Caffeine is the main driver behind non-alcoholic purchases: report

Shoppers looking for non-alcoholic drinks are also looking for caffeine, according to a new report from data analytics firm Numerator. 

Non-alcoholic beverage drinkers purchase the beverages for a variety of reasons, including caffeine (28%), vitamins (24%), electrolytes (22%), pre/probiotics (17%), CBD (14%), and adaptogens (5%). 

For several years now, consumers have been trending toward both non-alcoholic beverages and more health-conscious lifestyles. In October, U.S. sales of non-alcoholic beer, for instance, were up 32% from a year earlier in the 52 weeks through Sept. 9, and averaged 31% growth over four years, according to data from NielsenIQ.

The Numerator report, released Wednesday, indicates that the non-alcoholic beverage category continues to expand and that 36% of consumers are shifting their spend from other alcohol categories. 

Many buying non-alcoholic beverages aren’t teetotalers just yet, though, according to the survey that showed more than a quarter (27%) of consumers who purchased non-alcoholic beverages at the store also bought hard beverages on the same trip. 

Forty percent of shoppers purchasing non-alcoholic beverages drink more than two alcoholic beverages a week, and 30% drink liquor with meals when dining at a restaurant, according to the survey. 

Related:5 things: The rise of non-alcoholic beer

Half of non-alcoholic beverage purchasers were buying the drinks for someone else, one in four were doing it for general health reasons, and more than 10% did so to provide non-alcoholic drinks as an option while hosting an event.

The three main groups consuming non-alcoholic beverages fall under the generational categories of Millennials, non-urban Gen Xers, and non-affluent Boomers.