Analysts have predicted that global sales of energy and sports drinks will achieve more than $220 by 2026. Currently, the industry is being led by brands like Red Bull and Monster Energy in terms of sales. Energy drink sales have even grown 12.6% in just one year, but why is this boom happening?
Shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly affected energy drink sales, with energy drinks and value-added water being some of the least favorite beverages in 2020. Nonetheless, energy drinks are making a resurgence as society slowly returns to normalcy in recent years.
Industries like eSports and gaming have helped with increasing energy drink sales through lucrative sponsorships. Energy drink firms highlight the performance-enhancing qualities of their products when they market to gamers and players. This is because the caffeine energy drinks contain can help with resisting fatigue, improving cognitive function, and boosting reaction times, aiding players with their gaming performance.
Energy drinks can sometimes be confused with pre-workout supplements as they both help boost people’s energy levels. However, pre-workouts are additionally designed to help boost endurance and athletic performance. Energy drinks are increasingly being marketed in ways that make them seem really similar to pre-workouts.
Pre-workouts contain caffeine, amino acids like taurine and citrulline, and creatine in order to give them their energy and athletic performance boosting qualities. More than half of the top 100 pre-workout drinks include a specific blend of ingredients that aren’t detailed on the label.
Out of all the countries, the U.S. consumes the most amount of energy drinks. Two in three energy drink consumers are young males who are attracted to the products’ characteristics of improving alertness, performance, and endurance as well as the claims of increasing the awareness of an active lifestyle. It is interesting to note that although most of the energy drinks are sold in North America, less than half of U.S. consumers actually use such products due to their sugary contents and unnatural tastes.
The energy drinks industry is currently aiming to appeal to more consumers. To do this, companies are making changes such as adding more plant-based energy ingredients, nootropic elements, and natural sources of caffeine. New technological developments will help improve manufacturing processes and therefore lead to a reduction of sugars found naturally in fruit juices, aiding in the shift towards energy drinks that deliver sustainable energy benefits by using more natural products.
Thanks to constantly evolving developments, the energy drinks sector will continue to thrive.
