Innovative Beverages Enter New Grounds

摘要

Beverages, particularly energy drinks, enhanced waters and RTD teas, are taking various approaches in promotions, ingredients and even processing to set themselves apart. As one walks down the beverage aisle of a local grocery or grabs a drink from the local convenience store, one thing is immediately clear: the number of options consumers have to cleanse their palates has become overwhelming. Not too long ago, the beverage section consisted almost entirely of soda pop and water. Nowadays, shoppers have a wide spectrum of alternatives from which to choose, as companies vie for consumers' dollars. Companies that manufacture and sell products (in several beverage market subsets, in particular, such as energy drinks, enhanced waters and RTD teas) are creating a variety of innovative drinks, experimenting with novel ingredients (as well as returning to basic ingredients) and taking marketing to new levels-all in the effort to get a share of the beverage marketplace.