17. March 2026

What the decline of black tea tells us about customer behaviour

The recent conversation about the decline of black tea isn’t just a quirky trend story — it’s a perfect example of how customer behaviour shifts long before businesses notice.

People rarely stop buying something overnight.
They drift.

A small change in taste.
A new alternative that feels more interesting.
A habit that slowly shifts without any conscious decision.

Black tea hasn’t declined because people dislike it.
It’s declined because customers have quietly moved towards options that feel more aligned with their lifestyle — flavour, health, novelty, identity.

And this is the pattern across categories:

• Customers don’t announce their changing preferences
• They don’t complain
• They don’t explain
• They simply choose differently

The brands that thrive are the ones who spot these early signals — the subtle shifts in value, behaviour, and expectation — and respond before the trend becomes a problem.

This is the work I do at Liquid Insights: helping founders understand what their customers truly value, so they can adapt with intention rather than react in hindsight. Sometimes the biggest lessons come from the smallest everyday behaviours — even a cup of tea.