The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
We’re taking a look at how the shopping experience differs between supermarkets, and this week we’re sharing what we found when shopping for alcohol-free drinks in Tesco. We’ll share our findings from both in-store and online experiences. When looking at each supermarket we’ll be thinking about a few things, including how easy it is to find the products, whether there is any helpful signage or labelling, whether products are included in any promotional activations, and how expansive the selection is.
We visited a Tesco Express store in Uxbridge. The drinks section was near the back of the shop, and the alcohol-free drinks were all in one section positioned between the alcoholic drinks and the soft drinks. This section was easy to find and was clearly labelled, with drinks grouped together in categories that made sense, for example, the beers were grouped together, as were the wines, etc. For a small store, the selection of alcohol-free drinks was surprisingly comprehensive, you’ll notice the alcohol-free beer offering, in particular, is quite extensive. By comparison, there was only one premixed drink available (the Gordon’s G&T), and there were no single-serve wines or fermented drinks such as kombucha. Still, an impressive selection for one of the smaller Tesco sites. There were no promotional offers, but all stock was clearly labelled with prices that compare to similar retailers. At the time of visiting (October 2021) we found the following products:
The online shopping experience with Tesco is pretty impressive. First up, there are two clearly labelled sections within the grocery drop-down menu. ‘Alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks’ breaks down further into subheadings ‘alcohol-free and low alcohol beer and cider’ and ‘alcohol-free and low alcohol wine’. ‘Adult soft drinks and mixers’ also breaks down into ‘Mixers’ and Adult soft drinks’. When you click on ‘alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks’ you’ll also find a few handy ways of narrowing down your search. You can use the search bar to find specific drinks, you can select the brand you are looking for from a drop-down menu, or you can filter according to dietary and lifestyle requirements.
When you click on a product you’ll find lots of useful information, including tasting notes, nutritional information, ingredients and allergens, and storage guidance. You’ll also be able to see reviews from other customers, each displaying a rating of up to five stars, and a short text description detailing their thoughts on the product.
At the time of publishing (April 2022), Tesco is stocking the following products on their website:
A selection of own-brand and big brand softs and mixers, including
Remember, if you live somewhere more remote and don’t have the option of shopping for alcohol-free drinks in Tesco, Wise Bartender has a fantastic selection of alcohol-free options to delight any drinker.
Your feedback really helps us to shape the work that we do. If your local supermarket has a fantastic range of alcohol-free drinks, or if you have any feedback about what makes for a great shopping experience either in-store or online, we’d love to hear from you.
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