Monthly sales exceeded 1 million, the road to becoming the No. 1 product in Amazon’s category

In the Amazon water cup category, Sta nley has become the seller with the largest market share.

Thanks to viral spread on social media, Stanley's sales on Amazon exceeded 1 million last month. This brand redefined the target audience for water cups and quickly stood out as a case that is definitely worth exploring.

Search volume surges, social media brings great fortune to brands

Driven by social media, brands such as Stanley , YETI, and Simple Modern are taking over the water bottle industry, especially on Amazon. According to the keyword search volume of the latest popular water bottles on Amazon, it can be seen that Stanley has been in the leading position since the end of 2022. Why can this brand stand out?

Stanley was founded in 1913 by William Stanley, who invented vacuum insulation technology to keep drinks hot or cold, pushing the water bottle industry into a new stage of development. Stanley's rapid growth can be attributed to its continuous innovation and adaptation to market trends. The brand has expanded its product line to include a variety of thermoses, cups and food containers. The iconic green thermos has become a must-have for outdoor enthusiasts and workers.

In the past two years, searches for the keyword "Stanley Cup" have increased from 30,000 searches per week to over 600,000 searches per week.

By the end of 2023, Stanley's sales had reached US$750 million , and this outstanding performance was closely related to its 40-ounce Quencher cup.

It is understood that the best-selling Quencher H2.0 FlowState 40-ounce capacity on Stanley's official website is priced at US$45 to US$50; while the RAMBLER series 20-ounce capacity with the most reviews on its competitor YETI's official website is priced at US$35 to US$38.

Stanley , which sells at a higher price , has enough confidence. The popularity of Quencher has been rising since 2020, when Stanley collaborated with the "The Buy Guide" blog to position the mug as an everyday necessity and a mug suitable for everyone. Stanley also released new colors and limited edition designs, and used user-generated content to spread the word, achieving good sales.

On November 15, 2023, a striking piece of news caused Stanley's popularity to rise rapidly: a woman's car unfortunately caught fire, but the Stanley straw cup in her car was miraculously intact, and even the ice cubes in the cup had not melted... This greatly enhanced the brand's reputation.

This incident quickly sparked heated discussions on social networks, and Stanley CEO immediately took advantage of the traffic and gave the person involved a new car and a new cup. After November 15, the search volume for the keyword "Stanley cup" rose rapidly.

Subsequently, through viral marketing by KOLs and internet celebrities on TikTok, the Stanley straw cup quickly became a top fashion item among white American women, successfully breaking out of the professional outdoor market into the mass consumer market.

After becoming popular overnight, Stanley's sales rose rapidly. According to sorftime data, Stanley's sales of all categories in December 2023 were 1.17 million units, a month-on-month increase of 135% and a year-on-year increase of 64%; the annual sales volume was 5.81 million units, a year-on-year increase of 125%.

Amazon data shows that in November and December 2023, the sales volume of Stanley thermos reached 712,000 and 1,168,000 units, respectively, with year-on-year growth of 125.8% and 135%, respectively. At the beginning of this year, Stanley thermos has ranked first in sales in the category, with a share of up to 40%.

The supplier of Stanley is Jiayi Co., Ltd., a domestic listed company, and Stanley is the largest customer of Jiayi Co., Ltd.

According to data from Jiayi Shares, the company achieved annual operating income of 1.78 billion yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 41%; net profit attributable to the parent company reached 470 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 74%. In the first half of 2024, the company achieved operating income of 1.164 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 78.16%, and net profit attributable to the parent company was 317 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 94.56%.

The popularity of the Stanley brand has boosted suppliers and also promoted the development of the water cup industry.

TikTok and Amazon become new growth points for brands

With the rise of high-end brands such as Stanley and YETI , reusable large-capacity water bottles have become a popular trend in recent years.

Large-capacity reusable water bottles have become popular on social platforms such as TikTok, and sales have suddenly surged. Consumers buy large-capacity water bottles not only to reduce the harm of disposable plastic waste, but also to ensure that they drink enough water.

Today, the reusable water bottle market has reached a billion-dollar scale on Amazon. Brands such as Stanley and YETI have redefined the market by offering high-quality, fireproof, durable, and stylish water bottles that consumers favor. These brands have also successfully used platforms such as Amazon to become industry giants.

Factors driving this trend include: people's growing awareness of environmental protection; not wanting to drink room temperature water in plastic bottles; attractive colors and practical designs; and the continued promotion of social media videos.

For Stanley , the five key marketing strategies that have driven the brand’s growth over the past few years are as follows:

1. Heritage and quality

Stanley uses its long history and reputation for quality to attract customers. The brand emphasizes its heritage of durability and performance in its marketing campaigns.

2. Sustainability

Stanley is committed to sustainable development, focusing on product durability and the use of environmentally friendly materials. By providing durable, reusable bottles, Stanley positions itself as a responsible choice for environmentally friendly consumers, which is highly consistent with the current environmental awareness.

3. Adjust your target audience

The main reason why the Stanley cup became a sensation and went viral was because of women. Initially, Stanley’s target audience was blue-collar men and outdoor sports enthusiasts, but three women (Linley Hutchinson, Ashlee LeSueur and Taylor Cannon) from the blog “The Buy Guide” thought the cup was great, and the brand quickly adjusted its target audience.

4. Amazon Strategy

By leveraging Amazon’s marketplace, Stanley was able to reach a massive audience and increase sales exponentially.

5. Social Media Influence

Stanley effectively uses social media and influencer partnerships to reach a wider audience, demonstrate real-world uses of its products, leverage engaging content, and build a strong online community to attract fans and increase sales.

For brands, leveraging the virality of TikTok while maintaining a strong presence on Amazon can be a very effective strategy. TikTok is a powerful marketing tool that can increase product awareness and desirability, while Amazon is a trusted platform that can attract customers who prefer to buy from Amazon.

Maximizing cross-platform linkage may be an important part of a brand’s breakthrough. However, sellers first need to ensure consistent branding, so that the brand, product descriptions and images on social media and Amazon are consistent, which helps to maintain a consistent identity and makes it easier for consumers to find and identify; secondly, brands need to produce or mobilize influencers to produce high-quality content to resonate with the target audience and convert the audience into buyers; finally, using Amazon advertising tools and brand registration, such as sponsored products, A+ content, videos and Amazon stores, can further increase awareness and conversion rates, and tracking sales data, customer reviews and search trends can help brands understand the impact of their presence on social media on Amazon sales and adjust strategies accordingly.

Social media has become a major player in the e-commerce space, providing brands with the opportunity to reach a wide audience and become a hub for consumers to discover new products and trends. Brands like Stanley are using this channel to gain visibility and drive rapid sales growth on Amazon.

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