E-Commerce in Soft Drinks

E-commerce represents a small but thriving global retail channel for soft drinks. This briefing examines e-commerce data across 15 markets, focusing on soft drinks brands’ performance in 2023. Leading brands, categories and retailers for online beverages are explored in the context of wider consumer trends in drinks.

Key Findings

Soft drinks e-commerce winners are using limited time offers, exciting flavours and seasonal opportunities

Harnessing seasonal opportunities and increasingly trend-sensitive online consumers is emerging as a common thread among online beverage success stories. Whether through online exclusives (eg Coca-Cola’s Happy Tears on TikTok Shop) or expanding the appeal of functional categories (like powder mixes) - new or exciting flavours are an important marketing tool online.

Drinks companies invest online to sell - but principally to build their brands and maintain relevance

Leading global suppliers of soft drinks continue to feel the impact of upstart, independent brands gaining share through the power of celebrity. While e-commerce is unlikely to be a dominant volume channel, digital marketing and higher return-on-investment advertising online will be a priority, particularly through e-commerce sites, where competition is intense and consumer behaviour is even more likely to be influenced by social media and online influencers.

Premium and functional categories have a particularly strong presence in e-commerce

Retailers and suppliers online must focus their energies on developing and expanding functional categories - which have an outsized presence online (particularly in online marketplace channels, where consumers are more experimental and impulsive than online grocery). Energy drinks and non-RTD powder mixes remain winning areas, catering successfully to resilient demand for health and wellness options, despite their premium prices.

Optimising pricing and packaging for the online consumer

While inflation is moderating in 2024, price and packaging mix must be constantly evaluated to understand the price elasticity of cash-strapped consumers fatigued by the perceived increase in the cost of living since 2021. Smaller multipacks, mini-cans and lighter weight options, along with subscription models, will be necessary to minimise exorbitant shipping costs for RTD items, particularly in value-added health and functional categories, where price/litre is already high.

The E-Commerce in Soft Drinks global briefing offers an insight into to the size and shape of the Soft Drinks market, highlights buzz topics, emerging geographies, categories and trends as well as pressing industry issues and white spaces. It identifies the leading companies and brands, offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product developments, packaging innovations, economic/lifestyle influences, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change and criteria for success. The analysis can focus on value and volume for both off trade and on trade.

Product coverage: Asian Speciality Drinks, Bottled Water, Carbonates, Concentrates, Energy Drinks, Juice, RTD Coffee, RTD Tea, Sports Drinks.

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?

• Get a detailed picture of the Soft Drinks market;
• Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
• Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands;
• Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.