Energy drinks are currently booming in the US, with sales expected to reach a staggering $225 billion by 2026.

To uncover the surge in popularity behind the energy drinks industry, Pre-Workouk World, an organisation aimed at demystifying the ingredients in pre-workout supplements, compiled an infographic.

Sales of Energy Drinks to Hit $225 Billion by 2026 – What’s Fueling the Surge?

The Why Energy Drinks are Big Business infographic is based on data from several respected sources to take an in-depth look at the industry. These sources include Medical News Today, Grand View Research, Beverage Industry and National Library of Medicine.

The research provides important insight into what helps generate business success, which all businesses can learn from.

Energy Drinks and Esports

One reason behind the surge in energy drink sales is the industry’s relationship with eSports. As the infographic highlights, in recognizing the potential in this growing sector, a number of the biggest teams in eSports have secured lucrative sponsorships from energy drinks companies.

For example, TSM signed a $410m deal with G FUEL. Cloud9 have managed to pull in $350m from linking up with Red Bull.

As PreWorkout World’s infographic notes, “Energy drink firms aggressively market their products to gamers and eSports players based on their performance-enhancing properties.”

This ‘aggressive’ marketing strategy of securing contracts with well-known, lucrative and even rising brands, can be successfully replicated by small businesses of different sectors looking to sell their products and broaden their reach.

Attempts to Appeal to More Consumers

The infographic also shows how, as the drinks industry attempts to appeal to more consumers, we can expect more plant-based energy ingredients including maca and guarana. The research suggests the industry will introduce reformulations including more natural sources of caffeine. There is also likely to be more focus on better quality and organic ingredients.

The research therefore sends an important message about evolving and adapting products to meet evolving consumer demand, as a means of nurturing longevity and success.

Image: preworkout

This article, “Sales of Energy Drinks to Hit $225 Billion by 2026 – What’s Fueling the Surge?” was first published on Small Business Trends