The APAC Consumer Navigator – Consumer Beverages Landscape (Q3 2026) explores how consumers across Asia-Pacific are drinking, socializing, discovering and buying beverages in a region where occasions, identity and technology are reshaping the category.
Based on a survey conducted in Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea, the research reveals that Discovery and purchase are increasingly decoupled. Social media and word of mouth spark discovery, but physical stores, retailer apps and delivery apps still convert it. Consumers want to explore, yet at the point of purchase they order what they already trust. AI is emerging as a planning tool, with 61% having used it for a beverage task. Market differences are pronounced: China and India lead on experience-led, cross-category buying, Japan runs on habit, and Australia and Korea share high alcohol participation but follow different social codes.
