Limited-time offers (LTOs) drive traffic to retailers and restaurants. Some of those offers, like McDonald’s Shamrock Shake and Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, come back every year at predictable times. In other cases, brands try a first-of-its-kind offer to drive customers to their store or restaurant.
In many cases, an LTO can either bring back a lapsed customer or get a recurring visitor to spend more. My Starbucks order, for example, grows a couple of times a year when the chain brings back its Creme Brulee Latte or anything that involves peppermint.
“Limited-time offerings (LTOs) or limited-time menus are a great way for restaurants and bars to create excitement and news around the brand, especially for those with a limited marketing budget,” Kim Jensen-Pitts, chief marketing officer at Cowboy Chicken, told Bar and Restaurant News.
Creating a new item that people have never experienced or bringing back an old favorite creates excitement. That can also bring customers to stores they may not regularly visit.
Coca-Cola, which will launching a new flavor exclusive to Walmart should be able to drive the chain’s existing customers to add the soda to their carts while also sending fans of the brand, who may not be Walmart shoppers, to the chain.
Walmart adds an exclusive Sprite flavor
Coca-Cola and Walmart, the two biggest names in their respective spaces, have teamed up to give Sprite fans something new.
“Sprite Chill just dropped a new MANGO CITRUS flavor at Walmart and it’s starting to arrive in stores now! This is a sequel to last year’s Strawberry Kiwi flavor and is available in 20oz bottles (full sugar only) and 12packs (regular an* zero sugar),” read a post on the Snackolator Instagram page, a respected food and beverage industry site known for first-to-market coverage.
“The Coca-Cola Company released the original Cherry Lime Sprite Chill as a limited-time offering the same week they released Coca-Cola Spiced ‘permanently.’ Two years later, Coca-Cola Spiced is long gone, and we’re here to talk about a brand-new Sprite Chill flavor,” Sporked’s Griffin Parker wrote.
Coca-Cola launched Sprite Chill, he noted, to give your throat a tingle like menthol, without actually using menthol.
“The new Sprite Chill will follow in the footsteps of the original, pairing a new fruit flavor with the fruits already present in the OG Sprite. In the very near future, we’ll all be enjoying the brand-new Sprite Chill Mango Citrus,” he added.
Neither Walmart nor Coca-Cola has made an official statement on the new Sprite Chill flavor or their exclusive partnership on the soda.
Shutterstock
Coca-Cola battles new soda trends
Coca-Cola has been using new flavors to hold onto market share as it battles a new breed of healthier sodas.
Better-for-you sodas have been growing in popularity.
“It’s certainly been an interesting year for the U.S. carbonated soft drink (CSD) market,” Mitch Madoff, head of retail partnerships at Keychain, New York, told Beverage Industry. “Brands like Olipop and poppi have completely shaken up the market by taking advantage of the notable rise in demand for ‘better-for-you’ options.”
That’s a trend PepsiCo has followed by launching a version of its namesake soda with probiotics.
“Nothing is more indicative of this than the fact that traditional brands like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are even launching their own prebiotic sodas this spring,” he added. “Brands are recognizing that social media and influencers are driving demand for functional benefits, making it a space they can’t afford to ignore.”
Coca-Cola has bet big on innovation and novelty.
“Innovation contributed to our growth as Sprite Chill and Coca Holiday Creamy Vanilla had strong performance,” new CEO Henrique Braun shared during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.
More Retail:
- Costco sees major shift in member behavior
- Retail chain shuts all locations as legal changes hit industry
- Lululemon struggles to reverse concerning customer behavior
Braun believes the company is well-positioned, but wants to avoid complacency.
“While we are proud of what we have accomplished, future success is never guaranteed. We must remain discontented. Every day, our system needs to focus on being a little bit better and sharper everywhere to drive transformational impact,” he added.
Sprite Brand spin-off timeline
- 2016, Sprite Tropical Mix: Coca-Cola brought back a tropical flavor variation: lemon-lime with strawberry and pineapple, according to the Coca-Cola Co.
- May 2023, Sprite Lymonade Legacy (Seasonal): Strawberry-lemonade flavored variation released with themed packaging for a summer cultural campaign, according to Marketing Dive.
- May 2024, Sprite Chill (Cherry Lime): Launched as a summer flavor with a cooling sensation; became a permanent part of the lineup due to popularity, AllRecipes.net reported.
- March 17, 2025, Sprite Chill Strawberry Kiwi (Walmart Exclusive): Expansion of the Chill line, sold at Walmart stores in the U.S., reported People.com.
- May 2025, Sprite + Tea: Blends classic lemon-lime with iced tea, inspired by a viral trend; available through October 2025, according to Southern Living.
- Dec. 15, 2025- Feb. 3, 2026: Sprite Vanilla Frost (Holiday Limited): Limited holiday flavor available exclusively at Kroger stores, reported People.com.
Related: McDonald’s and Burger King face whopper of a burger problem
