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Your drinks chiller has never had to work harder, as today’s shoppers expect more than just refreshment. They want bold flavours, drinks that support their lifestyles, and options that reflect changing attitudes to alcohol.
Staying ahead of these trends will keep your fixture fresh and help drive impulse, as well as repeat sales. So, here are three drinks trends we’re turning our attention to in 2026 and a look at how you can turn them into sales in your store:
Shoppers are craving bold flavours, and tropical variants are leading the way. Tangy, vibrant, and exotic profiles are especially popular with younger shoppers looking for more exciting taste experiences1, with recent launches such as Pepsi MAX® Tropical and Lipton Tropical tapping directly into this demand. Their distinctive flavour combinations bring a buzz to the chiller and encourage shoppers to try something different.
Stock Tip: Tropical drinks are no longer just summer staples. Their appeal lasts all year, making them a valuable addition to your soft drinks range in every season. By stocking tropical flavours year-round, you can keep the fixture fresh and varied while helping to drive consistent sales.
Merchandising Matters: Place cola at the heart of your fixture, taking up around 17% of chiller space. This is the ideal spot for flavour innovation such as Pepsi MAX® Tropical, helping shoppers discover trending flavours. Flavoured refreshment should sit to the right of flavoured carbonates, giving shoppers a clear route to lighter options, such as Lipton Ice Tea Tropical. These segments should take up around 10% of your chiller and can overlap with kids’ drinks to maximise space.
Shoppers are now looking beyond low and no sugar and towards drinks that offer additional benefits. Enter fibre-enhanced soft drinks, a growing segment that is building strong momentum. As demand rises, the opportunity is already attracting major industry investment. In fact, in March 2025, PepsiCo acquired US soda brand poppi for just shy of $2bn2, highlighting how quickly fibre-forward drinks are moving into the mainstream.
Stock Tip: With poppi set to launch in the UK impulse channel later this year, now is the time to prepare your fixture. Review upcoming launches and create space for fibre-led drinks, using secondary sitings and Point Of Sale (POS) to highlight the latest new products.
Merchandising Matters: Fibre-enhanced soft drinks such as poppi should sit within your flavoured carbonates section. But, make sure to group the range near your premium offerings, giving shoppers a clear place to find elevated, added-benefit options.
In the UK, 46% of people are now moderating how much alcohol they drink, up from 36% in 20183. However, many shoppers aren’t cutting out alcohol completely. Instead, they alternate between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks depending on the occasion. As a result, the no and low alcohol beer category is becoming an increasingly important part of the fixture. Stocking recognised brands such as Carlsberg 0.0% and 1664 Blanc 0.0% offers shoppers alcohol-free options that still deliver the familiar taste and experience they expect from beer.
Stock Tip: Visibility is key, and as the category grows, shoppers will expect more variety. Regularly reviewing your range and keeping the fixture easy to navigate will help you stay ahead of demand. Clear signposting and grouping no and low alcohol beers together can also help shoppers find the options they’re looking for more easily.
Merchandising Matters: Position no and low alcohol beers alongside mainstream beer brands to normalise alcohol-free options and make them easy for shoppers to find.
So, there you have it. Trends may drive demand, but how you organise your chiller can make the difference in turning that demand into sales. A clear, well-structured layout helps shoppers quickly find what they want, while highlighting new and upcoming trends.
By clearly grouping drinks by segment and giving trending products strong visibility, you can keep your fixture easy to navigate while encouraging impulse purchases. But, don’t forget to review your chiller layout regularly to ensure space reflects the categories driving the most demand as shopper expectations change.
Want to get started? Download our Perfect Store Fridge Planogram to see how to organise your chiller and maximise sales in store.
1 Black Swan, Britvic Flavours report, Sept 2024
2 https://www.pepsico.com/newsroom/press-releases-category
3 Kantar Worldpanel Division, Alcovision Data to 30.09.24