The longstanding battle between Pepsi and Coca-Cola has spanned decades. The two soft drink companies frequently used to release marketing campaigns targeting one another, trying to promote their own as being the best alternative for consumers. However, recent market research has shown that Pepsi has dropped to fourth place in the top-selling soda rankings in the US. There are a lot of newcomers and some surprising old-timers that seem to be outranking Pepsi, or at least giving them a good run for their money. Let’s find out more!
1.) Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola still remains the most beloved brand of soda in America, and it’s the top-performing brand in the category. Recent reports indicate that Coke has a domestic American market share of around 19.1%, putting it twice as far ahead as most of its nearest competition. People love Coca-Cola, and the likelihood is that they’re bound to remain the number one soda brand in America for the foreseeable future. The company is still growing strong and owns a number of different brands, securing its position in first place.
2.) Dr. Pepper
Dr. Pepper is a drink most people would associate with their old uncle, and for a long time, the brand wasn’t seen as being remarkably popular among the youth. However, the brand slowly gained more and more market share over the recent years, with the rise in popularity that it has among Gen Z influencers on platforms like TikTok. Since this spike in popularity, the brand has become the number 2 soda in America and currently holds a significant 8.3% market share. It may just be a passing fad, but Dr. Pepper is coming back in a big way.
3.) Sprite
Sprite has also gained popularity in recent years. The Coca-Cola company, which owns Sprite, brought back its ‘Obey Your Thirst’ campaign and teamed up with famous athletes Anthony Edwards and Sha’Carri Richardson to help promote the product. Since then, it’s climbed to a strong 8.03% market share and seems to be holding quite steadily. The brand has also innovated by introducing new, limited-time offer flavors to its range, such as the ‘Sprite + Tea’ combination, which combines Sprite with a ‘tea-like’ flavor. It seems to be quite popular.
4.) Pepsi
Pepsi has quietly dropped down to fourth place in terms of overall domestic US sales. The company currently has a market share of just under 8% (7.97% to be specific). While many fans of Pepsi are still loyal to the brand, the majority of customers seem to prefer Coca-Cola, its nearest competitor. While Pepsi is still going strong and does quite well in the international market as well, the chances of it rising to the top of the soda rankings seem low at this point. Once at the number two position, they’ll have to fight hard to reclaim it.
5.) Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is another top competitor in the most-sold soft drinks in America category. The company is also owned by Pepsico (Pepsi’s consolidated brands and company mergers) and seems to be doing quite well in the domestic market. Mountain Dew currently holds between 6% and 7% of the market share, and according to Statista, the majority of its sales come from the South and Midwest. It seems the Cowboys love their Mountain Dew!
6.) Fanta
While Fanta may not be the most popular brand in America, it’s still a pretty strong contender. The brand is currently rated as the 7th most popular soft drink in the country, but according to Yahoo Finance, the brand holds a 50% market share in the orange soft-drinks category. This means that half of the customers shopping for orange-flavored drinks are likely to go with Fanta these days. This makes it one of Coca-Cola’s top-performing brands. It’s also very popular in the international market.
7.) Diet Coke
While Coke may hold the number 1 position on the list, Diet Coke isn’t actually that far behind. At the moment, the brand actually holds a higher market share than Fanta, sitting at around 7.8% in a 2023 survey done by Visual Capitalist. A lot of people love Coke, but many feel more comfortable choosing a slightly healthier, more sugar-friendly alternative. Diet Coke far outpaces any of the ‘diet’ range of Pepsi drinks, and it’s definitely holding strong in the top ten sodas in America.
8.) Poppi and Olipop
While these new, health-conscious brands aren’t dominating the market just yet, their surging rise in popularity is something that the major players can’t afford to ignore. Both of these companies were formed in 2018 and have seen large amounts of success in the domestic American market. People really like the idea of functional, prebiotic sodas, and the idea that a soda can also actually be healthy for you is really resonating with consumers. If big brands miss this trend, they could fall behind in a big way.
9.) Red Bull
While Red Bull is generally seen as an ‘energy drink’ and is therefore not classed in the same category as sodas in the eyes of economists, the truth is that they’re posting massive sales every year that big soda brands shouldn’t ignore. In 2023, Red Bull was reported to have a whopping 39% market share of the energy drinks sector in the US alone, making it one of the most popular drinks in the country. Red Bull has become a veritable empire; maybe soda brands should start looking into the energy drinks market, too?
10.) Monster
Monster is also a major energy drink, and while you can’t fairly compare it to a soda like Coke or Pepsi, it is arguable that, in terms of looking at total market share, this brand is worth paying attention to for them. In 2023, Monster held a massive 30% market share in the energy drinks market in America alone. The brand is also hugely popular internationally and is likely to be around for a while, continuing to succeed.
11.) A&W Ice Cream Sundae Root Beer
The recent success of A&W’s Ice Cream Sundae Root Beer shows that even in a new age of health-conscious soft drinks, a lot of people are still really interested in decadent, unique flavors. A&W America is owned by Dr. Pepper, and the brand still shows a lot of promise in the soda category. A&W is a legacy brand that’s currently over 100 years old. In many ways, its root beer is an essential part of American history and will likely be enjoyed for many more years to come!