A major change to a brand’s packaging has customers asking if the juice is worth the squeeze.
Tropicana has dropped its signature orange juice carafe design: the clear, plastic, rounded rectangular-shaped bottles, which featured a round, beveled neck and thick, crown-like bottle cap.
In July, the brand announced that its juices would now come in a narrower bottle with a cap that eliminates the need for an induction seal. The brand also downsized its multi-serving bottles from a 52-ounce to 46-ounce capacity.
Tropicana says that it changed the shape of the bottle so it’s easier to pour and store, while nixing the crown cap for a streamlined and easier-to-open screw top made with less plastic.
Since the change, the juice company has been dealing accusations of shrinkflation from upset customers as well as lower sales, according to some data.
Market research firm Circana shared data with CNN that showed Tropicana’s sales dropped 8.3% from the year prior, adding that in August, sales dropped 10.9%.
According to CNN, Tropicana’s sales dropped 19% by October, adding that the juice brand has lost around 4% of its market share since the change to Coca-Cola-owned Simply Orange.
Tropicana refutes this data, saying that data from the last four weeks shows that its unit sales and category share trends are shifting.
“These types of changes can take time, and recent third-party data shows that unit sales are returning to normal levels,” a Tropicana Brands Group spokesperson tells TODAY.com.
“We are continuing to do what we can to further help shoppers get accustomed to our new look, including investing in advertising and in-store elements,” they continue. “In the meantime, anecdotally we are hearing from many that the changes better suit them and optimize their experience with our product.”
The brand says it conducted extensive research that included testing hundreds of designs — including some physical prototypes for consumers to interact with — and landed on the 46-ounce bottle as the optimal size for consumers.
“At Tropicana, the consumer is always at the center of our decision making, and our new packaging intends to directly address feedback we’ve received from them,” the spokesperson says.
Tropicana also says that its new 46-ounce bottle also comes with a lower manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). The brand’s FAQ states that 46-ounce packages are lowered from $4.69 to $3.99 for orange juice and from $3.39 to $2.99 for juice drinks.
The representative says that the reduced size is a result of consumer feedback as well as a desire to give its customers a more affordable product.
People online have noted however that their local retailers are still selling the 46-ounce bottle for the same price, a phenomenon Tropicana says will eventually change.
“It is possible that for a brief time, retailers have not adjusted their on-shelf pricing while transitioning from our old to new packaging,” Tropicana notes on its FAQ.
Additionally, the size of Tropicana’s single-serve bottles have been reduced from 12-ounces to 11-ounces, with an MSRP remaining at $2.15 to “help offset the realities of inflation and increased costs.”
Tropicana’s packaging changes have left customers with a sour taste in their mouths, taking to Tropicana’s social media accounts to air their grievances.
“New look less juice. Pretty sad advertising,” commented one Facebook user.
“Price gouging…I am more of a fan of Simply Lemonade..and all the other Simply juices,” wrote one X user.
“Lies,” wrote another commenter, responding to Tropicana’s promise of “New Look. New Name. Same Delicious” for its fruit punch flavor.
“46oz 👎🏼 wont do for the household,” wrote another Instagram commenter. “Thats almost one less serving. Ended purchasing a different 52oz brand for $3.98. Hopefully the other brands keep the 52oz.”
There are those who are happy with the change, but they are harder to find.
“I like the new bottle better than the old one…” wrote one X user.
“This smaller container is cheaper at my Walmart,” said a Facebook user. “I bought it the last two weeks and seem to drink smaller glasses for some reason and it lasts all week, which is good because the larger containers I seem to have a huge glass and be out quicker.”
“Where are the crown caps??? They were so iconic,” asked an Instagram user. When Tropicana responded that the change uses less plastic and makes the bottles easier to open, handle and store, the user replied, “that’s really cool and innovative. That’s why (you’re) the best juice company.”
You may be feeling a bit of deja-vu. In 2009, the brand scrapped a redesign of its orange juice packaging that simplified its logo and eliminated its brand symbol of a straw poking out of an orange.
