Strategy
Strategy
and Maintaining
Marketplace Leadership
Case 8: Keurig
Strategy
2 Semester 2016/2017
Group 8:
Henrique Guerreiro
Beatriz Polidoro
Francisco Lima
Audrey Than
Table of Contents
1.1 Keurigs market, industry, and the broad external environment ..................................... 3
1.3 Power and profit drivers in the industry and in the value chain? Which players capture the most value?
................................................................................................................................................ 5
2. Analysis of the industry (and its value chain) trends over the next five years .............. 6
5.2 How will the industry behave in the upcoming years .................................................... 10
References ..................................................................................................................... 16
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1. Keurigs Industry Analysis and Current Profitability
The internal and external environment of Keurig helps to shape and develop the firms strategies, to
enable the firm to compete in a dynamic environment and achieve its long-term objectives and goals. Keurigs
internal environment comprises of its resources and capabilities, such as people, brands, technology and know-
how, that are leveraged on to build its strategy. This includes the following:
Physical/tangible Assets:
- Key inputs: Coffee bean roasting operations, K-Cup portion pack operations.
Intangible Assets:
- Intellectual property: Patents for single serve brewing system and portion pack system (marketed under
- Brand reputation: Choose. Brew. Enjoy. Being consistent in brewing quality coffee, offering a large
variety of brewed drinks, providing convenience, and being innovative in single serve brewing.
- Customer base: Large customer base, due to its first mover advantage to the At-Home (AH) marketplace
with a single cup brewer designed for use at home, with network externalities from spillover recognition
Organizational Capabilities:
- Design capabilities: Enabling innovative, functional and modular designs of Single-Cup Brewing
- Supply chain management capability: Supporting tight relationships and partnerships with suppliers.
- Procurement capability: Allowing for global sourcing and acquisition, resulting in licensing
arrangements with a variety of gourmet coffee roasters. The virtuous cycle of resources and capabilities
accumulated over time allows Keurig to increase the effectiveness of its activities to gain a competitive
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The external environment is shaped by the micro-environment and macro-environment, which is the
industrys environment and the broad external environment respectively. Keurig adapts to the constantly
changing environment to shape its strategies, ensuring an external fit between the firms strategies and the
external environment.
Competitors: Salton U.S. (Melitta), Flavia, Phillips, Sara Lee International (Senseo), Proctor & Gamble
(Black & Decker), Braun, Bunn, Mr. Coffee, Krups, Sturm Foods.
Customers: Multiple customer segments (segmented by good customers, better customers, best
customers based on the suite of good, better, best brewers) in different retail segments.
Suppliers (Coffee): Dunkin Donuts, GMCR, Diedrich Coffee Inc., Van Houtte Inc., Timothys Coffee of the
Complementors: Amazon.com, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohls, Macys, Target, Williams-Sonoma, Dunkin
Substitutes: Coffee shops, instant coffee, canned/bottled coffee, tea, water, soft drinks
New Entrants: High structural (brand reputation, capital needs, legal barriers, absolute advantages, economies
of scale, economies of learning, economies of scope) and strategic barriers to entry (geographic proliferation)
Political:
- Geopolitical conflicts (Japan earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant damage in 2011)
Economic:
Social:
- Rise in urbanization
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- Increase in population
- Health threats
Technological:
- Advancements in technology (patents of Keurigs brewing system and K-cup portion packs)
- Improvements in telecommunications
Legal/Regulatory:
Environmental:
- Climate change (Environmental impact of the production of the K-cup portion pack packaging and
packaging disposal)
1.3 Power and profit drivers in the industry and in the value chain? Which players capture the most
value?
The drivers of power and profits in the industry and value chain is dependent on the industrys demand,
willingness-to-pay (WTP), and industrys supply, (value chain costs). By increasing the industrys demand
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and decreasing the industrys supply, the total value creation potential of an industry relative to substitute
industries increases.
- Decrease coordination efficiencies: Sales and service staff at Keurig and retail outlets
The players that capture the most value is the manufacturer and retailers due to its differentiation of products
and services, and ability to discriminate prices to different segments of the market.
2. Analysis of the industry (and its value chain) trends over the next five years
Market size is an indicator of the value creation potential of an industry relative to substitute industries.
