How brands are cashing in on functional beverages

Starbucks Iced Vanilla Protein Matcha Latte. Starbucks Beverage brands are cashing in on the growing demand for functional drinks among younger, health-conscious consumers by introducing increasingly innovative offerings, including protein-boosted coffees and CBD-infused sodas. The $160 billion global functional drinks market has become an increasingly lucrative category, encompassing multipurpose drinks that claim to promise taste…

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Target, Walmart and Amazon losing LGBTQ+ consumer spending

LGBTQ+ consumers are shifting their brand loyalties based on companies’ diversity, equity and inclusion policies, according to new research from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The findings released Wednesday found that nearly 72% of LGBTQ+ consumers say they buy fewer products from companies they perceive as “reducing diversity and inclusion commitments.” Nearly 70% also said…

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Starbucks says afternoon traffic is rising amid turnaround

Digital menu boards at a Starbucks promote “Good Afternoon” drinks, highlighting the company’s effort to boost afternoon traffic as part of its turnaround strategy. Courtesy: Starbucks Afternoon traffic is becoming a bigger growth engine for Starbucks, the company said Thursday, as it pushes deeper into a key part of CEO Brian Niccol’s turnaround strategy. The…

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