# PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Keurig Dr Pepper Add QR Codes to Bottles — Turning Packaging Into a Data Door

*Three beverage giants redesign packaging to capture customer data at point-of-purchase without changing the product.*

By **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA, Principal** — The Stash Edge, Hako Shikin LLC.
Published 2026-08-22.

Canonical: https://www.pops4.com/stash/articles/major-soda-brands-pepsico-coca-cola-keurig-dr-pepper-2026-08-22t21-5
Subject: Major soda brands (PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper)
Tags: qr codes, packaging, customer data, beverage, loyalty, first-party data

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PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Keurig Dr Pepper are redesigning packaging across their product lines to include QR codes, according to NBC News. The move transforms every bottle and can into a scannable link between the physical product and the brand's customer database. The companies have not disclosed rollout timelines or specific SKUs, but the coordinated redesign signals a permanent shift in how beverage packaging functions.

The QR code sits on the label or can exterior and directs consumers to brand-owned digital properties — typically promotional offers, loyalty program enrollment, or product information pages. Scanning the code requires no app download; the phone camera opens a mobile web experience. For the brands, the value is not the content delivered but the scan event itself: a timestamped, geolocated, device-specific interaction tied to a known product. That data — who scanned, where, when, and whether they returned — feeds directly into CRM systems and retargeting pools.

This works because the QR code creates a first-party data asset from an otherwise anonymous transaction. A consumer buys a Pepsi at a gas station; the brand has no record of that purchase unless the buyer uses a loyalty card. The same consumer scans the QR code on the bottle; PepsiCo now has a device ID, a timestamp, and an entry point for future contact. If the scan leads to an email capture or account creation, the brand converts a one-time buyer into a addressable customer. The packaging cost increment is negligible — adding a QR code to an existing label costs less than a tenth of a cent per unit at scale — but the data yield compounds over billions of units sold annually.

The steal for a small physical-product brand: print a QR code on your packaging that links to a landing page with a single high-value offer in exchange for an email address. Structure it as "Scan for [specific benefit]" — a recipe, a how-to video, a discount on the next order, or early access to a new variant. Host the landing page on a free tool like Carrd or a Shopify page. Use a URL shortener with analytics (Bitly free tier) so you can track scan volume and location without a tech stack. Offer one thing, capture one data point, and send one follow-up email within 24 hours. If you move **500 units per month** and **8% scan** (a conservative rate for a clear offer), that is **40 new emails per month** at zero media cost. The QR code file is free to generate, the print cost is absorbed in your existing label run, and the page costs nothing to host. Run the play on your next label order: add the QR code in the same print job, below your logo or on the back panel. No redesign required.

If you sell a consumable with repeat purchase potential — food, beverage, personal care, pet supply — the same mechanism works at higher volume. Print the QR code. Link it to a mobile page that offers a subscribe-and-save option or a loyalty point for the scan. Use the email to send a replenishment reminder 21 days after the scan, timed to average product depletion. The cohort that scans converts to repeat buyers at multiples of the cohort that does not, because you have a communication channel and a reason to use it.

The broader pattern: connected packaging turns every unit shipped into a potential customer record. The soda brands are playing for billions of interactions per year; you need dozens per week to justify the move. The threshold is low, the setup cost is zero, and the data asset accrues whether or not the customer buys again. Start with the next print run.

## The takeaway

Add a QR code to packaging linking to a single high-value offer; capture emails at zero media cost from existing unit sales.

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## Publisher

**Hako Shikin LLC** — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded 1997. ASI 217876 · DUNS 18-204-6339.
Principal and author: **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA**.

- Author: https://www.huanggoodman.com/about
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- Catalogue: 70,000+ products, 200+ brands