What shoppers really want from their soft drinks in 2025

We surveyed 2,000 consumers in the US and UK to understand how taste, health, brand and curiosity interact in shaping purchasing behavior. From generational divides to shifting discovery habits, this research uncovers what truly influences soft drink buying – and what might be coming next.

Quick summary

Here’s a TL;DR of our key findings from this research:

• Taste rules in both the US and UK — 85% of consumers in both countries cite it as their primary reason for choosing a soft drink.
• In the US, 39% value unique and innovative flavors, and 42% of 25–34-year-olds prioritize caffeine content — a statistically significant jump from other age groups.
• 62% of Americans say curiosity is the top reason they try new soft drinks — far ahead of advertising or recommendations.
• In the UK, 57% of 25–34s say health benefits drive their soft drink choices — versus just 35% nationally.
• In-store displays are still the most effective way to promote new soft drinks — chosen by 56% (US) and 58% (UK) — even among younger consumers.
• Brand reputation sways more men than women in the US — 28.5% versus 19%.
• Younger UK consumers (18–24) are more price sensitive (31%) and also more likely to buy from convenience stores (61%).

US soft drink insights

Taste is the clear winner

A clear early insight from our research was that taste is the top reason Americans choose a particular soft drink. A massive 85% of respondents said this is one of their primary reasons. Notably the second most popular reason was price, which 41% of people chose as a key reason. 

Here’s the overall ranking of our respondents’ main reasons for choosing their soft drinks:

• Taste – 85%
• Price – 41%
• Availability/convenience – 29%
• Health benefits – 26%
• Brand reputation – 23.5%
• Recommendations from friends/family – 11%
• Packaging design – 10%
• Social media influence – 9%

When we look at the gender split there’s a notable uptick in men who are swayed by brand reputation. We found that 28.5% of males chose brand reputation as a key reason, compared to just 19% of females. 

What people look for in their soft drinks

It’s no surprise that unique and innovative flavors came out as the top product attribute Americans look for – 39% said this is most important to them. That was closely followed by low/no added sugar at 35%, and caffeine content at 32%. 

Digging into age groups, we see that a statistically significant 42% of people aged 25–34 said caffeine content is their most important attribute. This age group also said that functional benefits (like energy boost and gut health) is important to them – 32% chose this, compared to the US average of 24%. 

Curiosity killed the incumbent

We asked our US respondents what would motivate them to try new soft drinks and flavors. By a large margin, 62% said curiosity is the reason. 

Looking down the list of motivators, a quarter (25%) of respondents chose advertising/promotion, and a similar amount (25%) said recommendations would compel them to buy something new.

When thinking about functional benefits people look for in their soft drinks, it’s an energy kick that comes out top. Almost three in five (58%) of Americans look for a boost in their drinks. 

Stress relief came second in our survey – 30.5% of our respondents chose this. And mental focus was next (24.5%).

In-store is the way to promote new products

Traditional in-store marketing still seems to be the best way to let shoppers know about new soft drink products. A sizable 56% of our US respondents chose this as a main way they learn about new products. 

Looking closer at the age breakdown, it’s perhaps no surprise that social media is more effective for younger people, while older groups are more influenced by TV and radio advertising. More than three fifths (61%) of people aged 18–24 learn about new products through social media, compared to just 22% of people aged 55–64. 

UK soft drink insights

Brits choose based on taste 

Taste came out of our research as the top reason people in the UK choose a specific soft drink – 85% of people chose this. In fact it came out way in front of the second most common reason – price came second with 44.5% of Brits saying this is a key reason.

While 35% of Brits overall choose their soft drinks because of health benefits, we see this jump to 57% for people aged 25–34. Interestingly, it’s only this age group where we see this increase – for every other age group, less than 35% of respondents chose health benefits. 

The 25–34 age group over-indexed across a whole range of reasons, showing that this group could be a key growth market for soft drink brands:

• Health benefits – 57% of 25–34s versus UK average of 35%
• Availability/convenience – 40.5% versus 32%
• Brand reputation – 37% versus 27.5%
• Recommendations – 23% versus 13.5%
• Packaging design – 23% versus 12%

We also found that taste is the top factor that’s most likely to make shoppers switch from a soft drink brand they regularly purchase. Overall, 36.5% of people in the UK would switch because of better taste, and 23% would switch because of seeing healthier options elsewhere.

It’s important to remember the importance of price in shoppers’ minds. Closely following healthier options, 23% of Brits would switch because of price. This percentage jumps to 31% for people aged 18–24 and to 30.5% for people aged 55–64 – notable because these age groups often show opposite behaviors and opinions. 

Shop choice varies with age

Overall Brits buy their soft drinks from supermarkets – 81% of our respondents reported this. Supermarket shopping dips slightly for the youngest group – those between 18–24 – with 71% buying from supermarkets. 

Speaking generally, supermarket shopping increases with age, ending with 87% of people aged 55–64 shopping there. 

Looking at the younger groups, they’re more likely to buy soft drinks from smaller convenience shops. Compared to a UK average of 47%, 61% of people aged 18–24 and 57% of people aged 25–34 shop there. Only 31% of people aged 55–64 buy their soft drinks from convenience shops.

We also asked how people typically learn about new soft drink products. Overall, it’s in-store displays that came out top – 58% of people discover new drinks this way. And this percentage is surprisingly quite consistent across age groups – showing that some of the more traditional advertising formats may still be the best.

Head over to our interactive dashboard to take a deeper dive into the data.