3 in 10 Buy Zero Products... People in Their 20s and 30s Are the Main Consumer Group

Lotte Members Publishes "L.POINT Trend Report"

Three in 10 consumers have purchased zero-sugar products, with people in their 20s and 30s making up the main consumer group. A market that initially centered on carbonated drinks is expanding into products such as jelly and hangover remedies.

Lotte Members said on October 19 that it had published its "L.Point Trend Report," based on an analysis of transaction data from the past three years. According to the report, 29.3% of consumers purchased zero-sugar products at least once from September 2025 through August 2026, up 3 percentage points from two years earlier. The share of sales accounted for by zero-sugar products also rose from 5.8% to 6.8% over the same period.

Provided by Lotte Members.

Consumers in their 20s and 30s were the main buyers. Among customers who purchased zero-sugar products, the share of those in their 20s was 42% higher than the proportion of customers in their 20s overall. The corresponding figures were 27% higher for those in their 30s and 19% higher for those in their teens. Consumers in their 20s and 30s bought more carbonated drinks, while those in their teens and 20s bought more coffee and tea drinks, pudding, and jelly.

Zero-sugar products accounted for 42% of carbonated drink sales over the past year, the highest share among the categories analyzed. However, even though the number of zero-sugar products increased 47% from two years earlier, their share of sales changed little. The number of zero-sugar coffee and tea drinks also rose 25%, but their share of sales remained unchanged.

The share of zero-sugar products grew rapidly in snacks and functional products. Zero-sugar products accounted for 30% of pudding and jelly sales, up 26.9 percentage points from two years earlier, the largest increase among the categories analyzed. Zero-sugar hangover remedies accounted for 15% of sales, an increase of 11.8 percentage points over the same period.

Consumers preferred zero-sugar versions of familiar products over products from new brands. For carbonated drinks, the average sales volume per item of zero-sugar products based on existing products was about five times that of new zero-sugar products. Zero-sugar pudding and jelly, as well as coffee and tea drinks based on existing products, also sold about three times as much.

A Lotte Members official said, "Our data shows that the zero-sugar market is growing, led by consumers in their 20s and 30s, and undergoing structural changes such as the diversification of product categories and a preference for original brands. Going forward, products that do more than simply carry a zero-sugar label and also satisfy the refined tastes of younger consumers and earn their trust in the brand will survive in the market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.