PopsSips Spiked Prebiotic Soda
Sold in 7.5 oz. cans (222 ml), PopSips is one of a handful of products that attempts to answer the question: What if we took the trend of prebiotic “better-for-you” sodas, and brought it into alcohol? Available in four flavors – Raspberry Rose, Strawberry Lemon, Ginger Lime and Berry – the brand has expanded into several retailers this year, including Target, Walmart, Kroger, Safeway and Sprouts.
Things that stand out:
- The short cans and sleek packaging design really stand out among a sea of other canned beverages. The cream colored can sleeves with pops of color (no pun intended) make the product eyecatching, while also clearly getting across that this is going to be a fun, fruity beverage.
- The sugar content (1 gram) is a differentiator among sodas (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), leaning into the message that this is going to give you flavor, without all the added sugar.
- The Berry and Raspberry Rose flavors each had a pink hue to the liquid, which helps convey that this product conveys real fruit juice (3.22%) and may have more flavor compared to a totally clear hard seltzer.
- While carbonated, the level feels lower than you’d typically experience with a hard seltzer or even a non-alcoholic soda. The bubbles are less aggressive on the pallet, which could make this appealing to consumers – particularly Gen Z LDAs – who have shown an aversion to carbonation.
Things to consider:
- The calorie count (90 calories) appears low at first, but when you consider that it’s 7.5 oz. can, you start to do that math that this would be 144 calories if in a traditional 12 oz. can – closer to the calorie count of a traditional soda and higher than competitors such as Spiked Pop (110 calories/12 oz.) or Crooked Pop (80 calories/12 oz. can).
- The alcohol base isn’t clear at first. Because the can is so small, the text “non-malt beer” at the bottom is easy to miss, as is the gluten free symbol on the back.
- Stevia adds sweetness without the sugar content, but also adds a bit of that bitter aftertaste it’s built a reputation for and some consumers have become averse to.
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