The Gender Pint Gap Revisited FINAL - Flipbook - Page 33
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THE GENDER PINT GAP: REVISITED/INFLUENCES
Commentary and Opportunities
Recognition of a beer they liked encouraged 24% of women to
purchase beer in a pub or bar. However, we know from previous
research in the Beer A-Gender report that women usually identify
beers they like by brand rather than style. When they find a beer
brand where the taste is acceptable to them, they become brand-loyal.
This an area which retailers can capitalise on with women drinkers.
Unlike customer loyalty, which is money-based (prices and discounts),
brand loyalty is perception-based (image and experience). Low price
and/or discounted beer came out fifth (14%) in enticing women to
choose beer suggesting it’s not a particularly big influence aspect. If
women have a great previous experience of beer, and they recognise
that brand, they are more likely to repeat that purchase in a bar.
Brand-loyal customers believe that a certain brand represents both
higher quality and better service than any competitor4and the price
does not matter. The first and most important condition for brand
loyalty is quality: poor quality will kill brand loyalty. (Harvard
Business Review, 2022).
So, getting the quality right and creating a great experience is critical
3 for both men and women.
Reputation of a pub or bar as a ‘great beer’ retailer came in as the
second biggest encouragement for women to try beer. This supports
the ‘quality’ theory above, that is, if you’ve got a good reputation for
doing one thing well, the quality is likely to be good. It also reflects
the trend towards premiumisation which gathered momentum during
the Covid 19 lockdowns.
The Opportunity
Being offered a ‘try-before-you-buy’ sample of beer remains consistently
high in encouraging both men and women to purchase beer. It enhances
the consumer’s decision-making process, fosters trust in the brand (and the
venue) and takes away the fear factor of committing to purchase.
Anecdotal evidence suggests this is the one strategy which actively
encourages women to explore beer and educate their palate.
“Sampling and trial are key to
introducing women to beer.
Women need more experience of
beer's vast spectrum of flavours and
exciting, new styles to appreciate
and understand beer more fully.
Today's hazy IPAs for example,
entice new drinkers into the sector
with their fruit-forward flavours,
soft mouthfeel and restrained
bitterness that are less of a challenge
for palates unaccustomed to
drinking beer.”
Lotte Peplow, Brewer’s Association
American Craft Beer Ambassador
for Europe
Photo credit: Nic Crilly-Hargrave
Reasons for Visiting a Pub or Bar
A survey was conducted amongst 2000
UK consumers and released in Jan
2024 by Lucky Saint (an alcohol-free
beer brand) on the reasons why people
go to the pub.
Almost half of respondents cited that
spending time with friends and family
is their top reason to visit (43%),
followed by having a good meal (34%)
and enjoying the atmosphere coming
in third (28%).
Having an alcoholic drink came 4th
with 24% citing it as their reason.
The research highlights the shift in
attitudes towards alcohol-free, finding
that nearly 2 out of 3 Brits (62%) feel
comfortable to go to the pub and not
drink alcohol. Of which, there was a
notable difference between men (56%)
and women (69%).
The Opportunity
Tasting events are an ideal
opportunity to capitalise on
the importance of Try
Before You Buy influence
and the reason women visit
the pub.
Women get to spend time
with friends and family
AND get to try beer.
Women generally are
comfortable with tasting
formats from the wine
category so if it’s pitched as
fun for everyone (as
opposed to beer geekery) it
could pay dividends as well
as driving mid-week traffic
for the on-trade.
