New data reveals Australia’s beverage trends, from beer and spirits to zero alcohol

 

Beverage purchase data from pubs and bars across major Australian cities reveals the types of drinks we may be consuming over the summer holidays.

 

At these establishments, beer is Australia’s favourite beverage – even among women – and is mainly consumed at lunchtime and in the afternoons. Spirits are our second favourite – and is surprisingly the number one category among women, surpassing wine purchases – and is mostly consumed late at night.  

 

The analysis was carried out by Clipp.co, Australia’s leading and fastest-growing mobile-payment and deals app for bars, pubs and their restaurants. Clipp took alcohol-purchase data from 55,000 customer orders across more than 600 establishments Australia-wide.

 

The data compares beverage purchases across four categories: beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks. While beer makes up 45 per cent of all beverage purchases, surprisingly spirits not wine is our next favourite at 33 per cent of all beverage purchases. Wine is third on the list, at 19 per cent of all purchases, and non-alcoholic drinks make up just four per cent of purchases.

 

When it comes to enjoying a beverage or two over the summer holidays, it doesn’t have to be at the cost of your holiday fund according to Greg Taylor, co-founder of Clipp. The app offers Australians significant discounts on the cost of food and drinks at bars, pubs and restaurants around the country.

 

“Many Aussies spend this time of year catching up with friends to send off the year that’s been and toast the year ahead, and a lot of us feel the impact of these social outings on our back pocket,” he says.

 

“January is often a tight month financially as this is when the festive season catches up with us. This data confirms that we love a drink, generally no matter the cost, but by taking advantage of menu specials and happy hour, as well as deals apps and sites - like Clipp - we’re going to get the most bang for our buck and ring in the new year with one less financial concern or resolution to make.”

 

Beverage trends between men and women

 

There is a notable difference between men’s and women’s drink purchases. Nearly 55 per cent of all beverage purchases among men is beer – the highest proportion (an average of 64% of all purchases) of which his consumed at lunchtime and in the afternoons. While spirits make up 30 per cent of all beverage purchases by men, this increases to 55 per cent late at night. Wine makes up just 12 per cent of purchases among men.

 

Surprisingly, spirits top the list of beverages among women, at 36 per cent of all purchases, and increasing to 53 per cent of all purchases late at night. Beer follows closely, at 35 per cent of all purchases, and increasing to 43 per cent of purchases among women at lunchtime. Wine makes up 25 per cent of all beverage purchases among women.

 

Trends in spirits

 

Vodka and whisky are the favourite spirits across the nation, making up just over 20 per cent each of all spirit purchases. Vodka is the favourite spirit for all age groups up to age 49, averaging 24 per cent of all spirit purchases. Bourbon is the favourite spirit for Aussies in their fifties (41% of spirit purchases in that age group) and whisky is a favourite for the over sixties, at 42 per cent of spirit purchases.

 

Trends in wine

 

White wine is the favourite wine nationally, making up an average of 43 per cent of wine purchases across the major cities. Among women, white wine made up 46 per cent of wine purchases. White wine is a winner among under-20s (83% of all wine purchases) and those in their 50s (52% of all wine purchases). Visit this site https://geonbae.com/korean-wines/soju/ for more info. 

 

Queenslanders and West Australians are the biggest white wine drinkers (51% of wine purchases in each State). White wine is also a favourite in South Australia and Victoria, at 48 per cent each of wine purchases. NSW residents are bucking the trend by preferring red wine (48% of all wine purchases).

 

Trends in beer

 

Craft beer accounted for 45 per cent of all purchases nationally, with regular beer coming in second at 40 per cent. Melbourne takes the craft beer crown, with the highest percentage of craft beer purchases (55 per cent) against just 34 per cent of regular beer purchases. Perth comes in second, with 48 per cent of craft purchases and regular beer at 35 per cent. Sydney is third, with 46 per cent of craft beer purchases and regular beer at 39 per cent.  

 

In contrast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Darwin are holding onto their love of regular beer, with this category accounting for 59 per cent, 63 per cent and 65 per cent of all beer purchases respectively.

