The Coke Freestyle Question

The Coca-Cola Company developed a groundbreaking touchscreen soda fountain that offers consumers a choice of 106 difference products and flavors. The fountain held the promise of broadening brand exposure and increasing choice at the point of sale. The challenge, however, was to convince restaurants that it’s a win for them.  Four research methods were employed: data mining, video analytics and customer intercepts.  Additionally, employee interviews provided further insight into the machine’s impact for a number of test restaurants used in the study. Results were able provide a sophisticated description of how the new beverage system impacted the restaurant chain. We were able to forecast changes in soft drink consumption, determine the impact on customers, and identified whether usability or maintenance issues exited. We also revealed how the system impacted product satisfaction, brand perception and loyalty.