On Instagram, the hashtag #shoplocal has been used more than 11.9 million times as of Oct. 16. The posts with this hashtag published by influencers and consumers alike show that local shopping trends continue to proliferate. Within the beverage market, one segment in particular has shown the power of “local” — craft beer.
“I think the smaller breweries continue to be the positive segment in the market,” says Eric Schmidt, director of alcohol research for Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), New York. “Consumers have embraced authenticity and local, and I think that while a lot of these brands won’t go national — they have done very well near their home market. These smaller breweries are also engaging consumers through events at the breweries, taprooms at the brewery, in an effort to gain more consumers.”