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Cola is the number one soft drink and has been the biggest driver of soft drinks over the last 15 years1 Cola dominates convenience, making up 59% of the soft drinks bought in food to go in 20222 and is something your store can’t afford to be without. So, what can you do to tap into the reign of cola?
Enjoyment is key for cola with 9 out of 10 cola occasions being chosen for enjoyment3. Taste is the main driver with 68% of cola consumers choosing the drink as they enjoy the taste, followed by refreshment (51%)4. We know that the temperature of a soft drink adds to the taste appeal and a cold drink will always be the most refreshing, so ensure you always have your chiller fully stocked and fill from the back to avoid customers selecting a warm bottle or can from your fridge. 41% of soft drinkers see soft drinks as a low cost way to boost their mood5 so always having stock available will mean customers know they can always rely on your store for that low cost treat!
In fact, when purchasing soft drinks as a treat, cola is king with 60% choosing this as a treat and 24% bought it in a single can format in particular6.
Cola goes well with food and is the number three category driver after 'great tasting' and 'lift your mood'[7]. It’s no wonder then that cola dominates in convenience making up 59% of the soft drinks bought in food to go in 2022 and 47% in meal deal promotions[8] therefore offering Pepsi in your meal deals can help grow your food-to-go occasions too.
Taking advantage of snack and drink combos not only enhances value perceptions for the customer, but it can also help increase basket size and drive more sales growth.
Despite the huge growth, it is flavoured colas that are growing three times faster than unflavoured cola, bringing with it a younger consumer & more consumption moments9. 34% of consumers under 28 feel that brands that regularly release new flavours are more appealing10 however they currently only account for 7% of all cola buyers, spending the least and buying less often11. Therefore flavour presents an opportunity to drive this next generation.
More proof of the importance of flavour can be seen in the performance on Pepsi MAX®’s flavoured cola lines.. The brand’s trio of flavoured colas – Cherry, Raspberry and Lime – grew by £6.3m (+16.9%) in 2022, delivering more growth for convenience retailers than all other flavoured sugar free colas combined.12 With Pepsi MAX® being the leaders in flavoured cola13, and now with the addition of Mango, stocking the full Pepsi MAX® flavoured portfolio could see you tap into the Gen Z market and gain some key incremental shoppers.
1 - CGA – Foodservice and Licensed– Britvic Defined Cola– Value & Volume Sales – MAT to 29.09.23
2 - Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme, 52WE 08/01/2023
3 - Kantar Usage data Total IH & CO 52 W/e 19th March 2021
4 - Kantar Usage data Total IH & CO 52 W/e 19th March 2021
5 - Kantar Usage data Total IH & CO 52 W/e 19th March 2021
6 - Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme, 52WE 08/01/2023
7 - Source GB 2022 BMS)
8 - Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme, 52WE 08/01/2023
9 - Kantar Worldpanel Online – OOH – Britvic Defined Cola – exclusive buyers % - MAT to 23.01.23
10 - Kantar Worldpanel Online – Take Home – Total Soft Drink Segments – Demographic by Age – MAT to 18.02.23
11 - Kantar Worldpanel Online – Take Home – Britvic Defined Cola – Spend per buyer - MAT to 23.01.23
12 - IRI, Convenience, Total Cola Britvic Defined, Value, MAT 01/01/2023 vs YA
13 - NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage, MAT Value Sales to 28.01.23 | Pepsi Max flavours, Britvic Defined, MAT to WE 28.01.23
14 - NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage, Pepsi MAX, Value Sales Growth, MAT 4YA to WE 5.11.22 .
15 - IRI, Convenience, Britvic Defined Soft Drinks Value, 52wks To 01/01/2023 vs. YA
16 - Kantar WPO , Take Home, Cola , Pepsi Max, Buyers & Volume per Buyer ,52 WE 16.04.23
17 - in the 2022 Pepsi MAX Taste Challenge, in a blind sampling in the UK between 03.08.22 &02.10.22, 24,296 of 34,322 people preferred the taste of Peps MAX to the UK’s biggest selling full sugar cola. For verification go to co.uk/faq
18 - NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage, MAT Value Sales to 28.01.23 | Pepsi Max flavours, Britvic Defined, MAT to WE 28.01.23
