- Dr Pepper has edged ahead of one of the traditional big sellers in 2023
- But Dr Pepper is still way behind the leading soda brand by market share
- Dr Pepper’s history goes back more than 130 years
The US soda market has long been dominated by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, but now another brand has muscled its way into the top two and sent Pepsi into third place.
Dr Pepper, the drink reputed to be made up of 23 flavors, is now the US’ second most popular soda brand, according to data from trade publication Beverage Digest.
Edging ahead
While Coke is still the market leader by some distance – it had 19.2% share of the market by volume in 2023, according to Beverage Digest – Dr Pepper just edged ahead of Pepsi, although both had 8.3% market share.
Rounding out the top five most popular sodas were Sprite with 8.1% of the market and Diet Coke with 7.8%.
Increasing popularity
In recent years, Dr Pepper’s popularity has been on the increase, as it has leaned into its perception as a spicy alternative to colas in its advertising. Meanwhile Pepsi’s market share has been gradually declining – although a recent refresh of its branding might help to reverse that trend.
Dr Pepper has a long history, with the drink first made in 1885 in Waco, Texas. But while Coca-Cola and Pepsi soon came to dominate the US market in the 20th century, for many years, Dr Pepper remained a drink mostly found in Southern states. It was only in the 1970s that the drink began to be marketed from coast to coast, and since then it has steadily gained popularity, even if many people still can’t quite define what the flavor is.
Trends in beverages are changing in the US. Recently research found that Prime is now outselling traditional market leader Gatorade in Walmart stores in the US.