The main macroeconomic trends that affect market size in the industry:
Political: Potential geopolitical conflicts and tension could reduce industry demand for Keurigs
brewery machines and K-cups. Thus, significantly reducing Keurigs market size in the industry.
Economic: In times of economic growth, there is a general worldwide increase in income and
standards of living. Keurig could face an increase in demand, sales, and market size as Keurigs products are
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Social: The rise in urbanization could positively affect Keurigs market size. Urbanization could result
in greater social influences amongst the population, making Keurigs marketing campaigns and ads more
impactful.
Technological: Advancements in technology enables Keurig to innovate and produce new products
or improve the production process. By constantly building new and better products to meet the needs and
tastes of customers, it could build brand loyalty and result in higher sales. Efficiency improvements to the
production process could translate to lower prices for customers, and higher sales. These results in an
Legal: Patents for single serve brewery machines, K-cup portion packs, etc. is one of Keurigs
competitive advantages, leading to high barriers to entry for new entrants as well as a lower number of rivals.
The maintenance and increase of such patents protects Keurig from reduces its market size, and could
sustainability, the lack of environmental consciousness and the contribution to unsustainable practices is
Keurigs businesses are coffee brewers manufacturing, for At Home usage, meaning that the user can
brew a single cup of coffee at home and single portions of coffee to brew, packaging and selling, with a lot of
varieties.
As it is probably clear, those businesses are tightly connected, as both branches enjoy from the
existence of synergies between them. By one side, the quality and variety of the coffee that is used in the
single portions is positively correlated with the demand for those portions and indirectly positively linked with
the demand for coffee brewers, as one need the coffee brewer to drink the coffee, and the single portions
One the other hand, the quality of the brewer increases the perceived quality of the coffee brewed in
that machine, and so, increases the willingness to pay for single coffee portions owned by Keurig, one can say
that the positive impact of Keurigs businesses integration comes from the fact that the company is able to
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leverage its unique superior capacities in both business, as the perceived superior value of the coffee portions,
increase the perceived value of the brewers, and the other way around as well. Lastly, is wort mentioning that
Keurig also produces Away From Home brewers, being those the first ones to be commercialized by the
4. Keurigs Partnerships
In this case, one of Keurigs main strengths are its partnerships. At the beginning, Keurig was partner
of many coffee roasters, such as, GMCR, Diedrich Coffee, Inc. Van Houtte, Timothys Coffee of the World
and Tullys. These partnerships allowed Keurig to be independent from a single roaster, being, in this way
able to serve a more varied set of customers. Those partnerships were strategic for both sides, as the roasters
could promote their coffee, and Keurig guaranteed the quality of their product, instead of producing it itself.
Over time the conditions changed, and Keurig was acquired by GMCR, starting to be a business from
that group, but still with a multilayer strategy. This acquisition gave some financial support to Keurig, and so,
enjoying this leverage from GMCR, Keurig could expand and launch new products, for example new
After this, due to tensions existent between GMCR and other roasters, GMCR started to acquire other
roaster K-cup production lines, meaning so that now GMCR owns a respectful number of brands, enjoying
in this way scale and scope economies in distribution, promotion, and so on. At this point I believe it is
important to mention that Keurig is also paying some attention to retailing deals, creating a minimum
advertised price, to reap the benefits from retailers cooperation, instead of letting them create a price war.
Lastly, Keurig created partnerships with famous brands, to increase perceived value for K-Cup, such
as Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Tazo, for tea. These partnerships allow Keurig to reap the benefits of
serving excellent coffee, without producing it, and, creates synergies between brands, especially in perceived
value.
Both with the K-Cup and Coffee roaster production, and the merge with GMCR, where the company
enjoy benefits between coffee roasting and K-Cup production. Though, there is still some room to improve
Keurigs penetration into new markets, or even to enlarge the K-Cup offering, in example Lavazza for Italian
coffee, Ozerlat for Turkish coffee or even Presidentti for Northern Europe coffee.