 

Beverage purchase trends across genders and time of day

Drink Type	Lunchtime		Afternoon		Late-night
	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male
Beer	42.6%	68.1%	39.6%	60.4%	21.2%	35.8%
Wine	26.2%	14.1%	28.1%	14.2%	21.6%	7.5%
Spirits	26.0%	14.3%	28.0%	22.3%	53.0%	54.7%
Non-Alcoholic Drinks	5.2%	3.5%	4.3%	3.1%	4.2%	1.9%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

Spirit category trends across age groups

Spirit	Under 20	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Vodka	29.7%	22.5%	22.2%	23.4%	16.8%	8.7%
Whiskey	21.9%	16.0%	18.8%	17.3%	13.8%	42.3%
Bourbon	3.9%	9.5%	11.7%	16.5%	41.1%	14.5%
Gin	3.0%	11.2%	10.5%	11.4%	7.5%	10.7%
Rum	25.5%	12.3%	15.0%	11.4%	11.0%	12.0%
Cocktail	16.0%	28.4%	21.7%	20.0%	9.8%	11.8%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

Spirit category trends across States

Spirit	NSW	QLD	SA	VIC	WA
Vodka	23.7%	24.6%	14.6%	18.3%	15.6%
Whiskey	16.5%	14.8%	24.7%	26.6%	17.2%
Bourbon	13.6%	21.8%	10.4%	10.8%	13.7%
Gin	11.9%	5.1%	14.5%	8.8%	10.7%
Rum	12.3%	19.4%	22.5%	13.0%	12.0%
Cocktail	22.0%	14.2%	13.4%	22.5%	30.7%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

Wine category trends across age groups

Wine	Under 20	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Red	16.7%	41.9%	44.6%	44.4%	36.7%	36.1%
White	83.3%	42.9%	37.4%	41.9%	52.2%	42.6%
Sparkling	0.0%	15.3%	18.0%	13.8%	11.0%	21.3%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

Wine category trends across States

Wine	NSW	QLD	SA	VIC	WA
Red	48.1%	33.1%	29.0%	41.0%	23.4%
White	38.9%	51.0%	48.4%	47.7%	50.5%
Sparkling	13.1%	15.9%	22.5%	11.3%	26.1%
Grand Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

Beer category trends across age groups

Beer Type	Under 20	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Low Alcohol	7.0%	2.6%	4.4%	3.2%	2.7%	1.4%
Regular	74.6%	31.3%	33.9%	43.1%	52.4%	78.0%
Craft	13.8%	54.2%	50.8%	41.8%	31.3%	15.0%
Special Diets	0.0%	2.9%	3.3%	4.1%	5.0%	2.7%
Cider	4.6%	8.4%	7.2%	7.5%	8.6%	2.9%
Locally Made	0.0%	0.6%	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%	0.1%
Grand Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

Beer category trends across States

Beer Type	NSW	QLD	SA	VIC	WA
Low Alcohol	4.2%	2.3%	0.3%	1.9%	1.8%
Regular	39.1%	58.7%	62.6%	34.3%	34.5%
Craft	45.8%	26.9%	29.4%	54.6%	47.5%
Special Diets	3.7%	4.0%	2.6%	2.2%	4.3%
Cider	6.6%	7.9%	4.5%	6.7%	11.8%
Locally Made	0.5%	0.2%	0.5%	0.2%	0.0%
Grand Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

    

About Clipp
Clipp.co is Australia’s leading mobile payment and deals app for bars, restaurants, clubs and pubs across Australia, with more than 600 merchants on board since it was established in 2013. Clipp enables merchants to provide exclusive deals to consumers and provides users complete visibility over their tab, from orders to spend value. Quick, convenient and secure, Clipp allows users to close their tab and pay securely and directly from their phone, as well as explore venues around them, search for deals – including up to 40% off – pay seamlessly, and save big with reward points on every dollar spent at participating merchants. Clipp won Gizmodo’s App of the Year and Tech23 in 2014, and was dubbed the next big thing by Mashable. The app is free to download on Apple and Android devices.