Americans Still Prefer Alcohol Over Non-Alcoholic Alternatives, Trax Survey Finds
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Editorial Dept.
While non-alcoholic beverages continue to generate media buzz and shelf space, most American shoppers are still reaching for the real thing. A new nationwide survey by Trax reveals that traditional alcoholic drinks—liquor, wine, and beer—remain dominant in both frequency and spending. Even among consumers open to zero-proof options, taste and habit keep alcohol firmly in the lead.
A press release from Trax revealed that the survey (of over 8,000 U.S. adult beverage consumers) showed that 59% of shoppers buy alcohol, while just 5.5% purchase non-alcoholic drinks exclusively. For the 36% who mix alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, traditional favorites maintain a commanding lead.
America’s Still Raising a Glass
- Liquor Tops the List: 65% of alcohol buyers purchase liquor, followed closely by wine (60%) and beer (60%).
- Hard Seltzers Hold: 30% of shoppers include these fizzy concoctions, outpacing most non-alcoholic categories.
- Liquor-Based Beverages (like Smirnoff Ice and Mike’s Hard Lemonade) entice nearly half (46%) of alcohol shoppers.
Steady Frequency and Spending
- Alcohol buyers purchase at a notable cadence: multiple times a week (11%), weekly (18%), every other week (15%), multiple times per month (24%).
- The majority of alcohol shoppers spend $11-$20 (37%) per trip, while 29% spend $21-$30 per trip, and 21% spend $31-$40 per trip, demonstrating they’re still willing to pay for what they want.
- Grocery stores are the leading channel to purchase alcohol products (64%), followed by big-box stores (43%) and club stores (28%).
While the zero-proof trend is no longer fringe, America’s love affair with booze isn’t ending anytime soon. While 63% of alcohol buyers say they would consider non-alcoholic options, actual purchases remain modest: just 38% of shoppers who purchase both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages buy mocktails or non-alcoholic beer, and only 22% opt for non-alcoholic wine. Taste remains the top purchasing driver, favored by 76% for dual buyers and 90% for alcohol buyers over price, brand, and wellness factors.
“While we cannot deny that alcohol alternatives are impacting the traditional adult beverage industry, not all hope is lost,” said Brittany Billings, Chief Marketing Officer at Trax. “For brands, the opportunity is to embrace the excitement of new categories and introduce products to capture market share, while also satisfying the needs of current consumers when they want to imbibe on their tried and true favorites. Who knows, today’s non-drinker can become tomorrow’s drinker!”
The survey of 8,226 American adult beverage consumers was conducted through Shopkick, Trax’s shopping rewards platform, between September 15 – 30, 2025. Trax Retail is a leading technology company that uses AI, image recognition, and data to help brands and retailers optimize operations and understand consumer behavior.
Despite the rise of non-alcoholic options, America’s adult beverage connoisseurs continue to favor traditional choices, with liquor, wine, and beer leading the charge and taste driving decisions. For brands and retailers, the path forward is clear: embrace innovation while honoring the classics, using consumer insights to craft offerings that satisfy both loyal drinkers and curious explorers.
About Trax
Powered by leading technology and proprietary data, Trax connects brands, retailers, and shoppers, setting the standard for retail excellence. Trax’s AI-powered platform uniquely combines solutions that provide unparalleled data-driven signals to leading global CPGs and retailers to deliver real-time data, retail execution, and consumer engagement to increase ROI.
Thirty of the world’s top 50 CPG companies, along with leading retailers and emerging brands, use Trax’s shelf monitoring, analytics, merchandising, activation, and shopper engagement solutions at scale to drive positive shopper experiences and unlock revenue opportunities at all points of sale.
Trax is a global company with hubs in the United States, Singapore, France, Hungary, China, Mexico, Brazil, and Israel, serving customers in more than 80 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.traxretail.com.
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