10 Hot (and Cold) Insights for Tea
By Aimee Harvey on Jun. 06, 2017CHICAGO -- Dispensed beverages continue to be a vital element in a successful convenience-store foodservice program.
Here are 10 customer insights on tea preparations, flavors and purchase drivers from Technomic’s recently released Convenience Store Consumer MarketBrief for spring 2017 ...
1. Tea purchases are up at c-stores
Forty percent of c-store consumers say they're buying hot tea more often than they were just one year ago, and more than a third of those surveyed (39%) are buying more brewed cold tea from convenience stores than they did a year ago.
2. Younger consumers are most likely to choose tea
Overall, 68% of c-store consumers purchase foodservice teas (as opposed to the 80% who frequently choose ready-to-drink teas) at least once a month.
Of these consumers, 84% are younger consumers between the ages of 18 and 34, and seven out of 10 are male.
3. Iced tea is a top choice at c-stores
Asked to select all that apply, nearly seven out of 10 c-store consumers choose iced tea from the fountain, while 61% also say they choose cold specialty teas, and 59% say that they choose self-serve hot tea.
4. Afternoon is tea time
Forty-seven percent of consumers surveyed by Technomic said they prefer to visit c-stores for tea in the afternoon, compared to 33% who prefer tea in the morning and 20% who visit for tea in the evening.
5. Medium is the preferred size
Medium or 16-ounce cups are the preferred size for c-store consumers purchasing hot (51%) and cold (45%) tea.
6. Younger consumers want tea with benefits
Younger consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 told Technomic that they gravitate toward foodservice teas that have some sort of functional benefits.
Half of these consumers (50%) prefer tea for the energy it imparts, while 47% say that they choose tea for its vitamin content.
They're also significantly more likely than their older counterparts to prefer sleep/calming benefits, metabolism boosts and body-detox benefits from tea.
7. Taste is the top purchase driver ...
Choosing from a range of different attributes, including quality, value and variety, tea consumers said the top purchase driver is taste. More than eight out of 10 c-store consumers (84%) say that the taste of hot and cold tea is "important" or "extremely important" in guiding their purchase decision.
8. ... But cleanliness matters too
Overall, 83% of hot and cold tea consumers said a clean foodservice area influences their decision to purchase tea from a convenience store, calling cleanliness "important" or "extremely important."
9. Consumers want sweetness and caffeine
Given the choice of sweetened vs. unsweetened tea, more than three out of four c-store consumers (76%) indicate that they prefer sweetened tea.
Nearly the same percentage, 77%, said they prefer caffeinated tea—bolstering the earlier finding about a strong preference for teas that boost energy.
10. Tea lovers reveal top flavor profiles
A majority (52%) of c-store consumers told Technomic that green tea is their most preferred flavor for hot tea, followed by lemon, peach, chai and Earl Grey varieties.
For cold tea, responses were similar; lemon was the reigning flavor choice (43%), with other leading flavor varieties rounded out by green tea, peach, generally "sweet" profiles and raspberry accents.