TikTok Is Obsessed With The Quencher, Stanley's Superhit Cup That Is Raking In Millions

The Quencher Juggernaut

Stanley held a modest place for itself in the market for over 110 years. The drinkware company that made bottles and thermoses to keep food and drinks hot or cold, changed the market forever in 2020. Introduced in 2016, the sales of its ‘The Quencher’ skyrocketed over 10 times, as per CNBC Make It.

Here’s how the Quencher turned a century-old company into one of the biggest names in hydration market.

The Start

Stanley introduced the 40-ounce insulated cup, the Quencher in 2016. It retailed between $45 and $55, sported a handle for ease of transportation, and featured a tapered design that made it easier to keep kept car’s cup holder.

Initially, the Quencher didn’t make much of an impact and by 2019 Stanley stopped restocking and marketing the product. A year later, Stanley brought on Terence Reilly, ex-Crocs executive who led the strategy that turned the crocs into one of the hottest shoes on the market. This is when the change for the Quencher began.

The Grand Revival

Upon coming onboard, Reilly did a listening tour with employees about what was working and what wasn’t. One of the employees mentioned that a group of women in Utah who ran a commerce blog appreciated the Quencher.

The Buy Guide’s co-founder Ashlee LeSueur had purchased her first Quencher in 2017 and she fell in love with the product. She even started gifting it to friends and recommended it to the group's followers. In 2019, when Stanley was shutting down the Quencher, she even tried to make a case for the company to continue production but Stanley gave her the option to make a wholesale order to sell Quenchers directly to her Buy Guide audience.

“I felt like I was signing a mortgage, It was a big risk for it. It took every penny that we had in the business account, plus some personal funds to make that happen,” LeSueur told CNBC Make It about the 5,000 pieces wholesale order. However, the group ended up selling the Quenchers within days.

Thus, Reilly embraced the potential and for the first time, the company made a shift to catering to young women, a new demographic. Reilly brought The Buy Guide as a partner, working with them to revive the Quencher and promote new, exciting colors like Desert Sage and Cream.

Reilly told CNBC that the experience at Crocs proved that this kind of influencer opportunity was just the magic that Stanley needed. Eventually, The Buy Guide proved to be an amazing partner and soon the Quencher turned into a phenomenon.

Reily also went viral with a TikTok in which he responded to a customer whose car was burnt down with her Quencher in it. The customer shared that even though her car was totalled by the fire, the Quencher still kept the ice intact in it. Reilly replied to the video and said Stanley would reimburse her for the lost car. 

The Growth Story

The Quencher soon outsold every other Stanley product and became the brand’s top-selling product in 2020. The success skyrocketed Stanley’s annual revenue from $70 million to over $750 million in just four years. The company’s revenue jumped from $73 million in 2019 to $94 million in 2020 and it leapfrogged to $194 million in 2021. In 2022, a redesigned Quencher model in a range of colors was released and the revenue rose to $402 million, as per CNBC.

The trendy pastel colors helped the Quencher be seen as less of a utilitarian product and more as a fashion accessory across social media. Stanley further released over 100 colors and fans soon began building collections.

“We see all the time that [our customer] wants her Quencher to match her fit, her nail polish, her car, her mood, her kitchen,” Reilly tells CNBC Make It.

The Quencher, which is now a favorite among nurses, teachers, influencers, and celebrities alike, has become so popular product that Stanley’s annual sales are projected to top $750 million in 2023, as per CNBC Make It.

Leveraging the Power of Social Media

The Quencher is a social media darling, especially on TikTok. The #StanleyTumbler hashtag has been viewed more than 900 million times, and the product has been featured in numerous viral videos.

Content creator Chelsea Espejo told CNBC that she has a collection of 47 cups. To drive the excitement further, Stanley’s strategy has focused on releasing new colors, and limited-edition drops, and advertising its latest additions on social media by pushing for collaborations with celebrities and brands.

A recent collaboration with Starbucks resulted in a red Quencher which was being resold on eBay for hundreds of dollars the same day it dropped, indicating its resale marketability. Another collaboration with country music star Lainey Wilson sold out in minutes.

Some Target stores had to limit the number of cups a single customer could buy after introducing the new Quencher colors. To date, Stanley has sold over 10 million Quenchers, and its popularity on social media has brought the brand name to the forefront of consumers’ minds.