210-Pricing in Easy Industries

Here is an example where relatively small differences in price, in normally easy industries, have a big effect in the market.

PepsiCo owns Lifewater. Over the last year, Lifewater’s sales have risen by 85%, while overall sales of bottled water have fallen by 5%. Coca-Cola owns a Lifewater competitor named Vitaminwater. During the same period, Vitaminwater saw its market share shrink.

PepsiCo has been paying more attention to Lifewater. It redesigned its bottle and introduced a no-calorie version of the drink. It also changed its advertising emphasis.

But pricing has certainly played a role in the marketplace. As the recession began to take hold, PepsiCo shaved four cents off the price of Lifewater (see “Audio Tip #106: How do we Predict Competitor Responses to our Price Moves?”), dropping it to an average of $1.18. Vitaminwater chose the opposite approach. It raised its prices by 4%. This produced a 7% swing in price difference between Vitaminwater and Lifewater. This price change meant Lifewater appealed better to both consumers and the channel of distribution. Lifewater used the lower price to increase its retail presence, especially with Target stores. This created greater Convenience for the Lifewater consumer. Overall, Lifewater’s market share increased by 1.6 share points to 3.8%. (See “Audio Tip #45: The Components of Positive Volatility” on StrategyStreet.com.) Vitaminwater’s share dropped from 14% to 11.4%. (See “Audio Tip #46: The Components of Negative Volatility” on StrategyStreet.com.)

Pricing and price differences are never irrelevant. Customers are loath to pay higher prices for products that otherwise seem Functionally comparable.

Posted 8/9/10

Update:

As the market has evolved, Pepsi and Coke have pursued different approaches to their bottled water products. The bottled water market has grown and become more complex in the intervening years.  Products include still and carbonated waters, both flavored and unflavored, which are the results of various purification techniques. The largest US suppliers of bottled water include private labels, Nestlé’s Pure Life, Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coke’s Dasani. Pepsi has largely ignored the Sobe Lifewater product, which today has very limited US distribution. Coke’s VitaminWater continues to perform well as part of the privately owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola Company, Energy Brands.

10/22

***