Stanley has a plan to stop online chaos and scalpers from ruining its product launches
- Stanley cups have been wreaking havoc at Target stores and tearing tween relationships apart.
- For its latest limited-edition drop, the cult-favorite tumbler maker teamed up with commerce platform EQL.
With Stanley cups stoking utter chaos among desperate Target shoppers (and employees) — and tearing apart middle schools — the brand is looking for ways to calm the fervor around its limited-edition launches.
For the debut this week of its hotly-anticipated Chocolate Gold Quencher — which was priced at $50 but is now sold out — CNN reports that Stanley parent company PMI Worldwide tapped Australia-based commerce platform EQL to help orchestrate the drop.
The 40-oz. tumbler comes in an "ornate" striped box, according to Stanley, featuring a "rich ganache powdercoat finish" and gold accents.
In order to get the tumblers in the hands of real fans — and to make their shopping experience less stressful — EQL created a dedicated webpage where shoppers could sign up to buy a maximum of one cup each on Wednesday, according to CNN. Customers were then notified if they'd been selected within 24 hours.
"One of our priorities is to prevent bots and resellers from depleting stock meant for our genuine fans," Stanley said.
EQL, which has also worked with Nike and Crocs on digital and physical drops, analyzed every entry to ensure that authentic Stanley fans would get the green light, EQL cofounder and CEO Andrew Lipp told CNN. He added that Stanley is currently evaluating the Chocolate Gold launch as it eyes future collaborations.
Stanley's SVP of global commerce Matt Navarro told Business Insider in a statement that with "inventory demands growing exponentially," the company has expanded its retail presence, including at Amazon, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Scheels.
He added that the EQL test was intended to provide "all consumers with a wider aperture and more user-friendly experience to get the Stanley products they love."