Coca-Cola and its rival PepsiCo have spent hundreds of millions of dollars over many years trying to boost demand for their soft drinks in Muslim-majority nations like Pakistan and Egypt.

Due to customer boycotts that target the globally spanning brands as representations of America and, consequently, Israel at a period of conflict in Gaza, both are currently facing competition from regional soda companies in those nations.

Coca-Cola sales in Egypt have fallen this year, despite local company V7 exporting more than three times as many bottles of the company's cola to the Middle East and abroad as it did the previous year. Coca-Cola was compelled by public outcry to suspend their boycott-opposing advertising campaign in Bangladesh. Furthermore, Pepsi's phenomenal rise disappeared across the Middle East in October as the Gaza war broke out.

While PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are still growing in several Middle Eastern countries, market analysts have pointed out that it is difficult to measure lost sales. Nonetheless, sales of Western beverage brands decreased 7% in the Middle East during the first half of the year, according to market research firm NielsenIQ.

Founder Kassim Shroff told Reuters this month that Krave Mart, a well-known delivery app in Pakistan, has seen the rise in popularity of regional cola competitors like Cola Next and Pakola, which now account for about 12% of the soft drink market. Prior to the boycott, the number was more like 2.5 percent.

Pakola, a flavored ice cream drink, accounted for most of the transactions made prior to the boycott, according to Shroff.

Consumer boycotts have existed at least since the 18th century, during a British anti-slavery sugar protest. The strategy has been widely used against Israel through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign. It was initially used in the 20th century in South Africa to oppose apartheid.

Customers who avoid Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in large numbers point to American backing for Israel over many years, including the country's ongoing conflict with Hamas.