Adult beverages play a huge part in attracting customers and the on-premise channel is vital to an alcohol brand's success, according to Chicago-based Technomic. Technomic's “On-Premise Intelligence Report,” developed with New York-based Beverage Marketing Corporation, examines trends in the on-premise market as consumers' demands for quality, variety and authenticity increase and their flavor preferences shift.

The report acts as a guide for on-premise operators and adult beverage brand marketers to better understand consumer attitudes, behaviors and usage, it says.

The following are highlights from the report:

• Slow to Grow: Identifying growth brands, categories and sub-segments, as well as targeting key consumer groups and occasions, is crucial as alcohol sales growth continues to lag total food and beverage growth in the channel.
• Margaritas Waning?: With cocktail innovation accelerating, Margaritas face stiff competition for drink menu space from restaurant originals and unique specialty drinks.
• Italian Imports: Challenges remain for wine, but imports from Italy have traction, with Italian wine varietals among the fastest-growing red wines on menus last year and Prosecco also gaining menu placement.
• Properly Briefed Bartenders: Consumers' knowledge of drink selections and quality is expanding along with their expectations of bartenders' expertise.

The report includes channel, category and brand performance metrics, consumer insights and menu trend information developed via primary research. To provide enhanced consumer insights, profiles of Technomic's Drinker Archetyes are included, using psychographic and attitudinal metrics to identify archetypes and deliver insights around motivations.