Back in 2017, energy drink sales seemed tired. The category experienced only a 2.1% increase in dollar sales and a 1.8% increase in unit sales that year, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 3, 2017.
But 2018 breathed new life into the category, with a 7.5% increase in dollar sales (to $12.2 billion) and a 7.0% rise in unit sales (to 4.5 billion), according to IRI’s data for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 2, 2018.