Background

Coca-Cola is a household name in India, with its products stocked everywhere from small pan shops to large supermarkets. While its affordable offerings cater to a broad audience, premium products like Coke Zero require a more strategic approach to reach a niche, health-conscious segment. To optimize its product placement & distribution, Coca-Cola needed deeper insights into consumer behavior and buying potential.

The Challenge

Coca-Cola aimed to identify high-value residential clusters and determine the best stores—both general trade (GT) and modern trade (MT)—to stock premium products like Coke Zero. The objective was to efficiently target affluent, health-conscious consumers in a diverse and regionally varied market like India, starting with a pilot in Noida.

Xpert’s Solution

Xpert leveraged its network of over 10 million premium buyers to evaluate the buying potential of each pincode, ranking them based on buyer density and premium product demand. Xpert then identified residential clusters having high buyer density across 27 pincodes in Noida. The analysis also extended to mapping GT & MT stores located near these residential areas. By ranking these stores based on their popularity and relevance, Xpert ensured Coca-Cola could prioritize stocking in locations that would maximize reach and sales. Xpert’s analysis also enabled Coca-Cola to profile customers by traits like affluence, health-consciousness, and purchasing habits to fine-tune product placement and ensure efficient stocking and distribution.

Results

Armed with Xpert’s insights, Coca-Cola optimized its premium product distribution in Noida, aligning inventory with demand at key GT and MT stores. The strategy not only boosted reach and sales but also provided a replicable framework for expansion into other cities, ensuring precision targeting of premium audiences.

Testing Methodology