US 'Stanley' Craze... Domestic Tumbler Sales Up
Musinsa's 'Stanley' Search Volume Soars 44 Times
Triple-Digit Increase in Coffee Discount Users Using Tumblers
As tumblers have recently emerged as a must-have item for the MZ generation (Millennials + Gen Z), their sales have skyrocketed. Cases of receiving discounts by using tumblers at convenience stores and coffee shops have also surged. This phenomenon, where the ‘Stanley’ tumbler caused a sold-out frenzy among the American MZ generation, has been replicated in South Korea.
People lined up to purchase the limited edition Valentine's Day tumbler created through a collaboration between Starbucks and Stanley. [Image source=TikTok]
Starbucks Stanley Tumbler Open Run... SSG.com Sales Soar 600% Last Month
According to Musinsa on the 22nd, the search volume for ‘Stanley’ tumblers last month increased by 44 times (4320%) compared to January of last year. The number of consumers considering purchasing Stanley tumblers has grown exponentially compared to last year. The total transaction amount for tumblers also rose by 22% during the same period.
As Stanley gained popularity, sales of competitor tumbler products also exploded. ‘Thermos,’ known for its thermal insulation performance comparable to Stanley, saw a 204% increase last month on GS Home Shopping’s mobile shop compared to the same month last year. On SSG.com, total tumbler sales surged 600% last month, showing explosive growth. This was thanks to other tumbler products introduced by Starbucks, which led the ‘Stanley fever,’ selling like hotcakes.
The tumbler released through Starbucks’ collaboration with Stanley created a spectacle of ‘open run’ phenomena in both domestic and international markets, including the U.S. Starbucks recently launched a tumbler in collaboration with artist Kim Sun-woo, famous for the ‘Dodo bird,’ which also caused a sold-out frenzy.
Tumbler purchases are closely linked to eco-friendly consumption because using tumblers can reduce disposable products. The recent tumbler craze among the MZ generation reflects a demand for value consumption. Consumption has evolved beyond merely using products to considering how products are utilized and their actual impact on daily life as important factors. The ‘dito consumption’ culture, where people follow influencers’ tastes to express their individuality and consumption tendencies, has also intertwined with this trend. As influencers’ tumbler collections gained attention, tumbler purchases seem to have increased accordingly.
As tumbler sales increase, a virtuous cycle effect of reducing disposable products is also emerging. According to GS25, sales from purchases using tumblers at their own brand ‘Cafe25’ increased by 140% year-on-year as of last month. GS25 sells Americano coffee for 1,000 won instead of 1,300 won when using a tumbler.
Seven Eleven also recorded a cumulative 150,000 purchases of Americano using tumblers as of the end of last month. Since July last year, they have been running a ‘Green Americano’ subscription service that offers a 50% discount on Americano only to customers using tumblers, which surged about eightfold compared to 20,000 cups at the end of July last year. At Starbucks, personal cup usage reached a record high of 29.4 million cases last year. An official from the distribution industry said, “There were signs of a tumbler craze starting from the end of last year, and linked to eco-friendly consumption, tumbler sales have greatly increased,” adding, “Using tumblers also aligns perfectly with consumers’ tendency to save even a single penny.”
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