The Gist: Before the Unicorn Frappuccino’s expiration date (4/23/17), 4% of consumers said they had tried the drink, with 11% who said they hadn’t yet tried it, but hoped to. Likely drinkers were more likely to be under 34 years old, and were much more likely to be women.
Every once in a lifetime, there comes a drink that is so vibrant and so loud that it cannot be avoided. The latest in this long-line of famous frappes is Starbucks’ latest offering – the Unicorn Frappuccino – which was available for only 5 short days.
Now that that shake is off the Starbucks menu, let’s look back. How did consumers really feel about it?
The first trend to notice is that a relatively small percentage of the population hadn’t heard of this drink. Given its infamy, that’s not surprising. Only 4% of consumers say they had tried the drink, with an even split between those who liked it and those who didn’t.
11% hoped to try the sugary shake, but they were heavily overshadowed by the 57% of consumers who had no interest in trying it. Naturally, people gravitating towards the Unicorn Frappuccino were more likely to be under 18 years old, or 18 to 34 years old. These Unicorn-chasers were also much more likely to be women.
The small percentage of consumers who hoped to try the drink isn’t too shocking. Many industry experts believe these viral food trends exist to create buzz, but there is a relatively low expectation for consumers to try them. Take Burger King’s Whopperrito, for example, which only brought in a small percentage of customers, but created significant chatter.
Others believe these drinks, and this frappuccino specifically, could affect Starbucks’ bottom line.
Regardless of the drink’s success, it’s been a fun ride to watch a Unicorn-inspired shake take over the internet.
Interested in other food insights? Check out how consumers would feel about Starbucks brunch, or how infrequent diners could save fast food.
