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Living with Taste: St. Petersburg Soft Drink Producers Are Looking for New Niches
At the same time, Rosstat noted that in January-February 2024, the production of soft drinks fell by 3% year-on-year for the first time in five years. According to experts, there are several reasons for this. From changing consumer habits to the introduction of export duties, labeling of this category of goods and excise taxes on carbonated drinks containing sugar. It is also worth considering other factors that increase production costs.
It is obvious that this trend is still ongoing. Thus, according to Petrostat, from January to July 2024, 23.4 thousand dal of soft drinks were produced in St. Petersburg, which is almost 0.7% less than for the same period in 2023.
On the other hand, the market is actively developing, GRADUS experts note. Carbonated drinks are second only to drinking water in terms of sales. Therefore, new offers and brands are constantly appearing in this category of goods. This is partly due to the lack of foreign ingredients, such as concentrates and syrups. That is, the narrowing of access to "tropical exotics" leads to experimentation, but many market participants see undoubted advantages in this situation.
"The market is flooded with tropical and other combinations that once seemed interesting, but everyone forgot that Russia has its own unique ingredients. In our recipes, you will find dill, fireweed, mint, verbena, juniper, fir and other local ingredients." You can.", - Bakunin's company shared with DP. In 2023, the manufacturer, together with the Imbibe bar team, launched a line of natural lemonades and tonics. In this line, the creators of exclusive recipes presented surprises with the most interesting and unusual combinations of gifts of Russian nature and classic cocktails. . The experience of large manufacturers helped to transfer the original Lemonade production technologies to the level of mass production without compromising quality.
Surprising consumers with the taste, composition of the drink and the design of the packaging is one of the effective ways to attract attention and win the audience and market share. Its structure has not changed over the years, and this is where large companies have their "classics". The soft drinks segment is at the forefront. In addition, non-standard approaches to design for the industry can be another key to increasing profits. Thus, according to Gradus Retail Index, consumers are more comfortable with economical and lightweight packaging for drinks. For example, in "Bakunin" for the line of lemonades, cans were chosen as the preferred option, although some products are still offered in bottles.
The company believes that expanding the scale of this segment is beneficial when there is a clear seasonal trend. In addition, such tools as collaboration are often used by market players, especially those that are in high demand among certain target audiences. Within the framework of this collaboration, new flavor combinations for drinks are developed. In fact, these projects contribute to more effective promotion of your brand and products in a specific niche.
At the same time, experts note not only the introduction of the corresponding excise tax, but also the fact that more and more buyers are monitoring their consumption of sweets and switching to a healthy lifestyle. For this, Bakunin explained, freshly squeezed natural juices, fruit purees, iced teas and herbal products are appearing on the carbonated drinks market. The company itself has also adjusted the recipe by 75% of the entire range in order to reduce the addition of sugar to a minimum, and in some cases to 0%.
Given the multifaceted trends in stores, it turns out that the choice of soft drinks is becoming more extensive. At the same time, today Russian market participants are replacing departed brands not only on “substrates”, but also at large-scale events, especially on sports banners.