Fewer people going out during the pandemic affected c-stores, Hemphill said, leading to a big drop in CSD sales in 2020, the 16th straight year of declines. In 2021, “People started going back into convenience stores, so the overall performance improved, but it’s a little bit artificial” because it had plummeted so badly in 2020, Hemphill said.
In 2022, CSDs grew 7.6% in dollar sales but fell 2.7% in unit sales, according to IRI. The increase in 2021, the first in 17 years, was helped by restaurants reopening, he adds.
The unit-sales decline in CSD sales is for two reasons, he said: consumers seeking a healthier refreshment and variety. “Because some of these smaller niche categories are growing, people are sometimes choosing those over carbonated soft drinks,” he said.
Lyons Wyatt said consumers are shifting from traditional pack types—12-ounce (still the largest share), 12-packs and 2-liter—to the 7.5-ounce mini cans and 16.9 half-liter 6-pack configurations, which have sustained the highest compounded annual growth rate. “Trends show that the club-pack offerings are providing better value to consumers, and they’re really doing better than the old-fashioned ones,” she said.