The Coca-Cola Company - Enterprise Tech Ecosystem Series

The Coca-Cola Company - Enterprise Tech Ecosystem Series

Summary

The Coca-Cola Co. is a producer, distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverages. The company’s product portfolio comprises sparkling beverages and a variety of still beverages including juices and juice drinks, waters, enhanced waters, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, and energy and sports drinks. It markets beverages under Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, Diet Coke, Fanta, Glaceau, Vitaminwater, Powerade, Dasani, FUZE TEA, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia, and Del Valle brand names. Coca-Cola sells products to independent bottling partners, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. The company has business presence in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America, North America, and Asia-Pacific.

In 2018, Coca-Cola Amatil, a bottling entity of Coca-Cola, launched a six-month accelerator program (Xcelerate program) in collaboration with BlueChilli accelerator. The program provides start-ups in Australia and New Zealand with Coca-Cola Amatil's insights to create innovative technology solutions using IoT, machine learning, blockchain, AI, drones, and biometrics technologies.

The Xcelerate program focuses on improving efficiencies in logistics, strengthen sustainability, improve health, and create a personalized experience for customers. The winning start-up gets mentorship and pilot opportunities as well as support from Coca-Cola’s engineering team to test, scale, and launch their product. Additionally, the start-up will receive initial funding. As a part of the program, Coca-Cola Amatil X partnered with three technology start-ups: Snooper, a crowdsourcing analytics platform; Staybil, a machine learning-based optimization software as a service platform; and Bellr, a hospitality platform that offers rewards, live promotions, and loyalty programs. These three platforms aim to accelerate its business operations, drive delivery efficiencies, and augment its customer experience.

Launched in 2014, the Bridge is a seven-month commercialization program launched by Coca-Cola in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and Turner Broadcasting. It connects early-stage and growth-stage start-ups with markets across the United States, Africa/Eurasia, Latin America, and the Pacific. The program aims to provide innovative software solutions with a major focus on nine core themes - supply chain, customer experience, service, and selling - home delivery, health & wellness, supply chain - last-mile delivery, service, and selling - future of work, human resources, and IT infrastructure and other backend operations.

Introduced in 2007, VEB is a business unit of Coca-Cola, North America. The team focuses on identifying, investing, and acquiring innovative beverages start-ups to strengthen Coca-Cola’s portfolio and to create future customer opportunities. It also acts as an incubator and selects innovative start-ups and develops technology solutions. In 2019, VEB invited a selected group of food and beverage start-ups to participate in the VEB Founders Forum. Once they are selected, the entrepreneurs connect with experts, share ideas, present their skills, and develop a product.

Launched in 2019, KOlab 600 is a customer focused center by Coca-Cola, North America in Atlanta. It specifically focuses on innovations that can help them in offering better customer and crew experience at restaurants. The center provides a collaborative and open platform for retailers and restaurant customers to foster innovation, develop new products and services, build collaborative business plans, and address real-world problems. It also offers digital interactive sessions for Coke account teams as well as customers to identify best ideas, explore insights, and emerging trends.

In 2015, Coca-Cola has launched its Development and Innovation Lab at Georgia Tech University. The lab explores big data analytics along with other emerging technology solutions to accelerate its business across on-can printing, bluetooth beacons, and wearable technology.

This report provides insight into The Coca-Cola Company's digital activities, including its digital transformation strategies, its innovation programs, its technology initiatives, its estimated ICT budget, and its major ICT contracts.

Scope

• Coca-Cola’s digital transformation strategies are primarily focused on four transformation areas: operational efficiency leveraging data and technology, enhancing customer experience through both online and offline channels, transforming from a conventional consumer packaged goods business into a digital business model, and strengthening its digital culture.
• AI Strategy: Coca-Cola is extensively leveraging AI in marketing to collect and analyze huge volumes of data on various brands and products it offers. Across its vending machines Coca-Cola is applying big data analytics and AI algorithms to interact with its customers. In social media, Coca-Cola uses AI algorithms to understand when, where, and how its customers like to consume their products and derive popularity of individual products by location.
• Coca-Cola is focusing on growth strategy by tapping the power big data in analyzing customer data to support innovation, research, pricing decisions, optimizing overtime costs, supply chain management, and offering personalized services and enhanced experiences to its customers. It has North America’s Decision Science and Data Strategy Center of Excellence to analyze data across its digital ecosystem to draw meaningful insights.
• Coca-Cola is reinventing its customer engagement through an omnichannel service strategy to ensure its customers shop from anywhere, anytime, and through any mode. It leverages multiple digital channels such as mobile, e-commerce, and AR to offer a personalized digital experience to customers. They have integrated AR-enabled features in their mobile app to enable users to virtually view the products and buy them through the app. The company has also trialed AR in its bottling plants, for inspecting and diagnosing issues in machines and dispensers located in remote areas. It uses image recognition systems, AR, and shelf-mounted cameras to monitor and track products on open shelves and in coolers, and extract insights to manage inventory in real-time.

• Gain insights into The Coca-Cola Company's tech operations.
• Gain insights into its digital strategies and innovation initiatives.
• Gain insights into its technology themes under focus.
• Gain insights into various product launches, partnerships, and acquisition strategies.