Also, another interesting partnership to explore are the Hotel chains. In this case, Keurig can increase
its sales, by adding a new market to is customer portfolio, but it is also able to increase its brand valuation and
reputation, driving benefits from this, increasing customers willingness to pay; For the Hotels, this
partnership is also good, as they outsource a service that they could have to do with more rudimental methods
Since its existence, Keurig intended to provide its customers with the finest coffee brewer system
The company was the first entering the market in 1998, allowing them to patent the service for single
serve brewing system, therefore avoiding the entrance on the market of potential competitors. Therefore,
companys first competitive advantage is its expertise of an innovative retail beverage company with high-
tech product development, namely the holistic innovation of every component of their brewing systems.
Due to its great list of partnerships, Keurigs third advantage is its multi-branded platform, allowing
the company to sell their consumers a wide variety of products including coffee and tea. The brewer cultivated
strong partnerships with multiple coffee growers and machine manufactures which allows them to sustain a
strong position in the market (Food Business News, 2014). Innovation and its distinct characteristics also
differ from its competitors like Mellita which uses a one branded system.
This differentiation strategy used by Keurigs management and its patent over the K-cups product,
allowed the company to sustain itself as the main retailer in the At Home Marketplace, allowing the brand to
sell 6, 185, 532 thousand dollars only in K-cup packs (Harvard Business Review, 2016; Case 8).
Keurigs differentiation strategy, based in an innovative and pioneer product as well as in multiple
partnerships, can be threatened in the long-run. Since the company is based on the patent insurance, when this
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one is over, multiple competitors can enter the industry with similar products and features, which will divide
customers attention and can insure the companys market share and overall business.
Throughout the years, a new tendency towards the environmental trend can arise issues to Keurigs
products once the pods are not recyclable or biodegradable and generate several tons of plastic waste. The
single-serve delivery mechanism becomes a ubiquitous over time and there will be a need to reinvent the
product. The differentiation strategy conducted by the company is known to be successful and sustainable
through when allied to constant innovation and growth (Harvard Business Review, 2010).
Profit drivers in the industry are expected to change as the industry matures, as the single cup brewing
is a recent business and there is clearly room to change, either consumer valuation drivers, cost drivers and
some features of the business itself. One may say that fundamental aspects of this industry value chain are the
supplier and customer bargaining power. Also, customers are both quality and price drive in the industry,
being one key feature, the variety of each players offer and the time to brew, key aspects of customers
Supplier Bargaining Power: In this industry, as there are a lot of suppliers, the players have more bargaining
power then suppliers, as the number of players is more limited. Though, may change in the upcoming years.
With the time limit for patents, the number of competitors in the market, tends to increase, due to the ease of
legal barriers to entry, decreasing in this way the dependence on customers from raw material suppliers. One
the other hand, suppliers are getting bigger with the industry, making partnerships and merges between them,
getting stronger over time, as it happened, for example, with GMCR. This factor, the increase in Suppliers
Customer Bargaining Power: At the current time, customer strength might be defined as moderated, as the
number of players is restricted, customers are more sensitive to quality than to price. Also, as the technology
is recent, customers are more willing to pay for trying it. In the future, it is possible to say that customers will
increase their bargaining power, as the entrant of new players, due to the end of patents, will reduce customers
switching costs and the evolution of technology will increase s sensitivity to price, affecting negatively the
profitability.
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Macroeconomic trends: In 2011 the world is still recovering from 2008 crises and so, over the next five
years, customers income is expected to increase. As it is known, consumer goods are positively correlated
with income availability, the industry is expected to grow in volume over the next 5 years.
low but is expected to increase in the upcoming years, increasing competitivity inside the industry. This means,
that new entrants might benefit if they have the capacity to enter a price war, also, due to the time limit of
patents, that might set the technology free for competitors. So, in this way, big players, such as big retailers,
wholesalers, electronics companies, might represent a considerable threat for the industry, as they can sustain
lower entering prices, reducing margins for the industry. Moreover, big players can create dependency on
suppliers, as they represent a large slice of the available revenues for the industry, decreasing the bargaining
power of suppliers for them, as they enjoy synergies that come from the large scope that large players might
have.
GMCR adopted a multi brand strategy: differentiating features. The company added complementary
brands to its portfolio while expanding its geographic presence and manufacturing and distribution
capabilities.
