Regardless of who makes it to the Super Bowl this year, one thing is for sure, American Football fans will be drinking on (and leading up to) Super Bowl LVII on February 12th. Americans spend $1.3 Billion on beer alone for the Super Bowl (not including wine, liquor, or other spirits). Ahead of this momentous occasion for sports and alcohol, it’s important to know how consumers are likely to shop and drink this year. MikMak took a closer look at current trends, and here’s what we found.
“Dry January” quickly dampened this year, as Purchase Intent Rates for Alcohol began to rise on January 5th
As we continually learn at the start of each new year, “Dry January” doesn’t typically last beyond the first two weeks of January. This year, alcohol Purchase Intent Rates began to jump even earlier, rising from 4.5 percent, on January 4th, to 7.8 percent, on January 5th. Purchase Intent Rates, which measure how likely in-market consumers are to purchase a product, have remained well above the 2022 average of 7.1 percent.
The NFL regular season concluded on January 8th, and the playoffs began on January 14th. Since the regular season concluded, Purchase Intent Rates have averaged 9.6 percent (1.4x the 2022 average). Further, as early as three days before the first playoff game, Purchase Intent Rates have stayed consistently above 8 percent, the greatest peak being on January 15th, which had the most games in a single day compared to any other game day.
Last year’s Super Bowl saw peak Purchase Intent the Friday before the game; this year could look similar
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For last year’s Super Bowl LVI, there was a steady average increase of 23 percent per day in shopping traffic two weeks before the Super Bowl, and the major demand peak happened the Friday before game day. We saw purchase intent as high as 8.3 percent, nearly double what it was the week prior.
With laxer social distancing in 2022 than in 2021, the single peak on Friday was likely attributed to more in-person celebrations taking place. Shoppers grabbed weekend purchases for their Sunday gatherings without planning as much in advance, and also were consolidating their shopping trips. With shoppers already becoming more budget-conscious in 2023, it is becoming more common for them to reduce the number of shopping trips by adding more items to their carts per trip. That being paired with even fewer social distancing restrictions from COVID, it is safe to expect a similar surge in shopping in the days before the game.Drizly x Instagram is the Retailer/Channel Mix to reach football fans this year
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Since the NFL regular season concluded, online alcohol retailer, Drizly has seen the highest share of Purchase Intent Clicks on the MikMak Platform. This means that of their retailer options, consumers are most likely to select Drizly as their retailer of choice. Among the top 5 retailers, Drizly yields 32.9 percent of Purchase Intent Clicks. Walmart followed with 23.9 percent. Online delivery retailers Total Wine and Instacart have 19.9 and 17.9 percent, respectively. Finally, local grocery option, Kroger rounded out the top 5 retailers, driving 5.4 percent of Purchase Intent Clicks.
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Regarding what social channels shoppers buy their alcohol from, Instagram has had exceedingly high Purchase Intent Rates since the conclusion of the NFL regular season. At 22.2 percent, Purchase Intent from media on Instagram is 2.3x the current average of 9.6 percent. Facebook came in second with 11 percent (1.1x the average). Meanwhile, Snap, YouTube, and Pinterest followed with 5.2, 4.4, and 1.1 percent, respectively.
Of the remaining teams in the playoffs, Kansas City Chiefs fans are most likely to buy alcohol online
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Since January 9th, every city that has (or had) a team in the playoffs has seen Purchase Intent Rates for Alcohol higher than their 2022 averages. Of the remaining four cities (Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Cincinnati), Kansas City is most likely to buy booze online, with a Purchase Intent Rate of 12.7 percent (1.3x the current overall average, and 1.9x Kansas City’s 2022 average). Philadelphia follows them with a Purchase Intent Rate of 9.2 percent. Cincinnati and San Francisco have Purchase Intent Rates of 6.8 and 5 percent, respectively. Among all the cities with teams in the playoffs, Miami has had the highest Purchase Intent Rate since January 9th, at 13.3 percent.
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Of the four remaining cities in the playoffs, Kansas City’s top purchased alcohol product online is a whiskey brand, and their preferred retailer is Walmart. Meanwhile, Philadelphia and San Francisco both prefer a champagne brand, and are shopping on Drizly. Cincinnati is also shopping for champagne, but checking out at Kroger. Knowing where different geographical areas are buying their booze can help your brand ensure the preferred retailer options are enabled for your brand.
It is important to note that some differences in state laws around how alcohol is purchased may also play a part in how these numbers are shaking out.
Beer brands will be heavily advertising at Super Bowl LVII, but whiskey is popular with online shoppers right now
Beer and football are a popular pairing, and brands have certainly acknowledged that. This year, about 78 percent of the confirmed alcohol brands advertising during Super Bowl LVII are beer brands. However, among brands on the MikMak Platform (and as we saw from the geographical data above), spirits are outperforming beer with online shoppers. Currently, the most popular alcohol product on the platform since January 9th is from a Whiskey brand.
Odds are, shoppers are buying both! With Super Bowl parties being a common meeting ground for drinkers of all sorts, many people hosting gatherings for the game will buy beer in addition to their favorite liquors, spirits, and wines, so all guests are happy and drinking. Keep an eye on what products shoppers are buying alongside your brand for the Super Bowl to develop partnerships based on product adjacency all year long.
Grocery products are also commonly purchased alongside alcohol
Drinks are essential for game day, but so are snacks! In addition to other alcohol products, shoppers will also be stocking up on their favorite foods to share at social gatherings. MikMak customers, Dos Equis and Old El Paso, recognized this and collaborated to advertise to football fans.
Brands can also optimize your media with shopping locations that meet consumer demand across online, in-store, and at bars and restaurants. With MikMak, you can optimize your content, make it shoppable at various retailers, and in return, see real-time insights for optimal results. To find out more, schedule a demo today!
