Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Update on Coke's most interesting soda machine

Are you familiar with the Freestyle?

Not freestyle rapping.
Not freestyle swimming.
I'm talking about the Freestyle soda machine from Coca Cola.

Almost a year ago I wrote a blog post about this new technology. While inventive and potentially a sales-increaser, it appears to have had a slow start.

Today's article in Newsmax accentuates the point.
The machine costs 30% more than a traditional soda fountain machine...and has only debuted in a handful of stores.

Coca Cola CEO Muhtar Kent is undeterred.
His experience has been that anyone who has used the machine has been completely satisfied...and has come back for more!

Clearly the machine makes it easier for the consumer to try new (or obscure) flavors without investing in a 12-pack of the goods...and clearly it makes it easier for Coca Cola to test market flavours and track the results.

But the question becomes how much more soda will it sell...and will the fast food restaurants that employ the technology be able to sell enough soda to easily cover the cost?