Costco's Kirkland Signature brand is known for creating dupes of popular brand-name merchandise. From Lululemon-style clothing to off-brand food packaging, the brand's marketing is distinct enough to avoid being sued for copyright infringement.
But Costco's latest offering has folks buzzing: Sparkling energy drinks reminiscent of Celsius' caffeinated beverages.
What is the new Kirkland Signature energy drink?
The new beverage from Kirkland Signature is a 24-pack of sparkling caffeinated drinks for $16.99.
They come with three flavors: peach, orange, and tropical. Each can has 200 mg of caffeine, which is the same amount in Ghost, Alani, and Celsius beverages. For context, there is roughly 95 mg of caffeine per 8-oz cup of black coffee.
While Costco already has its own energy shot drink, this is its first proper full-sized energy drink. People on social media are focusing on the price point of the Kirkland Signature drinks versus competitors currently on the market, given that they cost roughly 70 cents per can versus Celsius's $1.58 per can in a pack of 24.
If the new energy drink's taste can hold up to the brands already available in stores, it can be easy to assume that budget-conscious buyers will be happy to reduce the cost of one of the items in their shopping carts.
Reactions to the Kirkland Signature energy drink
On X, @TrungTPhan pointed out that Kirkland Signature has a proven method for breaking into industries with its "white-label" products. One aspect is that the company "caps Kirkland margin to 15% (usually single-digit % for supplier w/ focus on volume)."
Additionally, Costco takes years to develop its new products, with some aspects of its product that is superior to others from the same manufacturer. The example Phan gave was that the Costco CEO "said for a breakfast [sandwich], Costco got '40% more protein' on the bacon."
Many people tweeted their suspicions that the Kirkland Signature beverage was just repackaged Celsius, or at the very least, manufactured by the company.
@kennedy_chet suggested, "Celsius might be manufacturing it private label for them."
Meanwhile, @austenff opted for less tact and said, "If you look at these two cans and cant figure out that they’re canned by the same f*cking people then you need serious help."
Other people were more focused on the logo design for Kirkland than the actual product.
Still others shared their interest in Costco's marketing strategies. For example, @evantana noted, "I love this stuff. The level of clarity is inspiring. Generational businesses understand who they are, what they stand for and what their execution edge is."
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