Latest reports show that, Coke, remains the most popular soft drink on the market. This finding marks a victory for Coca-Cola Co. as its sodas now hold the top two spots, beating out its longtime rival PepsiCo Inc.

Part of the reason why this happened is the growing interest in zero or low calorie drinks. Companies that are in competition have invested in energy drinks and vitamin infused drinks in order to compensate for the decrease in soda sales.

Even though soda drinks have fallen over the years, Coke was still able to sell 1.6 billion cases last year.

The top 10 sodas in the U.S., in order of popularity, are: Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, Sprite, Diet Pepsi, Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Dr Pepper and Fanta.

Spring is right around the corner. Plants are coming alive and people are coming out of winter’s deep chill. It’s the perfect time for Vendors to rev up drink sales! Warmer, sunnier days definitely make people want to drink more. Vendors should start looking at the types of drinks that are offered in their vending machines and make some changes to ensure more sales in the coming warmer months. Here are a few tips to entice more drink sales…

Change up your drink selections. Besides the few absolute must-have items in your drink selection (most places have to have Coke/Pepsi etc) take everything else out of your machine. Go around the business and ask for suggestions of new drink items they would like to see in the vending machine. Not only will you build a better relationship with your business location by doing this, you will also show them that you care about their needs and that you are trying to customize the selections to fit their requests. Replace with fresh selections of ice teas, energy drinks, juices, lemon/lime sodas, coffee drinks. If the business location had apple juice as a selection all winter, suggest and replace it with a different kind of juice like grape or orange to keep your customer interested. If there was already a coffee drink selection, go for a different flavor and mix it up with variety for your customer. They will feel like they just got a brand new vending machine with all new choices inside. Before you leave your vendor, make sure you also give it a “spring cleaning” by wiping it down inside and out.

That’s it! Your vending machine is ready to receive all the extra sales. By doing all this, you will ensure higher sales and will be totally ready for the upcoming warmer months.