According to data from high-volume venues nationwide, Bud Light has dropped 34 percent in sales year-over-year slipping into fourth place trailing Michelob Ultra and Coors Light
Austin, TX (July 19, 2023) – As the Bud Light marketing controversy continues to plague sales, Union has released a new OnPrem Insights report pulling from its rich consumer data set showing how the once beloved beer brand is faring on-premise. The study also reveals what other brands are moving in on Bud Light’s market share at over a thousand high-volume bars and restaurants across the country.
Union’s data indicates that Bud Light has slipped from first to fourth place when it comes to sales at bars and restaurants. The report also shows that in Q2 2023, Miller Lite, Michelob Ultra, and Coors Light, respectively, took the top three spots for America’s best-selling on-premise beers. Other key takeaways from the Bud Light report are as follows:
Bud Light’s sharp decline is stabilizing – While Bud Light saw an immediate drop in April and May, sales at Union’s high-volume bars and restaurants stabilized somewhat in June, hovering around 6.25 percent share.
Regionality plays a role in Bud Light ordering behaviors – Bud Light’s on-premise sales traction varies by market, with North and South Carolina seeing the biggest sales share decreases, followed by Texas. California has seen the least impact.
Guinness is the import benefiting from the Bud Light fall out on-premise – Union data shows that Guinness saw the strongest dollar sales share growth of all imported beers in Q2. Over three percent of guests who ordered Bud Light prior to the controversy, but then stopped, have since ordered Guinness. That is a higher brand switch rate than Modelo (2.7 percent) and Stella Artois (2.4 percent).
“While Modelo has been widely reported as the new king of beers in the off-premise channel, our data reveals that guests are gravitating towards Miller Lite and Guinness in lieu of Bud Light when going out,” said Layne Cox, Union’s chief marketing officer. “At our venues, Miller Lite’s sales were up nearly 21 percent in the 3-month period ending June 30, while Bud Light’s sales were down by 34 percent. It will be interesting to follow the consumer consumption data trends in the coming quarter to see if Miller can hold the number one spot as things with Bud Light begin to stabilize.”
To read Union’s Bud Light report, visit: link. For more information on Union, visit www.getunion.com. To learn more about OnPrem Insights by Union, visit https://getunion.com/onprem-insights/.
About OnPrem Insights by Union
Union’s OnPrem Insights is a rich data source that provides the hospitality industry with a granular, precise view of on-premise consumer consumption behavior. The reports cover beverage industry trends and uncover consumer purchasing patterns, which allow busy bars and restaurants as well as beverage and alcohol brands to better understand their consumers, the marketplace and identify growth opportunities. The reports are based on Union’s proprietary GuestMatch and MenuMatch intelligence and on-premise consumption data from thousands of Union venues, serving millions of guests 21+ across 34 U.S. states. Union data is based on actual customer orders, not indirect methods like cases sold into the bars or surveys. To learn more or to download Union OnPrem Insights reports, visit https://getunion.com/onprem-insights/.
About Union
Union is a hospitality engagement platform leveraging industrial-grade data intelligence to deliver transformative experiences for guests, operators, and brands at the most popular venues across the country. Designed by over 50 hospitality venue owners from some of the highest volume locations in the country, the Union engagement platform was built specifically to meet the needs of high-volume bars and restaurants, while taking a revolutionary approach to connecting consumers and brands on-premise. Follow Union on Facebook and Instagram or visit GetUnion.com.
