Malaysia: Coke Buddy Advises Orders with AI

Coca-Cola is promoting order recommendations in Malaysia through Coke Buddy and Perfect Basket. A campaign launched in early 2026 generated thousands of entries and a high adoption rate among registrants, while the company cites favorable pilots elsewhere. However, several key performance indicators have not been published for Malaysia.

Previous Pilots and Reported Gains Outside Malaysia

Coca-Cola reported in earlier trials that retailers exposed to AI-generated recommendations were over 30% more likely to purchase the suggested items. These results did not pertain to Perfect Basket in Malaysia. In another demand forecasting project, Neeraj Tolmare indicated in 2025 that a pilot conducted in three countries observed sales 7% to 8% higher compared to non-users of the algorithm. The group describes these systems as combining customer data, external insights, and AI to formulate predictive recommendations.

What’s Missing in the Published Figures for Malaysia

Coca-Cola claims that the retail outlets that followed the recommendations during the Malaysian campaign saw revenue growth exceeding that of comparable brands. However, the company did not quantify the gap or provide detailed data linking recommendations to sales or inventory levels. The available information also lacks indicators on forecast accuracy, product availability, inventories, or logistics costs. Furthermore, the reported adoption rate only applies to campaign participants, not the entire network of retail outlets supported by the platform.

2026 Campaign: Participation and Adoption of Perfect Basket

The Perfect Basket, Perfect Ride campaign ran from January to April 2026 to encourage the use of recommendations in Malaysia. It recorded over 4,500 entries from more than 4,000 retailers. According to Coca-Cola, 83% of participating retail outlets adopted the Perfect Basket recommendations during this period.

How It Works: Recommendations Before Order Confirmation

Perfect Basket operates upstream of the order finalization process by suggesting products and quantities. Retailers remain free to modify or reject these proposals. The platform already relies on purchase history to suggest restocks and adds signals such as seasonality, weather, order frequency, and purchasing trends from comparable businesses. This is powered by Coca-Cola's Central Recommendation Engine, which leverages this data to formulate recommendations.

Local Implementation and Integration with Sales

In Malaysia, approximately 39,000 retail outlets rely on Coke Buddy, accessible via app, web, or WhatsApp, with personalized suggestions and order tracking. Order execution remains handled by Coca-Cola Refreshments Malaysia or its partners, within the existing sales and distribution framework. Sales teams continue to engage with retailers, who retain the final purchasing decision. Perfect Basket remains available after the campaign, and Coca-Cola plans to continue developing Coke Buddy and recommendations by incorporating feedback from retailers while maintaining access to sales representatives.

Global Reach: B2B Platforms and Suggested Orders

By the first quarter of 2024, Coca-Cola and its bottling partners had connected nearly eight million customers to B2B platforms worldwide. In Latin America, AI-driven suggested ordering capabilities reached over three million retail outlets. James Quincey emphasized in 2024 that digital ordering allows retailers to adjust their deliveries without waiting for a salesperson's visit. The group associates these systems with an evolution in the sales process, with a refocusing of pre-sales teams on account development. These systems rely on a combination of customer data, external information, and AI.