Reinventing soft drinks, strategies to re-entice consumers
In contradiction to the inherent effervescence of its products, carbonated soft drink (CSD) manufacturers are finding the current U.S. market less than bubbly. Consumers remain focused on both their wallets and waistlines, creating a challenging landscape for major CSD makers The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, PepsiCo, Purchase, N.Y., and Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS), Plano, Texas. In fact, the CSD category has lost 260 million cases to other categories since 2007, according to a DPS presentation during the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference in February.
Euromonitor International, Chicago, reports that U.S. sales of carbonated soft drinks were at nearly 36.4 billion liters in 2011. It predicts a decline in the category with forecasted performance for this year at approximately 36.1 billion liters. According to Euromonitor, the soft drink segment, which in its definition includes carbonates as well as bottled water, juice, ready-to-drink coffee, ready-to-drink tea, sports and energy drinks, will report 0.6 percent growth from 2011 through 2016 in the United States. Despite the small percentage of growth, the figure represents a rebound from the declines posted in 2008 and 2009 as shown by Euromonitor data.