Key facts
- AB InBev will offer smaller pack sizes and beverages with added protein or electrolytes.
- The company aims to grow revenue from non-beer products like canned cocktails and energy drinks.
- AB InBev sees budget-conscious consumers as a significant growth opportunity.
- A version of Spaten beer with added protein has been launched in Brazil.
- Energy drinks alone could add $25 billion to AB InBev's addressable market.
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is adapting its product offerings to cater to evolving consumer preferences, including a trend towards health and wellness and strained incomes. The world's largest brewer by market value announced plans to introduce smaller pack sizes for its beers, as well as beverages fortified with protein or electrolytes. Executives also indicated a strategic push into non-beer categories such as canned cocktails and energy drinks.
AB InBev's Chief Marketing Officer, Marcel Marcondes, highlighted opportunities to increase beer consumption among infrequent and budget-conscious drinkers, particularly in developing markets. He noted that offering larger pack sizes at a lower price point, alongside smaller ones, would address affordability concerns. Marcondes also pointed to the potential for growth in non-alcoholic beer consumption during casual meals, with new zero-alcohol variants featuring different flavors, low calories, and added protein or electrolytes.
The company has already launched a protein-enhanced version of its Spaten beer in Brazil. In the United States, AB InBev is actively expanding beyond traditional beer, with its canned cocktail brand Cutwater and various energy drinks showing strong performance. CEO Michel Doukeris stated that the company sees significant growth potential in these challenger categories, with energy drinks alone estimated to expand AB InBev's addressable market by $25 billion.