Minneapolis-based Target is dipping it's toes in the non-alcoholic beverage industry as the sober-curious lifestyle begins to gain popularity among younger adults and Dry January continues to grow.
Actor Tom Holland, who is best known for his role as Spiderman, announced this week his zero proof beer BERO will be coming to Target. It is scheduled to be available later this week.
University of Minnesota Marketing Professor George John says it's a sign of shifting trends.
"There's a lot of interesting trends that start with Gen Z, largely because so many of these new products now rely on social media and influences there," John explained. "The question becomes which of these things break out into the broader market?"
John says Gen Z could be the pioneers of the new fad. A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2020 found that alcohol abstinence is increasingly common among Gen Z, with 28% of college students reporting in 2018 that they didn't drink.
Target is jumping on sober curious product bandwagon amid a shifting trend among Gen Z consumers.
When it comes to taking a break from alcohol, John says many young adults are taking the trend well beyond January now.
"These things are always start out as trends, and the big question is always, 'does it have staying power?' Or is it just a one and done kind of a thing? Some trends come and go, other trends transform the category forever. We'll have to see," John says.
Still, despite the growth he says the trend has a long way to go before it's considered main stream.
Target made the announcement on Tuesday that Bero, Holland’s non-alcoholic beer brand, is coming to roughly 1,400 of its nearly 2,000 US stores. Sales of non-alcoholic beer, spirits and wine at retailers jumped 27% last year. It's now an $818 million category and non-alcoholic beer is the largest category with almost $700 million in sales in 2024, a 25% jump.