Get your store “Summer Ready” with these top selling Ready to Drink products of dragon Soop and WKD!
“Ready to drink” (RTD) encompasses pre-mixed alcoholic drinks, often, but not always, in a single serve portion. It is a growing category which began with traditional RTD cans of gin and tonic and rum and coke but which has now grown to include spirit-based drinks like WKD, canned pre-mixed cocktails, wine-based drinks like sangria and bucks fizz, malt based drinks -made with a beer base, hard seltzers like alcoholic lemonade and high strength pre mixed drinks.
Average RTD sales per month
These products sell more during the summer months as it is the ideal format for both planned and impromptu picnics and BBQs. They are also popular for taking to parties and for drinking before setting off to the pub. Lockdown would have seen more consumers purchasing these to drink at home rather than mix their own.
Prior to lockdown, the biggest selling types of RTD were spirit based, both the traditional cans and other spirit-based alcopop-style drinks such as WKD and Smirnoff Ice.
There was a significant peak in sales during the first lockdown from March through to July 2020 as pubs, clubs and restaurants closed. Cocktails did well during lockdown, although with a much lower rate of sale. Both varieties increased sales during lockdown and have also continued to do well as restrictions eased, maintaining a higher rate of sale than pre-pandemic.
RTD % Share of total alcohol
Over the last 12 months, RTD’s share of alcohol sales has risen again, with the highest share in July 2021 (4.5%).
This year the % share for RTD of total alcohol for April is at 4.3% which could mean higher peaks as we move into summer. Stores should expect to see elevated sales, especially of those lines highlighted in the tables below.
Best Selling:
Overall
| Brand | Share of Sales (£) |
| Dragon Soop | 23.9% |
| WKD | 17.1% |
| Smirnoff | 12.2% |
| Gordons | 9.5% |
| Jack Daniels | 9.1% |
Best Selling: Spirit Based
| Brand | Share of Sales (£) |
| Dragon Soop | 39.5% |
| WKD | 28.1% |
| Smirnoff | 12.2% |
| VK | 8.4% |
| Four Loko | 4.6% |
Best Selling: Traditional
| Brand | Share of Sales (£) |
| Gordons | 29.8% |
| Jack Daniels | 28.3% |
| Captain Morgan | 15.8% |
| Smirnoff | 13.8% |
| Kopparberg | 28.% |
Best Selling: Cocktails
| Brand | Share of Sales (£) |
| Flare Cocktails | 32.3% |
| Funkin | 32.1% |
| Smirnoff | 11.5% |
| Malibu | 6.6% |
| Bacardi | 3.9% |
Best Selling: Alcohol
| Alcohol Type | Share of Sales (£) |
| Gin | 35.0% |
| Bourbon | 28.3% |
| Spiced Rum | 16.1% |
| Vodka | 14.7% |
| Coconut Rum | 2.4% |
Best Selling: Flavours
| Flavour | Share of Sales (£) |
| Passion Fruit Martini | 32.6% |
| Daiquiri | 19.4% |
| Pina Colada | 14.6% |
| Mojito | 12.1% |
| Sex on the Beach | 8.0% |
