New Survey Reveals Alcohol Remains Americans’ Beverage of Choice Over Non-Alcoholic Alternatives

Despite growing buzz around zero-proof beverages, traditional alcohol remains the dominant force in American shopping carts. A new nationwide survey reveals that liquor, wine, and beer continue to outperform non-alcoholic options—even among those open to alternatives. The findings offer a clear snapshot of consumer behavior, highlighting where preferences lie and how often shoppers are willing to spend to satisfy them.

The nationwide survey from Trax, a technology company revolutionizing retail through data-driven AI, reveals that liquor, wine, and beer still far outpace non-alcoholic sales – even among shoppers who say they are open to alternatives.

The survey of over 8,000 U.S. adult beverage consumers shows that 59% of shoppers buy alcohol, while just 5.5% purchase non-alcoholic drinks exclusively. For the 36% who mix alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, traditional favorites maintain a commanding lead.  

America’s Still Raising a Glass

• Liquor Tops the List: 65% of alcohol buyers purchase liquor, followed closely by wine (60%) and beer (60%).
  
  
• Hard Seltzers Hold: 30% of shoppers include these fizzy concoctions, outpacing most non-alcoholic categories.
  
  
• Liquor-Based Beverages (like Smirnoff Ice and Mike’s Hard Lemonade) entice nearly half (46%) of alcohol shoppers.

Steady Frequency and Spending

• Alcohol buyers purchase at a notable cadence: multiple times a week (11%), weekly (18%), every other week (15%), multiple times per month (24%).
  
  
• The majority of alcohol shoppers spend $11-$20 (37%) per trip, while 29% spend $21-$30 per trip, and 21% spend $31-$40 per trip, demonstrating they’re still willing to pay for what they want.
  
  
• Grocery stores are the leading channel to purchase alcohol products (64%), followed by big-box stores (43%) and club stores (28%).

While the zero-proof trend is no longer fringe, America’s love affair with booze isn’t ending anytime soon. While 63% of alcohol buyers say they would consider non-alcoholic options, actual purchases remain modest: just 38% of shoppers who purchase both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages buy mocktails or non-alcoholic beer, and only 22% opt for non-alcoholic wine. Taste remains the top purchasing driver, favored by 76% for dual buyers and 90% for alcohol buyers over price, brand, and wellness factors. 

“While we cannot deny that alcohol alternatives are impacting the traditional adult beverage industry, not all hope is lost,” said Brittany Billings, Chief Marketing Officer at Trax. “For brands, the opportunity is to embrace the excitement of new categories and introduce products to capture market share, while also satisfying the needs of current consumers when they want to imbibe on their tried and true favorites. Who knows, today’s non-drinker can become tomorrow’s drinker!”

The survey of 8,226 American adult beverage consumers was conducted through Shopkick, Trax’s shopping rewards platform, between September 15 – 30, 2025. Trax Retail is a leading technology company that uses AI, image recognition, and data to help brands and retailers optimize operations and understand consumer behavior.

While zero-proof beverages continue to make headlines, the data shows that alcohol remains the clear favorite among American shoppers—especially loyal fans of liquor, wine, and beer. For brands and retailers, the opportunity lies in catering to these devoted consumers while thoughtfully expanding into emerging categories. To stay ahead of shifting preferences and serve both longtime fans and curious newcomers, tap into real-time insights with Trax and turn shopper behavior into smarter strategy.

About Trax

Powered by leading technology and proprietary data, Trax connects brands, retailers, and shoppers, setting the standard for retail excellence. Trax’s AI-powered platform uniquely combines solutions that provide unparalleled data-driven signals to leading global CPGs and retailers to deliver real-time data, retail execution, and consumer engagement to increase ROI.

Thirty of the world’s top 50 CPG companies, along with leading retailers and emerging brands, use Trax’s shelf monitoring, analytics, merchandising, activation, and shopper engagement solutions at scale to drive positive shopper experiences and unlock revenue opportunities at all points of sale.

Trax is a global company with hubs in the United States, Singapore, France, Hungary, China, Mexico, Brazil, and Israel, serving customers in more than 80 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.traxretail.com.