Curious consumers are reaching for unusual drink flavours

Soft drink manufacturers looking to attract consumers will continue to successfully experiment with unusual flavours for its drinks, as those sorts of flavours prove to be popular. While mainstays such as lemon-lime and cola soft drinks have seen small a drop in popularity over the last year, others that present as weird or cater to a sense of curiosity are proving to be popular, says GlobalData analysis.

Drinks with outlandish flavours that are highly limited — such as spicy chip-flavoured Flamin’ Hot Mountain Dew or a marshmallow-flavoured Pepsi drink — evoke a sense of FOMO, or fear of missing out, that can drive consumers to pick them up. Clever marketing on social media such as Twitter can also boost the popularity of these exclusive, hard-to-get drinks.

Uncommonly encountered flavours such as florals or spices have also proven to be a curiosity to consumers. These sorts of interesting flavours will likely continue to woo consumers who are eager to try new flavours when they shop in the fizzy drink aisle. In fact, over 30% of people surveyed by GlobalData said that they had bought a drink purely because they were curious about its flavour.

The regular soft drink flavours won’t be going anywhere, but manufacturers will be continually looking to add new flavours to their beverage repertoire to appeal to those adventurous consumers keen on having new experiences.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Steve Cukrov