BENGALURU: Social media is helping consumers decide where to go out and what to drink. A whopping 82% of respondents visited a venue after seeing it on social media, while 66% tried a drink they discovered online, as per NielsenIQ’s findings on India’s beverage market.The estimate draws on several NIQ consumer studies, with cited sample sizes of 1,002-1,009 and 2,504 respondents. Its sources include India research and Asia-Pacific studies. The beverage categories cover both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.“Consumers are curating their own drinking life across categories, multiple formats and a feed that never stops scrolling,” Sujoy Das, NIQ’s commercial director for India, said in the report.NIQ said the average consumer covered by the research drinks across five beverage categories. Soft drinks featured among the usual choices of 68% of respondents. Beer and whisky were each cited by 43%, while 33% included cocktails.The figures reflect overlapping choices: someone who drinks beer may also choose cocktails or soft drinks on other occasions. They do not represent shares of sales.For beverage companies, that broadens the competition beyond rival brands selling the same type of drink. NIQ said beer and whisky compete with soft drinks, energy drinks and cocktails for the same occasion.The report also highlighted the role of bartenders in influencing the final order. Social feeds can help consumers discover a drink or a venue, while recommendations from bar staff can shape the choice once they arrive, it said.Alongside the wider choice, consumers are placing greater importance on quality and value. Asked what had become more important to them compared with 12 months earlier, 41% each said their drink should offer good value and high quality. Being premium had become more important to 35%.