: Occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, March 2013
- Figure 118: Most popular occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 119: Next most popular occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, by demographics, March 2013
- Repertoire analysis
-
- Figure 120: Repertoire of occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, March 2013
- Figure 121: Occasion of sports and energy drinks consumption, by demographics, March 2013
-
Appendix – Factors Considered When Buying Sports and Energy Drinks
-
-
- Figure 122: Factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks, March 2013
- Figure 123: Most popular factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks – rank 1, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 124: Next most popular factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks – rank 1, by demographics, March 2013
- Figure 125: Most popular factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks – rank 2, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 126: Next most popular factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks – rank 2, by demographics, March 2013
- Figure 127: Most popular factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks – rank 3, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 128: Next most popular factors considered when buying sports and energy drinks – rank 3, by demographics, March 2013
-
Appendix – Attitudes Towards Sports and Energy Drinks
-
-
- Figure 129: Attitudes towards sports and energy drink, March 2013
- Figure 130: Most popular attitudes towards sports and energy drink, by demographics, March 2013
-
- Figure 131: Next most popular attitudes towards sports and energy drink, by demographics, March 2013
- Figure 132: Other attitudes towards sports and energy drink, by demographics, March 2013
-
Back to top