Using Product Labels Referring to Sensory Experience, Health or Social Features Increases the Appeal of Non-alcoholic Beer

Non-alcoholic beer (NAB) is often presented as a healthier alternative to alcoholic drinks - one that offers a similar sensory and social experience, but does not come with the health risks of alcohol. Despite NAB sales rising, many people are still unfamiliar with non-alcoholic beer; others are aware of its existence, but not willing to try it. Based on previous research showing that external features can influence the perception of food and drinks, we predicted that the text included on NAB labels would affect its attractiveness and desire ratings. In two pre-registered online studies (Study 1: n=212 women 18-25 years old; Study 2: n=188 women over 55 years old), we presented participants with labels of fictitious NAB brands. There were five categories of label text: (1) brand-only (passive control), (2) origin-production (active control), (3) sensory-hedonic, (4) social, (5) health. We assessed the perceived attractiveness of NAB and anticipated desire for it, depending on the label presented. Among younger women, sensory-hedonic and health labels increased the attractiveness of and desire for NAB, compared to both control labels. Social labels did not increase desire, compared to origin-production labels. Among older women, sensory-hedonic and health labels also increased the attractiveness of and desire for NAB, compared to control labels. There was no significant effect of social labels on attractiveness or desire, compared to the origin-production labels. Our findings suggest that labels can be a powerful tool for increasing the attractiveness of NAB, and labels emphasising health and sensory-hedonic features are particularly impactful.