Hangzhou Wahaha Group and Suntory are among the companies best positioned to take advantage of future e-commerce disruption in beverages, according to recently-released data.
The assessment comes from GlobalData’s ‘Thematic Research’ ecosystem, which ranks companies on a scale of one to five, based on their likelihood to tackle challenges such as e-commerce. According to the latest analysis, Hangzhou Wahaha has invested heavily in e-commerce, helping the company gain a score of ‘five’ in GlobalData’s alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages thematic scorecards.
The table below shows how GlobalData scored the largest drinks companies in the 12 months to the end of March on their e-commerce performance, as well as their numbers of new e-commerce jobs, deals and patents.
The final column in the table represents the companies' overall scores when it comes to their current e-commerce position, relative to their peers. The other data points showcase recent e-commerce investments across a range of areas over the 12-month period.
These metrics, where available, offer an indication of whether e-commerce is front of mind for the company. However, high numbers in these fields could also represent attempts to catch up as much as a genuine strength in e-commerce. For example, a high number of deals could either indicate a company's dominance or that it is using M&A to fill in existing gaps.
This article is based on GlobalData research figures as of 29 April. For more up-to-date figures, check the GlobalData website.