Keurigs retail launch strategy included two features, they recognized that retailers were different and
competed in different market segments so, Keurig envisioned producing a suite of brewers good, better, best
that would allow it to offer different products in each retail segment to meet the needs of those retailers target
customers. The product would match varying retail price points and offer a range of product features.
The better category would provide broader appeal for multiple segments. In launching the B50
brewer, Keurig needed to address retailer concerns, to, investments in support of Keurig would not be eroded
away. To address potential retailer concerns, Keurig created a minimum advertised program (MAP). These
programs minimized intra brand price competition by providing incentives to retailers who only advertised
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6.1 Challenges facing its strategy
Single-serving coffee brewing machines are the one of the most popular brewing system coffee
makers. The growing popularity of single-serving coffee brewing is a curious phenomenon considering the
cost of such a habit. Price comparison shows a unit of K-cups, the small capsules containing a single serving
of coffee grounds in small filter, command nearly 20 U.S. dollars more than a unit of traditional roast-and-
ground coffee. But for many consumers, the efficiency, quality, and array of choices offered by this machine
The longevity of some of the existing patents still can pose a problem, certain patents were set to expire
in 2012 and 2017. Without patent protection, the door could be open to competitors and everyone could use
Keurig technology. Another issue, is the environmental impact of the K-Cup portion pack. The amount of no
recyclable material leads to users contemplate the use of another friendly single-cup brewing system.
-Maximize effectiveness with partners: the relationship with partners is an important side on Keurigs growth,
the relationship between GMCR and Starbucks, for example, is not clear if it is an interim solution or it can
At the time of Keurigs entrance into AH marketplace in 2003, the company was privately held, with
three significant shareholders, MDT, an investment advisory firm. GMCR held 42% in Keurig and Van Houtte
owned 28 percent.
As provided for in separate shareholder agreements, neither GMCR nor Van Houtte could have a seat
In June 2006 GMCR completed the acquisition of Keurig shares. Ownership by GMCR allowed
Keurig avenue for expansion of its robust offering of coffee varieties. This move enabled Keurig to leverage
the resources of GMCR to further its growth in the single serve segment and show its commitment.
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6.3 Processes put in place to achieve a successful execution
From its initial entry into single serve brewing, Keurig recognized the importance of choice to allow
each person to find a coffee that met his individual taste preferences. Keurig entered relationships with three
key coffee brands: Folgers Gourmet Selections, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks. GMCR entered into a
promotion, manufacturing and distribution agreement with Dunkin Donuts that would make five flavors
available in K-Cup portion packs, sold exclusively in its restaurants. In 2011 GMCR entered a manufacturing,
marketing, distribution and sales relationship with Starbucks that would make Starbucks and Tazo tea K-Cup
portion packs available. The relationship would enable Keurig to potentially reach 50 million customers
served in Starbuck every week. It was an opportunity for Keurig to add a super-premium coffee brand to its
offering however there was some uncertainty concerning the long-term benefit.
The commitment to technological innovation was a key component Keurigs success. Keurig obtained
patents covering its innovations, such as: a patent infringement lawsuit against Sturm Foods.
Keurig Co. products are redirected for people who prefer taking quality fresh-brewed gourmet coffee
at the comfort of their homes. During the recession, American preferred a cheaper, efficient and
convenient option for buying coffee which led to the coffee pod sales increase from 0,06% in 2000 to 34%
According to the National Coffee Association study of trends 40% of the consumers with the age
between 18-24 years old drink coffee daily and 54%. For those 25 to 39 years old, 54 percent said they drink
Keurig offers its consumers the possibility of controlling the amount of caffeine, temperature and
pressure of water in the packs, which results in a personal-taste shaped coffee. The companys multiple
partnerships with innumerous gourmet coffee roasters offers multiple coffee packages with the product they
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As it was previously annualized, in the upcoming years, Keurig is about to face some challenges in the
At-Home market, as the drivers of the industry are changing and price wars are one sight, turning this market
into a red ocean. To avoid this, Keurig needs to design their strategy in order to decrease the price sensitivity
of customers, enjoy all the potential of their partnerships, decreasing costs, and, rethink their target customers
To maintain and gain marketplace leadership, companies should address their customers needs and
evolve according to the market trends. In the U.S., consumers have developed tendency towards becoming
more sociable, especially in the millennials generation, that come from drinking coffee on the comfort of the
home, which is one of the advantages given by Keurig, to pursue the outdoors and the social experience
This preference and different live style should be reflected in new and innovated products, betting on
a new, more broadly and growing target. Products such as the ones related to Coffee To Go experience, Green
and Environmental Friendly Coffee, could be differentiated products that can lead Keurig to achieve a much
more solid market share even if these tendencies change the way the market operates. The new set of
customers also prefers experience rather than price, which allows Keurigs to sell a different set of products
which enable the coffee experience outdoors with social gatherings at a higher price than its conventional
products.
