As Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Living Essentials LLC’s 5 Hour Energy brand suggests in its advertising, “that 2:30 feeling” can be difficult for many consumers to overcome. In fact, that mid-afternoon slump, or “post-lunch dip,” is a natural part of humans’ internal clock, which creates the urge to sleep approximately seven hours after waking, according to a 2007 New York Times article. As a result, many consumers might turn to energy drinks or shots for an afternoon pick-me-up. According to data from Mintel, 42 percent of people who drink energy shots take them in the afternoon, and 49 percent of people who consume energy drinks do so in the afternoon, says Jennifer Zegler, beverage analyst at the Chicago-based market research firm.
However, the consumption occasion for energy drinks is changing, says Jonas Feliciano, beverage analyst for Euromonitor International, Chicago. When energy drinks were first introduced in the United States, they were positioned as lifestyle beverages and often were mixed with alcohol, he says. In recent years, energy drink manufacturers have moved away from this positioning and grown the category in terms of function, flavor and hybridization, he adds.