The energy drinks sector has recently been booming with U.S. energy drinks sales reaching $14 billion in 2021. In that same year, energy drink sales increased by almost 13%. Many have even predicted that by 2026, the global sales of energy and sports drinks will amount to as much as $225 billion.
In 2021, Red Bull was the top energy drink brand in the U.S. with Monster Energy coming in as a close second. Two additional Red Bull-owned brands also were considered some of the top five energy drink brands. However, while energy drinks have been seeing successful sales, energy shots have declined in popularity. Sales have actually dropped by $154 million between 2020 and 2021. Impulsive buying and less opportunities to visit stores in recent years have contributed to reducing sales.
The pandemic shutdowns have had a big effect on energy drinks. Energy drinks and value-added water like flavored water were one of the least favorite beverages in 2020. Even so, the reopening of gyms and business have helped boost energy drink sales, especially in the gamer and eSports market. Gamers are attracted to the increase in cognition, reaction time, fatigue resistance, and attention energy drinks provide that help with gaming performance.
Pre-workout supplements have usually been compared to energy drinks, but they are different from each other. Energy drinks provide a quick boost of energy and alertness through caffeine while pre-workout supplements increase energy levels but also promote athletic performance. The lines between pre-workout supplements and energy drinks have become quite blurred as many energy drinks now claim they can help increase athletic performance and endurance.
Energy drinks contain several performance boosting ingredients like caffeine, amino acids, and creatine. 58 of the top 100 pre-workout drinks include a proprietary blend of ingredients that aren’t specified on the label. However, pre-workout products that contain branded ingredient complexes get three times more reviews.
Energy drinks have been as popular as multivitamins for teens and young adults in the U.S. The people in the U.S. consume more energy drinks compared to people in other countries. Younger consumers in particular are mainly attracted to the energy drink claims of improving alertness, endurance, and performance as well as the perceptions of energy drinks as a healthy alternative to soda. Nonetheless, less than 50% of consumers in the U.S. take energy drinks.
The future of energy drinks will probably see an increased use of technology to find ways to make energy drinks more appealing to consumers. New technology will help improve manufacturing processes that will help reduce the amount of sugars naturally found in fruit juices. This will help energy drink companies make a stronger shift towards focusing on sustainable energy benefits derived from natural products.
Energy drinks can help you get the energy boost you need to make it through your day.
