Hemphill cites rapid hydration and powdered options, such as Liquid I.V., as two of the newest trends in sports drinks.
Powdered beverages in any category for years experienced soft sales because of the extra step of making the product, Hemphill said. Sports drinks in powder form of late, however, have defied that trend and have proven “extremely successful. That’s probably the hottest area of sports drinks and that’s the star performer area for (2023).”
The massive growth trend Triantafellou saw when energy drinks first took off he now sees in sports drinks (also known as isotonics), which he said was dominated for years by a few players but now is experiencing an influx of new brands offering healthier versions.
“These new brands are starting to see major, major growth, whether it’s Electrolit, Prime and other new entries,” he said. “I think isotonics over the next five years will see the same growth that we saw in energy.”
The blurring of categories is a growing trend Love expects to explode in 2024. Many sports drinks coming out today have inclusions typically in the energy drink space, he said, and energy drinks are adding sport drink enhancements, such as electrolytes and minerals.
“Gatorade Fast Twitch has caffeine,” he said of the blending of categories. “Is it an energy drink or a sports drink?”
In the next few years, Love expects many retailers to start evaluating all of these offerings as one section: non-alcohol beverages, allocating space among them.