APAC beverage brands pivot to holistic everyday wellness: report

46% of Indian consumers describe themselves as having an active lifestyle.

Beverage and nutrition brands across Asia-Pacific and beyond are being pushed to rethink functional positioning, as consumer demand shifts to everyday, holistic wellness support.

According to a Mintel report, in India, ready-to-drink (RTD) tea remains under-positioned despite strong trust credentials.

The category leads on natural claims (59% versus 31% for other beverage categories, including hot beverages, RTD coffee, water, carbonated soft drinks, and sports drinks) but trails sharply on functional claims (14% versus 38%).

Amongst Indian consumers, the top energy-related benefits sought in packaged non-alcoholic beverages are instant energy boost (60%), calming effects (48%), mood boosting (35%), steady release of energy (29%), and improved mental focus (22%).

Energy claims in Indian non-alcoholic drink launches have more than doubled over a decade, rising from 6% of launches in 2015 to 2016 to 15% in 2023 to 2024.

Separately, 46% of Indian consumers, particularly Millennials and SEC A households, describe themselves as having an active lifestyle built around walking, yoga, and jogging rather than gym-based training.

Thailand shows similar appetite for functional fortification, as 67% of women are interested in trying sports or energy drinks containing collagen, and 50% would be interested in an antioxidant-enhanced version.

In Australia, brands have room to expand the sports drink category beyond core athletes, particularly amongst women.

Amongst Aussie women aged 18 to 34 who consume functional food and drink, 24% have already tried collagen-fortified products compared with 18% of men.

Trust remains a gating factor with 48% of Australian women agreeing that fortified or functional products backed by scientific evidence are more trustworthy than those without it.

On the consumption side, women aged 18 to 34 account for 39% of sports drink drinkers, compared with 30% for those aged 35 to 54 and just 7% for those 55 and older.

Amongst 18-to 34-year-old non-alcoholic-beverage-drinking women specifically, sports drinks are associated with being hydrating (39%), a good source of vitamins and minerals (24%), and high in sugar (28%).