During a presentation at CiderCon, Lester Jones urged the industry to look beyond scan data to get a more complete picture of the market. Examples he noted included:

• Overemphasis on Dry January, which despite hype largely matches historical trends, and underestimation of the impact that brutally hot summer months have on beer sales
• Continued post-pandemic correction of overestimating off-premise demand and underestimating away-from-home food and beverage, which saw continued growth in 2024