{"id":894046,"date":"2026-03-24T04:26:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T09:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/24\/inside-the-functional-beverage-craze-what-benefits-are-consumers-really-looking-for\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T04:26:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T09:26:23","slug":"inside-the-functional-beverage-craze-what-benefits-are-consumers-really-looking-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/24\/inside-the-functional-beverage-craze-what-benefits-are-consumers-really-looking-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the functional beverage craze: What benefits are consumers really looking for?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Understanding what functional benefits consumers want means taking a step back and looking at what they need. More specifically, it\u2019s about understanding their \u2018need states\u2019; that is, the parts of their daily lives where they need that extra boost.<\/p>\n

And above all, it\u2019s about understanding how beverages can become a regular fixture in meeting those needs.<\/p>\n

Growing mass appeal<\/h2>\n

The functional beverage industry is at an interesting point of divergence. On the one hand, brands are exploring niches to appeal to a very specific group of consumers (menopause or perimenopause, for example).<\/p>\n

But for the majority of brands, the opportunity is still in volume: becoming mass market products thanks to broad benefits that appeal to a wide range of consumers.<\/p>\n

Yet reaching that mass market is not always easy. Many people are put off by price<\/a> – and ignore the functional beverage category entirely. <\/p>\n

However, that\u2019s not the end of the story. There are benefits that resonate with large groups of consumers – and hold the potential to draw people into the category.<\/p>\n

And honing on in on top benefits – and highlighting the added value that functional beverages hold – is the way to do so.<\/p>\n

Product intelligence business Vypr recently surveyed everyday shoppers in the UK to understand what they think about functional beverages.<\/p>\n

Sleep remains the top priority: 42% of consumers reported that they\u2019re interested in drinks with this benefit, according to Vypr\u2019s research. <\/p>\n

Gut health and digestion benefits also resonate highly (37%). <\/p>\n

The idea of focus and concentration is also emerging: an idea attractive to 24% of those surveyed. <\/p>\n

\n
\"Functional<\/picture><\/div>
Functional drink benefits (Source: Vypr)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But what\u2019s important to most consumers, says Adam Simpson, drinks expert at Vypr, is that consumers see functional drinks as products that actively do a job for the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, the most common associations are with gut health, immunity, and sleep,\u201d he said. \u201cEnergy remains important, but digestive and longer-term health benefits dominate perceptions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Know your audience: A demographic split<\/h2>\n

The attraction of broad claims such as sleep or gut health is that they resonate with many consumers groups. <\/p>\n

Having said that, shoppers do skew differently according to their age and stage of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall, as shoppers age, functional benefits required shift from immediate boosts toward longer-term health and resilience, creating clear opportunities for brands that can credibly span everyday function and health span benefits,\u201d explains Simpson.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example \u2018Kefir\u2019 & \u2018Gut health\u2019 generally appeals more to consumers within the older age brackets; and then things like \u2018Focus & Energy\u2019 appeals more to the younger consumer.\u201d <\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a split in how consumers want functional beverages to feature in their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cYounger consumers are looking to experiment; mid\u2011life consumers build routine; older consumers gatekeep trust, value and longevity,” said Simpson.<\/p>\n

Building routines<\/h2>\n

As for any beverage category, the challenge is two-fold: getting out to new consumers; then keeping them as loyal repeat customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrands need to communicate that they can be included into routine use across life stages, not just offer short\u2011term hype,” said Simpson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a category that will win through endless innovation. Functional beverage brands will win by moving from trial into everyday routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\"Functional<\/picture><\/div>\n

Opens in new window<\/span><\/a>

Find out more about functional beverage innovations in this week’s free-to-attend webinar! (Image: WR)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rachel Arthur
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Understanding what functional benefits consumers want means taking a step back and looking at what they need. More specifically, it\u2019s about understanding their \u2018need states\u2019; that is, the parts of their daily lives where they need that extra boost. And above all, it\u2019s about understanding how beverages can become a regular fixture in meeting those<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":894047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38158,118],"tags":[44253,5968],"class_list":{"0":"post-894046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-functional","8":"category-inside","9":"tag-functional","10":"tag-inside"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=894046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/894047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=894046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=894046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=894046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}