Russians ordered 30% more non-alcoholic beer in the second week of June than in the first week of the month, and the number of bottles and cans of beer ordered increased by 42%. One of the possible reasons for such growth is the beginning of the European Football Championship 2020. That's the data cited by grocery delivery service igooods based on a study of 2.5 million orders by its customers from 30 Russian cities for 2020 and the first five months of this year.

"In Moscow, online orders increased by 29% and banks by 56%; in St. Petersburg by 25% and 34% respectively. One possible reason for the growth is the start of the European Football Championship. In 2020, there was no such surge in the second week in June - the number of can and bottle orders was at the same level throughout June," the service said.

According to igooods, on average Russians order three cans of non-alcoholic beer per order. Nevertheless, St. Petersburg residents prefer to drink light beer, which is found in 95 percent of all orders.

Grapefruit is the most popular taste among Russians in the category of non-alcoholic fruit beer and beer drinks: it accounts for more than half of all purchases. This is followed by lime and mint flavours, as well as lemon and raspberry. The least popular drinks are cucumber, orange and grape flavours.

"Around the world, beer is a traditional attribute of football competitions, so the European Football Championship may have been a catalyst for orders of non-alcoholic beer. We can see that the pandemic and restrictive measures have changed Russians' alcohol purchasing habits. One hypothesis is that Russians wanted to replace the familiar alcoholic beverages that could only be purchased offline. Analysis shows that after the restrictive measures were lifted, demand for online delivery of non-alcoholic beer has remained at a high level, and surges of interest occur closer to holidays and important dates," said Alexei Gruzdev, director of marketing at igooods.

Soft drinks are most frequently purchased by residents of St. Petersburg and Moscow: the capitals account for more than 80% of all orders. In Moscow, non-alcoholic beer and beer drinks are more frequently purchased in large quantities. For example, the largest order was for 100 -120 bottles. The top five cities in the number of online orders for non-alcoholic beer and beer drinks also include Surgut, Tula, and Tver. Residents of Vladikavkaz, Khanty-Mansiysk and Veliky Novgorod show the least interest in non-alcoholic beer.

The popularity of non-alcoholic beer is linked to the growing trend towards a healthy lifestyle and the possibility of ordering drinks of various flavors without leaving your apartment, explains Andrey Gubka, Chairman of the Beer Producers Association in Russia.

"Remote sales of alcoholic products are prohibited in Russia, but by ordering non-alcoholic beer, we see that the service is in demand among consumers. Customers receive delivery of high quality beer products from well-known brands. The association advocates allowing the sale of low-alcohol beer products through remote formats. This measure, subject to all the rules of sale that are in force for offline stores, will be a positive stimulus for the industry and will reduce the "shadow market" of online orders of alcoholic beverages," he said.

The 2020 European Football Championship kicked off on 11 June. The tournament is taking place for the first time ever in 11 stadiums in 11 cities and ten countries.

Made in Russia // Made in Russia

Author: Karina Kamalova