Coke Buddy Turns India's Corner Stores into Smart Retail Hubs

PRNewswire
New Delhi [India], November 7: India's kirana stores have long been central to everyday commerce and consumer access. For these store owners, every minute matters -- from stocking shelves to managing inventory and serving consumers in a fast-evolving retail landscape. To support them, Coca-Cola India has scaled up Coke Buddy, a smart, AI-enabled digital platform that puts the power of convenience and efficiency directly into the hands of retailers.
Since its launch, Coke Buddy has recorded one of the fastest scale up of any FMCG eB2B retail platform in India and has been used by more than 10 Lakh retailers. The app has also achieved industry-leading engagement rates, with retailers placing repeat orders every month to buy their favorite Coca-Cola Products, driven by transparent offers, AI-powered suggestions and a user-friendly interface. This rapid uptake reflects the platform's ability to simplify everyday operations and strengthen retailer confidence & relationship.
Aditya Arora, a store owner , said, "We've been serving customers since the 1980s, and I've been working with my father for around 15 to 17 years. As an MBA graduate, I've learnt that if you want to grow your business, you have to evolve with time. The Coke Buddy app has changed the way we do business, bringing transparency into our work. I can simply place orders anytime through the app with deals and services from Coca-Cola. It's brought ease to how we run our store every day."
Pradeep, a store owner, said, "I've been working with Coca-Cola for the past three years and regularly use the Coke Buddy app. It helps me place orders easily and stay updated on new products. I especially like the 'Suggested Order' feature, which recommends products based on my previous purchases. It makes running my shop easier."
Beyond scale, Coke Buddy is also driving tangible business growth for kirana stores. The platform allows shopkeepers to order anytime, track deliveries, and access real-time pricing and promotions, all through a single mobile application. By embedding artificial intelligence into daily decision-making, the platform recommends products based on past buying patterns and seasonal demand, helping retailers avoid stockouts, reduce wastage, and make quicker, data-backed decisions. The result is simpler store management for retailers and better availability of Coca-Cola beverages for consumers across neighbourhoods in India.
Ambuj Deo Singh, Vice President, Digital Acceleration Office, Coca - Cola India and Southwest Asia, said, "Digital empowerment is defining retail growth, and Coke Buddy is designed to give every retailer, whether it's a neighbourhood kirana or a local supermarket, simple, always-on access to ordering and tracking Coca-Cola products. Each interaction generates insights that allow us to serve retailers more efficiently, while ensuring consumers find our beverages available whenever they desire."
Coke Buddy integrates practical tools to simplify daily operations. Retailers receive real-time notifications on active promotions, discounts, new launches, and schemes, ensuring they never miss an opportunity. The platform's voice search function enhances accessibility, making it easy to locate products instantly. In addition, shopkeepers can track their deliveries, review order history, and receive updates on order status, bringing full transparency and control into the process.
Coke Buddy is already transforming the way kirana stores interact with consumers. For the retailer, it is the reassurance of 24x7 access and transparency. For the consumer, it is the confidence that their favorite drink from the Coca-Cola portfolio is always within reach.

About Coca-Cola India
Coca-Cola in India is one of the country's leading beverage companies, offering a range of high-quality and refreshing beverage options to consumers. The company, in line with its vision of 'Beverages For Life', offers a wide portfolio of products which includes hydration, sports, sparkling, coffee, tea, nutrition, juice and dairy based products. In India, its beverage range includes Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Thums Up, Thums Up XForce, Charged, Fanta, Limca, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Kinley Soda, Rim Zim, Maaza, Minute Maid range of juices and Honest Tea. The Company also offers hydration beverages including Limca GlucoCharge, Smartwater, Kinley, Kinley Copper, Dasani and Bonaqua packaged drinking water. Premium products constitute Schweppes' range and Smartwater. In addition, it offers a Costa Coffee range of tea and coffee. The Company is constantly transforming its portfolio, from reducing sugar in its drinks to bringing innovative new products to market.
The Company along with its owned bottling operations and franchise bottling partners has a strong network of close to 5 million retail outlets through which it refreshes millions of consumers across the country. It seeks to positively impact people's lives, communities and the planet through water and packaging initiatives, sustainable agriculture and emission reductions across its value chain.
Globally together with its bottling partners, The Coca-Cola Company employs more than 700,000 people, helping to bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.cocacolacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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