Blueberry, vanilla, candyfloss and eucalyptus are not flavours typically associated with energy drinks – until now.
Red Bull recently unveiled a second Winter Edition – Iced Vanilla Berry – which combines all those flavours in one can.
The energy drinks’ king insists new flavours are essential to the success of the category and it seems it is right as it has achieved massive sales success with its Editions range, so much so that some flavours have gone on to become part of the all-year-round range.
Consumer testing for Iced Vanilla Berry revealed a high purchase intent for the new flavour, with 72% of those surveyed saying they would be likely to buy an Iced Vanilla Berry flavoured energy drink.
A Red Bull spokesperson says: “With 82% of Red Bull Edition shoppers wanting to try new flavours within energy often (Appinio survey), this novel flavour aims to replicate the success of Red Bull’s first ever Winter Edition launched to the UK last year. Red Bull Winter Edition Spiced Pear delivered strong sales, driving 35% of all Red Bull Edition’s growth within the first 12 weeks into independent and symbols (Nielsen data).
“Flavoured energy drinks continue to be an important sector for convenience stores, helping to drive category growth. They now sell 27% more units per store than two years ago (Nielsen) and with 71% of new energy shoppers buying into flavours (Kantar), many sales are incremental to the category.”
According to Nielsen stats, berry flavours are now worth £63.8m and growing at 37.4% year-on-year. Tapping into this trend, Rockstar Energy recently added a zero sugar Blueberry flavour to its line-up. Brand owner Britvic hopes the subtle blueberry flavour will recruit older consumers while retaining Rockstar Energy’s core 18-35 following.
Monster success
Nielsen stats value the energy drinks category at a whopping £2bn and Amy Burgess, senior trade communications manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), says Monster remains a major driving force behind this growth, adding more sales value than any other brand. “Monster has added an extra £108m-worth of sales over the last year, becoming the fastest growing major energy brand in GB, against a backdrop of double-digit volume growth (Nielsen).
“Energy drinks are adding more value to the soft drinks category than any other segment. And much of this is down to diversification and innovation, which Monster is known for. Monster contributed more than half of NPD value sales over the last year.”
Innovation from Monster just this year alone includes Monster Reserve Orange Dreamsicle, Monster Nitro Cosmic Peach and most recently Monster Ultra Strawberry Dreams which joined the Ultra range – the number one zero sugar energy brand in GB (Nielsen). But Burgess says the biggest success story of the year is Monster Juiced Bad Apple, which is the best performing energy launch in 2024.
“Despite the emergence of new innovations, traditional energy drinks still remain popular, with Monster Original remaining our flagship offering. This underscores the importance of maintaining a robust core product range alongside stocking new launches.”
Functional fit
Beyond classic energy drinks, consumers are also increasingly seeking natural functional beverages. Purdey’s is the number one natural energy brand Nielsen) and brand owner Britvic says investing in natural energy alternatives is key to future-proofing growth in the energy drink market.
The Purdey’s Natural Energy range of sparkling fruit and botanical blends comprises three unique blends: Rejuvenate, Refocus, and Replenish. Each flavour contains fruit juices, carbonated spring water, natural plant extracts like guarana and ginseng and B vitamins.
Virtue Drinks, which is listed by MFG/Morrisons Daily, has gained even more listings in the sector and is now also stocked by Park Garage Group, Harvest Energy, Penny Petroleum, Certas Energy and Rontec.
Described as ‘clean and natural’, the drinks have zero sugar and zero calories. They harness the power of yerba mate to create a” more sustained and all-natural energy alternative to coffee and energy drinks”.
There are three flavours: Tropical, Peach & Raspberry and Strawberry & Lime, and MFG stocks them all. They come in 250ml cans, rrp £1.75.
Good sales for Goodrays
While not exactly an energy drink per se, Goodrays CBD drinks offer “authentic relaxation benefits”. Each drink contains a potent 30mg dose of high quality CBD (a chemical found in marijuana) with 0% THC (the psychoactive part of cannabis) and no added sugar.
Wesley Taylor, channel lead (out-of-home and convenience), at Goodrays says more and more people are becoming aware of the positive impact that CBD can have on their daily lives and mental wellbeing.
“Having a functionally beneficial product range that reduces anxiety and promotes calm is highly relevant for driving commuters. Over the past 10 years or so highly caffeinated beverages have soared within the forecourts and motorway service areas space and this proliferation has led to a high propensity of the soft drinks fixture being focused on stimulation which, while beneficial for keeping drivers alert, doesn’t cover the further need states around creating calm, providing refreshment and wellness for the consumer.”
CBD on its own has a very distinctive flavour. Taylor says: “Brands have been known to reduce the amount of CBD in their products to hide the flavour, while others pump their products full of sweeteners in an attempt to mask the flavour. We’ve gone down a different route and worked with drinks specialists – formerly of drinks giant Diageo – to harness the flavour of CBD, rather than hide or mask it, and we were adamant that we would not use artificial sweeteners in our products too. We wanted our products to be all natural and free from additives. What we’ve ended up with is a range of tropically-inspired drinks where there is the subtle hemp flavouring, but it’s balanced rather than overpowering. The result is something very palatable.”
The drinks’ palatability has gone down very well at Top 50 Indie Hockenhull Garages, which has been selling them for a while now. Joe Hockenhull says: “Goodrays is selling well and is one of our best sellers. We have regular customers that come to the site solely for the brand.”
Flavours include Raspberry & Guava, Elderflower & Yuzu, Passionfruit & Pomelo and Blood Orange & Grapefruit, with the mixed flavours pack selling particularly well, according to Taylor
Top tips for stocking energy drinks
• Shout it out: Use eye-catching pos material and branding to really make your soft drinks offering stand out – whether that’s shelf trays, window stickers or anything else that grabs attention in-store.
• Engage Gen Z: Brands should leverage music, gaming, or smartphone partnerships to remain relevant with this consumer group. This year, Rockstar Energy Drink announced a multi-year partnership across select Live Nation festivals in the UK and is the headline partner of six major festivals beloved by Gen Z in the UK, including Parklife, Wireless, TRNSMT, Reading and Leeds and Creamfields.
• Make the most of each time of the day: Cross-merchandising energy drinks with lunch options, or post-workout drinks with protein bars, broadens relevance across occasions.
• Easy to navigate: Utilise clear signage and ensure the energy drink fixture is easy to navigate, enabling shoppers to find the products they want effortlessly.
• Highlight the value: In the current climate, making the most of PMPs for popular brands is a great way to showcase the value you’re offering to budget-conscious shoppers and to drive purchase.
• Create moments: Events and brand activations generate excitement and differentiation in-store. Leverage key events with POS and brand assets from suppliers.
• Go digital: Where digital pre-shop communication is enabled, geo-target shoppers with customer app push notifications.
