With a growing shopper thirst for innovation in cola, Pepsi Max highlights the key opportunities for retailers, from bold tastes, to sugar-free choices and memorable campaigns.
The soft drinks market continues to evolve, with new innovations and flavours available at shopper’s fingertips. Yet, aside from all the change and new products hitting the market, one thing has remained the same, cola continues to reign supreme. In fact, cola ranked second in the top five soft drink segments in the convenience channel last year [Nielsen].
So, with cola already a consumer favourite, how can convenience retailers take their offering to the next level?
Flavour first
Flavour innovation isn’t just a trend, it’s a shopper demand that is here to stay. As shoppers look for bold, unique taste experiences, flavoured colas ensure retailers’ offerings stand out and drive those all-important repeat purchases. But don’t just take our word for it: Pepsi Max Cherry, part of the company’s flavours range, is the number 1 flavoured cola, worth £186m RSV, and seeing 7.6% growth over the last year [Nielsen].
Sugar-free is king
Shoppers are increasingly interested in their health, looking for easy ways to cut down their sugar intake, with no compromise on taste. This has led to a continued demand for sugar-free options, which is now paramount to the success of the category and therefore store sales. With Pepsi Max’s entire flavours portfolio being sugar-free, retailers should consider stocking them in-store.
Driving repeat sips
As flavoured cola continues to grow in popularity, particularly among Gen Z shoppers, retailers need to ensure they are stocking popular brands that continue to keep existing fans engaged, while attracting new shoppers to future-proof cola with the next generation of consumers.
Enter Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max offers Cherry, Lime, and Mango in its flavours range. In August, the brand teamed up with independent retailers across the UK to drive reach across the convenience channel for its new flavours campaign launching across out-of-home advertising, sampling, PR, and social media. Aiming to keep the flavours range front of mind for shoppers, 30 retailers were supplied with fresh point-of-sale (POS) materials and product to keep their shoppers engaged and generate long-term sales.
One of the participants, Fiona Malone, from Tenby Stores & Post Office, comments: “Innovation is key to the soft drinks category – it’s what keeps our shoppers excited and coming back. Flavour trends are changing fast, so working with suppliers like Pepsi Max for its latest flavours campaign is essential to staying competitive and meeting shopper expectations. We’ve seen first-hand how the right supplier partnerships can drive footfall and boost basket spend, especially with strong promotional support. As such, the free stock and POS helped us to refresh our flavoured cola offering and drive excitement in-store. This made a real difference at store level, reminding our shoppers to pick up their favourites from the range.”
Now it’s your turn…
Want to get involved in your store? You’ve got the products, now it’s about using Carlsberg Britvic’s At Your Convenience platform to really make your cola offering stand out. Follow the link to order your Pepsi Max always-on POS kit, including t-shirts, posters, barkers and more. T&Cs* apply.
* Max 1 kit per outlet. 500 kits available on a first-come, first-serve basis. No purchase necessary. Registration & email required. Visit atyourconvenience.com for Terms and Details. Promoter: Britvic Soft Drinks
