News

Study: Despite more choices, customers still choosing regular coffee

August 16, 2011

Despite an increase in specialty coffee offerings, regular hot coffee still accounts for the highest level of consumption among consumers recently surveyed by Technomic. In the "Market Intelligence Report: Coffee and Tea," 60 percent reported drinking regular hot coffee or tea within the last month, second only to the 62 percent of consumers who had a non-diet carbonated soft drink during the same time period.

Joe Pawlak, Technomic vice president, said understanding consumer motivations during various dayparts can help improve sales for operators and suppliers.

"Consumers who regularly purchase coffee on their way to work are motivated by the convenience of the location, but significantly, they are actually more motivated by the quality of the coffee, making them important loyal customers who return often, integrating the same locations into their normal routines," he said.

Other findings from the report include:

• Fourteen percent of consumers said they are making more purchases of regular hot coffee today than they did two years ago, and 10 percent said the same about iced tea by the cup or glass;
• Green tea, healthful and antioxidant-rich, is of interest to nearly three out of four consumers (73 percent), making it the most appealing flavor for hot or iced tea. In recent years, the number of green tea products has increased significantly on chain menus, according to MenuMonitor data. Lemon and honey are also appealing tea flavors for a sizeable percentage of consumers (61 percent and 60 percent, respectively);
• With the exception of frozen/blended coffee drinks, all other types of coffee and tea drinks have steadily increased in price since 2008. Offered for an average price of $2.25 in 2008, regular coffee now sells for an average of $2.36. Similarly, tea/iced tea products have seen their prices go up, increasing from an average of $2.40 in 2008 to $2.57 last year.

Market Intelligence Report: Coffee and Tea mines Technomic's MenuMonitor online trend tracking resource, a constantly updated online database of menus from more than 1,200 chains and independent restaurants.

The full report is available for purchase from Technomic.

For more statistics and trends stories, click here.