Coca-Cola VS Pepsi: Who controls the global soft drink industry on food delivery

The Coca-Cola Corporation (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) have been long-term competitors in the global non-alcoholic beverage industry. Both two powerhouses have a large global presence, controlling a number of brand names that are recognized worldwide each. In the US, KO and PEP alone controll around three-quarters of the soft drink and beverage industry. KO had a US market share of 46.3% in carbonated soft drinks in 2021, followed by PEP with a 25.6% US market share^[1]. 

Coca-Cola has been the market leader since 2004^[2]. With a brand value up 7% in 2022, Coca-Cola once again was named the world’s most valuable soft drink brand with a brand value of US$35.4 billion^[3]. Pepsi ranked second, with a brand value of US$21 billion in 2022. With similar business models and target markets^[4], the rivalry between them, which is typically known as the “cola wars'', has never stopped since the brands spanned the globe. In this article, we investigate the competition between the world’s largest beverage brands in the global food delivery industry. We provide insights into the global picture of the prevalence and growth of Coca-Cola and Pepsi on food delivery platforms in 2022.

By partnering with delivery aggregators for combo meal deals and marketing collaborations, both brands strive to benefit from the growth of food delivery platforms. With a rich 129-year-long history, Coca-Cola is still the most consumed soda in the world. It has a staggering 10.000 products consumed every second across 200 countries. Coca-Cola is also the most well-known brand on global food delivery platforms. 

Dashmote’s data shows that Coca-Cola outperforms Pepsi in all five countries. It has a penetration rate that varies between 48% to 82% on food delivery in Q3, 2022. Pepsi penetrates 11% to 34% of the beverage market on food delivery. In Canada, the difference in penetration rates between the two brands is the smallest, which is around 15 percentage points. In France, however, Coca-Cola has a penetration rate that is around seven times higher than Pepsi.

Despite the domination of Coca-Cola on food delivery across five countries, Pepsi, another iconic and world-leading beverage brand, is quickly catching up. Dashmote’s data reveals the YTD growth rate of the number of digital storefronts selling Coca-Cola/Pepsi on food delivery across five countries. Pepsi has a strong average YTD growth rate of 12.2% on food delivery. This is almost double than 6.5% for Coca-Cola. Surprisingly, the growth of Pepsi outpaces Coca-Cola in France, the US, Canada, and Australia. The growth rate of Pepsi was the highest in Australia in 2022 (23%). 

Both brands faced disruptions in consumer consumption patterns during the pandemic. They also face fierce competition from the growing market of energy and nutritional drinks. Actions taken by the brands to overcome these challenges include reducing sugar in their drink offerings, improving environmental sustainability in packaging and recycling, and partnering with food delivery platforms to increase sales during reductions in social gatherings. By having a strong presence and engagement in the digital space, Coca-Cola and Pepsi can have additional opportunities to adapt their brands to the ever-changing consumer habits. 

Dashmote is the leading big data and AI analytics company in the food & beverage industry. We help F&B enterprises by empowering them to track and analyse publicly available data to making strategic decisions. Do you want to know more in retrieving market insights across food delivery and F&B?

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