Win with RTD’s

Ready to drink, ready to grow  

However, the market is still significantly less developed than in countries like Australia, where more than half of consumers buy RTDs and sales attract 14% of spending in the Long Alcoholic Drinks (LAD) and spirits categories. Suppliers have made a compelling case for the quality and convenience of RTDs in Australia, and the category is now well established in multiple channels, with the flexibility to meet a variety of need states and occasions. 

In Britain, by contrast, products are under-leveraged, poorly positioned or rarely listed in the On-Premise, and are too often seen as a retail-only proposition. As a result, they earn just 0.9% of LAD and spirits spending. If they were to increase that share to 3.5% – still only a quarter of Australia’s figure – it would mean an incremental £645m in sales.  

A lucrative audience 

The demographics of RTD consumers provide even more evidence of the value of this category. NIQ’s BrandTrack research shows how they skew towards younger adults, with two thirds (69%) aged 18 to 34, while white collar professionals also over-index. Crucially, many RTD drinkers are frequent visitors to pubs, bars and restaurants. Two in three (65%) drink out weekly, and they spend £154 per month in the On-Premise – £39 more than the average consumer.  

RTDs can also act as a gateway to premium brand buyers. NIQ’s OPUS data reveals a third (32%) of premium brand consumers are drinking the products more often than they were a year ago.  

All this makes RTD buyers one of the market’s most valuable cohorts. For brands, the On-Premise provides an outstanding platform for discoverability and a trigger to retail sales as well – but only if they can craft the right data-driven strategies for distribution, categorisation and promotion.

The where and when of RTDs

To capture this audience, it’s essential to target the right outlets. NIQ’s OPM service shows that high street pubs and large venues were among the best-performing venue types for RTDs in 2025, thanks in part to accessible pricing. Geography-wise, northern parts of England also increased their share of total sales. Competitive price points also mean that managed outlets tend to generate better RoS on RTD products than independent, leased or tenanted venues.

Consumption also tilts towards evening and late-evening moments. However, RTDs fit many more time periods, and they are an increasingly popular choice in after-work and live-sport occasions. The proportions of people drinking RTDs in lunch and mid-afternoon dayparts have both risen by 2 percentage points year-on-year, while late-evening and late-night consumption have dropped slightly. Season-wise, RTD sales tend to spike in the summer before dropping in cooler months.

Packaged v draught 

By serve format, glass bottles continue to dominate the RTD category, and they have a much stronger appeal than cans or plastic. Draught remains a relatively small part of the mix, with distribution dropping to around 4,300 outlets in 2025.

However, with very strong RoS growth of 48.5%, draught now delivers stronger spend per outlet than the RTD category as a whole. OPUS suggests that limited availability and doubts about quality are holding some consumers back from buying draught cocktails, but innovations like small tabletop kegs may encourage more trial.

A new way to think about RTDs 

Future growth in RTDs will depend on meeting needs that can’t be fulfilled by other categories like cocktails, spirits, beer and cider. These include the desire for convenience and speed among consumers who don’t want to wait for a drink. RTDs’ other points of appeal include the consistency of quality and the access they provide to premium cocktail experiences. They can also be attractive to consumers moderating their alcohol consumption – though with the sharpest growth coming in higher-ABV brackets, this isn’t the case for everyone.

To grow, brands will need to respond to consumers’ taste preferences as well – which at the moment lean towards fruity and refreshing flavours. With household spending under pressure, price and deals will be important factors too.

How to set up for success

NIQ’s research solutions provide outstanding opportunities to map all these RTD opportunities and unlock growth. A definitive new research programme combines consumer and buyer research to reveal the leading needs and priorities in the category and show brands where best to invest. Custom consumer research is also available to explore specific brands, channels and occasions.