The trend for professional athletes, weekend warriors and everyday consumers to be well-hydrated with more low-sugar, organic and natural options is contributing to stable growth in both the sports and protein drinks market, according to market analysts. Although blurring between the two categories continues to grow, many new functional beverages are marketing the benefits of those ingredients in a sports setting, says Scott Dicker, brand and retail client insights lead at Chicago-based SPINS.
“Many, though, are less likely to call themselves sports drinks; therefore, capturing the functional beverage consumer as well as the traditional sports drink consumer,” Dicker explains. “There also is a large increase in sports supplement drinks. Traditionally powdered performance supplements are evolving toward ready-to-drink (RTD) convenience options as well, such as pre-workout and amino acid drinks.”