Shifting drinking habits, the rise of nonalcoholic choices, and trends like Dry January are reshaping the alcohol market for 2026.

Restaurants face shifting consumer behavior, tighter household budgets, and rapid advances in technology. This report provides the latest data on restaurant traffic, delivery, mobile engagement, and technology adoption.

NBCUniversal has sold out all advertising inventory for Super Bowl 60 months earlier than expected, marking record demand for football advertising. Digital sales tied to the game are up 20% YoY as brands invest across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo. Prices held at $7–8 million per 30-second spot, aligning with Fox’s 2024 benchmark. NBCU’s 2026 slate—which also includes the Winter Olympics, NBA All-Star, and FIFA World Cup—positions the company to capture significant share of sports ad budgets. With ROI on Super Bowl ads nearly doubling since 2020 and consumer enthusiasm rising, NBCU’s cross-platform dominance highlights live sports’ unmatched ad pull.

Almost three-fourths (74%) of consumers prefer to shop in-store for alcoholic beverages versus only buying them online (7%), according to March data from ThinkNow Research.

Nonalcoholic beer set to overtake ale as world’s second-largest beer category: Younger consumers drive the growth as they consume less alcohol.

As younger consumers grow increasingly comfortable with abstinence, and the non-alcoholic sector grows, brands and retailers should reconsider how to approach Dry January.

In January, the most interesting retailers capitalized on New Year’s trends like resolutions, lower-alcohol consumption, and an influx of holiday returns. Poshmark and Sephora introduced new partnerships, while Amazon and Temu increased their own retail media-related offerings. Here are the eight most significant retail developments of January 2024, ranked by their potential market impact.

Even as ecommerce alcohol sales rise, physical stores continue to dominate the path to purchase. Nonalcoholic beverages and Dry January are also picking up steam.

A lot can happen in a week. Rue21’s customer overlap with TikTok Shop could position the brand to benefit from a potential TikTok ban. Meanwhile, Gen Z consumers are increasingly choosing alcohol-free lifestyles, reflecting health-conscious preferences. Cost-consciousness drives brand switching, but convenience remains key in purchase decisions. Here are five stats that caught our eye this week.

Tom Holland’s Bero brand is now in 1,400 Target stores: The nonalcoholic beer aims to chart a course similar to the success of celebrity-driven spirits brands.

While intermediaries’ share of ecommerce sales (grocery or otherwise) will remain relatively flat for the next couple of years, they’re still a long-term threat to traditional retail. But there’s an opportunity for retailers to use intermediaries’ strategies against them.

Gen Z spends significantly on beauty products online while favoring in-store shopping for apparel. For groceries, this tech-savvy generation relies heavily on search engines and social media to discover new products. Additionally, the trend toward low- and no-alcohol beverages is gaining momentum, as many Gen Zers embrace initiatives like Dry January.

US households with heads of households aged 21 to 34 are the biggest malt seltzer drinkers, according to March 2024 data from Circana.

Brands and retailers are responding to shifts in alcohol consumption, particularly those of the growing Gen Z demographic as they establish habits and steer the industry’s future. With younger people drinking less and mid-level beverages waning in popularity, product diversification is becoming an even bigger business imperative.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how buying alcohol online is different, what Uber’s shutdown of Drizly means for its retail media business, and how consumption habits are changing. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four spicy predictions about the future of alcohol. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analyst Blake Droesch and director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman.

75% of US adults ages 21 to 24 are at least somewhat likely to participate in dry January this year, according to CivicScience.

When we think about the brands that skyrocketed this year, some immediately come to mind, like ChatGPT and Shein. Some of the other names, however, might surprise you. Here are the top five brands that had the biggest rise in purchasing consideration this year, according to Morning Consult’s Fastest Growing Brands 2023 report, and what brands can learn from their ascent.

For the second year in a row, the US CPG industry will increase its digital ad spending more slowly than most other industries. However, a major growth rebound is in the cards for 2024.

US alcohol off-premises retail ecommerce sales will reach $6.85 billion this year, growing 6.1% over 2022, according to our forecast. Growth will reach double digits come 2026.

Evolving consumer behavior and easing regulations are opening new pathways for long-term growth.