Coke Signs With Cargo to Capture Rideshare Commerce

The soft drink company will offer Glaceau Smartwater in Lyft and Uber cars in Atlanta.

April 20, 2018

ATLANTA – The Coca-Cola company has started sampling its Glaceau Smartwater through Cargo, an in-car commerce platform, Marketing Daily reports. The sampling will happen in Lyft and Uber cars in Atlanta, which is a new market for Cargo. Currently, Cargo is in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York and Washington, D.C. RxBar also will be part of the Atlanta Cargo snacks.

Convenience products available in Cargo (although not in every market) include hangover remedies, headache medicines, phone chargers and snacks like Sour Patch Kids, BelVita, Clif Bars and Goodness Knows. Drivers receive a 25% commission on each sale, plus $1 base for each customer who purchases a Cargo item.

Ridesharing has experienced skyrocketing growth, particularly among millennials and Gen Z customers. Brands are looking for ways to connect with this demographic, and having a captive audience during a ride could be seen as an attractive alternative to traditional advertising or retailers.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the impact we have on rideshare passengers when they find our product within arm’s reach when using Uber and Lyft,” John Carroll, vice president and general manager of e-commerce for Coca-Cola, said. The channel “offers an innovative solution to helping Coca-Cola deliver refreshment to consumers in their moment of need in a space previously hard to reach at scale.”

“People are spending more and more time in their cars and in ridesharing vehicles, and we want to be there,” Carroll said. “We look at this as a first step.”

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement