Everywhere you look, people are carrying around giant, reusable drinking cups that resemble 5-gallon buckets.

But why this sudden increase? Are consumers buying large bottles to reduce plastic waste when using single-use products and to ensure they drink enough water? Or is it simply a cultural trend to own one of those giant, stylish branded cups? (It’s probably just a trend.)

In any case, the reusable water bottle industry has seen significant change in recent years, with the rise of premium brands like Stanley and YETI, not to mention the saturated market with lesser-known options on Amazon.

These companies have redefined the market by offering high quality, durable (fireproof) and stylish drinking cups that resonate with consumers.

This article examines the water bottle phenomenon, the meteoric rise of certain brands, and how these brands have successfully leveraged platforms like Amazon to become industry giants.

The water bottle boom

While this trend seems to have exploded in the last 3-4 years, reusable water bottles have been around for decades. Remember the classic squeeze bottles you used to use while playing sports as a kid?

What is particularly noteworthy is that Nalgene water bottles have been considered one of the first reusable water bottles for over 70 years!

So, yes, reusable water bottles have been around for a very long time, but the last few years have been game-changing for the industry.

Reasons for this are:

• Growing environmental awareness
• The desire not to have to drink room temperature water in a thin plastic bottle
• Attractive colors and functional designs,
• Videos on social media are making this type of water bottle increasingly popular.

The It water bottle

Every 2-3 years, there seems to be a new “must-have” or “it” water bottle that many consumers purchase. Of course, some consumers refuse to stick with what is popular and choose a different brand.

It’s almost like the brand of your water bottle says a lot about you! (Personally, I’m more of a YETI guy.)

A few years ago, brands like S’well and Hydro Flask were the most popular water bottle brands, driven by social media and the desire to fit in. Now, for example, both brands are trending downward as new water bottle brands enter the market.

Brands like Stanley, YETI, Simple Modern and others are taking over the water bottle industry, especially on Amazon.

Here’s a keyword search volume for the latest trendy water bottles on Amazon. You can see that Stanley is absolutely top-notch since late 2022 (more on that in a moment).

Water bottles are a huge market on Amazon and Stanley owns a large share of it.

(Jungle Scout Cobalt Data)

Before we look at the numbers on Amazon for the water bottle market, let’s learn a little more about one of the biggest brands today: Stanley.

The story of Stanley’s growth and expansion

Stanley has been around longer than most of us have been alive.

The company was founded in 1913 by William Stanley Jr., who invented vacuum insulation technology to keep drinks warm. A century later, Stanley still keeps drinks hot, cold and looks cooler than ever.

Stanley’s growth is due to its continuous innovation and adaptation to market trends. The brand expanded its product line to include a variety of insulated bottles, mugs and food containers. The iconic green thermos became a staple for outdoor enthusiasts and workers alike.

Just look at the graphic: The keyword “Stanley Cup” has increased from 30,000 searches per week to over 600,000 searches per week in the last two years.

By the end of 2023, Stanley had generated a whopping $750 million in sales, thanks in large part to its 40-ounce Quencher Cup.

The Quencher has enjoyed increasing popularity since 2020when Stanley partnered with the blog “The Buy Guide,” which positioned the mug as an everyday essential and a mug for everyone. Stanley also released new limited edition colors and designs and used user-generated content (UGC) to spread the message.

Additionally, towards the end of 2023, a video of a Stanley Cup surviving a car fire went viral on TikTok, contributing to increased sales and improved brand reputation.

Stanley’s response to the video was also helpful, as they offered to buy the woman a new car after it was lost in the fire.

5 Important Marketing Strategies from Stanley

Let’s take a look at some of the marketing strategies Stanley has used over the past few years to grow its brand.

1. Tradition 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 promotes its commitment to sustainability, focusing on the longevity of its products and the use of environmentally friendly materials. By offering long-lasting, reusable bottles, Stanley positions itself as a responsible choice for environmentally conscious consumers.

3. Social media presence

Stanley effectively uses social media and influencer partnerships to reach a wider audience. Engaging content that shows the use of their products in real life helps build a strong online community and increases sales.

4. Adaptation of the target group

You’ve probably noticed that the target audience that was largely responsible for the Stanley trophy’s excitement and virality is women. Originally, Stanley’s target audience was blue collar workers and outdoorsmen, but as I mentioned, The Buy Guide blog, owned by three women (Linley Hutchinson, Ashlee LeSueur, and Taylor Cannon), thought the trophy was great, but knew Stanley was targeting the wrong audience.

5. Amazon strategy

By leveraging the Amazon marketplace, Stanley can reach a huge audience and increase its sales exponentially. Now let’s see what impact Stanley and other brands have on the Amazon water bottle market.

What are the top brands in the water bottle market on Amazon?

As you’ve probably figured out by now, Stanley is the largest water bottle brand on Amazon.

As they adapted their marketing strategy and target audience, they regularly released new colors, designs and different variations of water bottles to keep up with trends.

We created a segment within Jungle Scout Cobalt to take a closer look at the top brands (apart from Stanley), the best-selling products, and the top keywords with the most sales.

(Jungle Scout Cobalt filters used: Categories Tumblers & Water Glasses, Insulated Bottles, Insulated Mugs; All Brands; Minimum 30-day spend: $10,000)

As you can see, Stanley is the clear winner with a whopping 15% market share, but Simple Modern is close behind at 14% and YETI comes in third. Note: This only applies to the Water Bottles category on Amazon. Other categories these brands may sell in, such as coolers, tote bags, backpacks, etc., are not included.

Other brands like Hydro Flask, Meoky and Owala still generate impressive sales in this market.

We’ve already mentioned Nalgene because it was one of the first reusable water bottles and really dominated that category 15-20 years ago.

Now they are still successful on Amazon, but not in the top 10 in terms of market share and revenue. Their bottles are essentially the same as they were many years ago and have not adapted to what is currently popular in the market, such as large, insulated drinking cups.

This viral car fire video was posted on November 15, 2023, and the graphics below show its impact not only on Stanley, but also on other water bottle brands on Amazon.

1p vs 3p

First-party sales mean Amazon is selling the product. Third-party sales are brands selling their own products. At Amazon. Third-party sales totaled a whopping $659.1 million last year, while first-party sales brought in $531.8 million.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 brands in terms of 3P revenue and sales.

YETI

YETI is a huge brand and all of their Amazon sales come from a YETI authorized third party seller. The company does not sell products directly to Amazon (I bet Amazon has contacted YETI to purchase their products).

Meoky

Another up-and-coming third-party brand is Meoky. They launched on Amazon in 2022 and quickly gained popularity because their products were cheaper than those of bigger brands like Stanley and YETI, but offered the same functionality and came in many different colors.

Meoky has also become very popular on TikTok over the past year as the brand was introduced in the TikTok Shop, which prompted numerous partners to create videos about their products.

Keyword data

At Keyword Scout, we can see the rapid increase in search volume for the keyword “Stanley Cup” after November 15th.

Stanley may be number one right now, but for the general search term “water bottle,” we see the three highest converting products for that keyword, and none of them are Stanley.

Market share

At Cobalt, we can see who is losing and gaining market share. Even though Stanley sells an astronomical amount of products on Amazon, the company is losing market share to other brands like Simple Modern.

Final thoughts

It’s incredible how big the water bottle market is on Amazon alone. Data from Jungle Scout Cobalt and Keyword Scout shows us how every few years a new brand takes over the market leadership.

Based on the growth in this segment over the years, the water bottle market will only continue to grow as more brands enter the market and

The water bottle market will continue to grow as new brands and styles emerge. Brands like Stanley and YETI have met consumers’ desire for products that work well and make a statement.