The latest data by customer feedback and online reputation specialists Feed It Back has revealed that the number of reviews referencing Dry January this year have increased by a striking 61% in comparison to January 2019.
The results, taken from an analysis of thousands of online and social reviews across the restaurant and bar industries, reveal a significant spike in positive reviews (scores of four or more out of 5), which have risen by 31% from 44% in 2019 to 75% in 2020.
Considering the number of people doing Dry Jan is at a record high, with one in ten[1] taking part in the initiative and 58%[2] looking to choose low and no beverages, the results indicate that operators have enhanced their offers to cater for this growing audience.
Delving deeper into the narrative behind what’s driving positive reviews, taste was the biggest driver, with 27% of positive reviews referencing the word ‘delicious’; followed closely by ‘choice’, which made up 23% of positive reviews in the same time period.
TripAdvisor was the most prominent channel for reviews referencing Dry Jan, accounting for more than 52% of reviews. Interestingly, the platform accounted for just 21.6% of the overall share of reviews during January, highlighting the channel was disproportionately used for Dry Jan reviews.
Carlo Platia, CEO of Feed It Back said: “The consumer trend for low and no alcohol has seen significant growth in recent years, driven in part by the popularity of Dry January and Sober October. This movement has been driven by younger generations and the industry insight points towards it continuing to grow further. What we see from our data, is that the industry has reacted to this shift in demand and enhanced their low and no offers, which have been well received by consumers.
“The speed at which consumer trends are evolving is escalating at an incredible rate and it’s imperative that operators not only keep up with the crowd, but stay ahead of the curve. Truly understanding your customer’s needs and adapting and evolving your offer to meet them simply cannot be done affectively without the use of smart listening technology and a rich set of data and insight to inform decisions. With this, operators have the power to drive loyalty and attract new customers.”
[1] Alcohol Change – Dry January 2020
[2] CGA – Consumer research (2020)
