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Diving overview:
- Coca-Cola will sell its single-serve soda in 7.5-ounce mini cans as it seeks to attract consumers to a more affordable packaging option.
- The cans will be sold at convenience stores nationwide in January. Smaller portion sizes have been sold in grocery stores for more than a decade, but until now only in multipack format.
- The company said that mini cans account for more than 9% of sparkling soft drink mixes sold in large stores. In recent trials, single-use mini cans achieved high sales without impacting Coca-Cola’s bulk sales.
Dive Insights:
As ongoing inflation forces consumers to spend less, food and beverage companies have shifted portion sizes to offer more value and offered a variety of mini and bulk sizes to help shoppers stretch their dollar.
Offering smaller portions to consumers “allows them to enjoy Coca-Cola on their own terms,” Joel Bishop, president of commercial leadership for Coca-Cola’s North American operations, said in a press release.
Mini versions are available in c-stores for Original Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Cherry, Sprite and Fanta Orange. The suggested retail price for a single can is $1.29.
In addition to offering a more affordable price point, the smaller size also appeals to health-conscious consumers looking for moderate fun. The rise in GLP-1 drugs for weight loss has led to a decline in their consumption. Sweet snacks and drinksMore users are looking for smaller portion sizes. Coca-Cola also said the smaller size could allow consumers to try trial versions of new flavors.
The small format fits the way people shop at convenience stores, with more than half of mini shoppers also buying snacks, the company said. As more and more consumers visit c-stores regularly for convenience and value,Coca-Cola is confident that mini cans will help drive sales and increase awareness of the new flavor while increasing purchases of its iconic soda.
“Convenience stores today are where a lot of quick decisions are made, and refrigerated storage plays a big role in those moments,” Bishop said. “By introducing mini cans into that space, we’re giving shoppers more choice and making Coca-Cola easier to enjoy and more accessible for generations to come.”
Coca-Cola also announced that it will launch a new flavor, Coca-Cola Cherry Float, in February in a variety of sizes, including mini. The company said another rotating flavor available in small quantities is Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry. This product adds spice and cranberry flavor to the original lemon-lime flavor.
