#USA #Quincy #GoSpotCheck #functional beverages #FORM Market Monitor

FORM Market Monitor Insights: A Rising Trend in Functional Beverages

On May 29, 2025, FORM, a prominent provider of AI-driven field execution software, released their latest FORM Market Monitor. This report sheds light on essential metrics in the beverage industry, particularly focusing on beer, whiskey, tequila, and non-alcoholic drinks. A key takeaway from the report is the noticeable increase in shelf space occupied by functional beverage brands compared to April, alongside a rise in the empty facings in coolers for all non-alcoholic beverages.

Key Findings of the Report

The FORM Market Monitor serves as a valuable tool for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to gauge the dynamic landscape of the beverage market. The report presents aggregate data that includes metrics such as shelf share, empty facings, and pricing. By collecting data from over 50 large-format retailers monthly, FORM helps industry players identify emerging trends effectively. Their AI-based image recognition application, GoSpotCheck, simplifies the data capturing process, allowing for real-time analysis of shelves, displays, and coolers.

Kevin Corcoran, the Chief Sales Officer at FORM, emphasized the importance of these consistent month-to-month metrics in spotting trends and making informed decisions. For instance, it is known that during summer months, single-serve, chilled beverages tend to sell faster. This trend is reflected in the increased number of empty facings for these products.

Month-to-Month Highlights

The report outlines significant month-to-month changes observed in the May 2025 data, including:

• - Functional Beverage Brands: Key brands such as Olipop, a prebiotic soda, and Health-Ade's kombucha saw notable increases in single-serve shelf share, climbing from 3.3% to 5.6% and from 1.7% to 2.6%, respectively.
• - Non-Alcoholic Beverages: There was an uptick in empty facings of all non-alcoholic drinks, rising from 4.35% to 6.05%.
• - Beer Pricing: The median prices for canned beer saw a slight increase across both six and twelve packs, as well as for single-serve options.
• - Domestic vs. Imported Beer: The shelf share of domestic versus imported beer remained largely unchanged.

Insights on Different Market Segments

The FORM Market Monitor also offers a detailed look into various categories of beverages:

Beer

• - Empty Facings: 6.08%
• - Shelf Share: Three suppliers hold over 60% of shelf space.
• - Brand Share: No single brand exceeds a 9.1% share.
• - Country of Origin: 73% of beer is domestic, while 27% is imported.
• - Pricing: 69% of sales come from cans, with a 12-pack median price of $17.83.

Whiskey

• - Empty Facings: 4.08%
• - Shelf Share: 43% of shelf space is controlled by the three largest suppliers.
• - Median Prices: The median price for top-shelf whiskey is $54.99, while it stands at $26.99 for lower-tier offerings.

Tequila

• - Shelf Share: The three largest suppliers account for a 46% market share.
• - Median Pricing: Top-shelf tequila has a median price of $39.99, with lower-tier brands priced at $27.99.

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

• - Empty Facings: 6.05%
• - Shelf Share: The two largest suppliers hold a 43.3% market share, with major classifications including 54% carbonated soft drinks.

Conclusion

While the FORM Market Monitor is still gaining traction, its potential as a key resource for field teams is promising, especially in navigating the current economic landscape and tariffs. By continually collecting data, FORM aims to enhance its offerings, transitioning from monthly to quarterly data releases in the latter half of 2025. For a deeper dive into the findings, the complete beer, whiskey, tequila, and non-alcoholic market analysis reports are available on FORM's website. For businesses looking to leverage GoSpotCheck for customized datasets, FORM provides tools tailored for success in the evolving beverage market.