Currently, Keurigs main target customer segment focus are the end-users, who are customers that
purchase Keurig coffee makers and K-Cup pods for at home use. There is a possibility that the industry and
business environment could grow more competitive in the future, especially when its technology patents
expire. To remain competitive in an increasingly competitive market, Keurig could consider expanding its
target customer segment to include B2B sales. This could possibly act as a Blue Ocean Strategy, by increasing
WTP while managing low costs. Two possible business markets that Keurig could expand its target customer
segment to are offices and airlines. Keurig could sell brewery machines and K-Cup pods to offices, who could
in turn sell the K-Cup pods to employees. Similarly, Keurig could sell its products to airlines, who could sell
the K-Cup pods to passengers on the aircraft. Following the EERC grid for Blue Ocean Strategy, by selling to
businesses, it eliminates the need for Keurig to conduct advertising or marketing campaigns. It also allows
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Keurig to reduce the range of K-Cup pods sold to businesses, which can result in greater ease of selection.
There is potential for Keurig to lower its costs, while gaining revenue, and therefore increasing its profits from
Lastly, we think it is important for Keurigs current customers, to increase their WTP and, at
the same time, decrease the costs for them, providing a unique service, broadly available. To implement this,
we suggest that Keurig establishes partnerships with some luxury brands, such as Bugatti, Ferrari, SMEG, or
others, that increase customers valuation of the brand, making them fell they are paying for an exclusive
service and paying for that. Then it is essential to develop some agreements with retailers, where those
machines are available, to ensure time delivery of those machines, to give customers the possibility have
physical contact with the equipment. All the mentioned elements, are part of the Raise of ERRC, and will
allow Keurig to differentiate and increase market share and market value. Together with the previous
partnerships, it is also important for the exclusiveness strategy, to create synergies on the K-Cups, especially
with reputed coffee brands and hotel chains, as it is justified in the point 5 of the analysis.
As the predicted red ocean environment will be common to all the players in the market, competitors are
expected to develop their own strategies, both on competing over price and differentiating. That could
undermine Keurigs strategy, though, Keurig already have an important competitive advantage, that might
ensure the success of the recommended strategy, namely, the size of the company and the synergies existent
between producers and Keurig, being perceived as a premium brand, current partnerships, among other
features, that excel the uniqueness of Keurigs products.
Together with this, we also think that most of the competitors will focus on reducing prices and using
already existent technology, instead of developing their own new one. This means, that Keurigs
differentiation strategy might not be so affected by competitors reactions, as they have more difficulties to
create a unique market place, due to past decisions they have made.
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References
The Washington Post (2016). Down-go coffee-pods. Retrieved 21 April 2017 from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/03/down-go-coffee-
pods/?utm_term=.ca3464d5d93b
Vending market watch (2011). A new professionalism defines OCS. Retrieved 21 April from
http://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/article/10317126/a-new-professionalism-defines-ocs
Food Business News (2014). Keurig playing to win. Retrieved 26 April 2017 from
http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/news_home/Business_News/2014/06/Keurig_playing_to_win.asp
x?ID=%7BCC012E81-7A51-4808-8E72-B8FA65F87A82%7D&cck=1
Harvard Business Review (2016). What innovative companies can learn from highs and lows. Retrieved 26
Harvard Business Review (2010). The Sustainability Imperative. Retrieved 26 April 2017 from
https://hbr.org/2010/05/the-sustainability-imperative
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/the-abominable-k-cup-coffee-pod-environment-
problem/386501
Case 8: Keurig: From David to Goliath: The Challenge of Gaining and Maintaining Marketplace Leadership,
Eric T. Anderson.
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