Stanley cups took over the world and became not only the go-to water bottle, but the symbol of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. By using the right hashtags and hopping on various TikTok trends, Stanley ensured its place as a household name in the tumbler industry.
However, soon after becoming the number one water bottle, the Stanley cup started receiving 1-star rating after 1-star rating. So…
Where did Stanley cups go wrong?
Before answering this question, it’s important to acknowledge that products like Stanley cups are in such high demand that they are bound to be sold on more than one platform. While having options to choose from is beneficial for the customer, it might be a nightmare for the business when it comes to monitoring reviews.
That’s why I used FeedCheck while researching customer reviews for this article. FeedCheck allows me to track ratings and reviews for any product on hundreds of platforms and give me statistics that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. If that sounds like something that would make your life easier as well, check out our demo.
The best selling Stanley cup on Amazon has over 1600 1-star ratings and, at the time this article is written, 6831 5-star ratings. That means there are 4.3 times more 5-star ratings than 1-star. While at first it might look like a fairly good number, we have to keep in mind that their direct competitor, Yeti, has 7 times more high ratings than low ones.*
Stanley cup overall ratings (histogram 1) vs. Yeti overall ratings (histogram 2), provided by FeedCheck
If we analyze other leading brands in their industries, we observe that they have much better statistics as well. For example, iPhone 12 has 7 times more 5-star ratings than 1-star, while the Kindle Paperwhite outstandingly has 28.7 times more 5-star ratings than 1-star.
There are 3 recurring words in the 1-star ratings of Stanley cups.
By using the Trending tools on FeedCheck, I discovered that many low ratings contain the same words: “handle” was used 195 times, “scratch” appeared 112 times and “dent” was written in 93 reviews. This piece of information allows us to guess that there might be some issues with the handles, but how can we know for sure?
The Topic explorer feature from FeedCheck gave me more context for how each word was used. For instance, I discovered that the problem with the handle is that it gets easily broken. When it comes to the other 2 words that were frequently used, I found out that many Stanley cups arrived to the customers already scratched or dented.
How the word “handle” was used in 1-star reviews for Stanley cups
I used the same tools to analyze the 1-star reviews of their competitor, Yeti. I discovered that the word “dent” was only mentioned 8 times, while “scratch” appeared 4 times. The main term used throughout the negative feedback is “lid”, which was mentioned by 57 unhappy customers. Using the summary provided by the Topic explorer feature, we see that many clients feel like the lids that come with the Yeti cups are not secure enough.
How the word “lid” was used in 1-star reviews for Yeti cups
While I am sorry that the customers did not get what they expected, I have to admit that their experiences are of significant importance. Those recurring negative reviews show us that monitoring and analyzing reviews is mandatory in order to gain and maintain a loyal customer base. But don’t trust me on this one – trust Google.
By checking Google Trends, we can see a huge decrease of searches when it comes to Stanley cups. More than that, Google Keyword Planner tells us that the search term “stanley cup” registered a 75% decline over the last 3 months.
Statistics for the search term “stanley cup” on Google Trends from May 2023 to May 2024
Those cutbacks can only mean that the customers are not satisfied with the products anymore.
Stanley cups became known for both their quality and their unique design. If one of those characteristics is missing, then the product doesn’t respect the Stanley brand anymore.
How can Stanley cups reach the top again?
There isn’t a universal answer to this question, but one thing is certain: if a declining brand wants to take over the world again, it is imperative for them to listen to their customers. More explicitly, they have to track reviews, identify complaints and fix any issue that could make a client give up on their product.
You can easily do that with a FeedCheck subscription, whose only purpose is to make sure that you know exactly what the clients think about your brand and how you can make your products better.
Don’t be indifferent. Be better and grow your business.
Contact us now if you want to learn how to measure and improve your reputation.
*Analysis based on data collected from the best selling product on Amazon for each brand.