When thinking of essentials for the average college student, a few obvious items come to mind: an adequately functioning computer, noise-cancelling headphones and a sturdy backpack.
Arguably, none of these are as important as the holy grail of daily necessities. Caffeine, whether you take it in a cup or can, is a cornerstone to the very culture of America. According to the American Medical Association, 85% of US adults consume 135 milligrams of caffeine daily.
College students drinking caffeine is a tale as old as time, so it is no surprise that this statistic holds even more true for this demographic.
According to a nationally representative survey conducted by Grand Canyon University, 95% of college students say they consume caffeine, spending on average $20.82 a week.
While the benefits and negatives of caffeine as a substance have generated substantial debate, the question of market trends offers interesting insights.
In Oxford, a college town crawling with loaded tea shops, pop-up coffee chains and aisles lined with an impossible number of caffeinated options, staying awake has never been easier.
Increasingly, however, students are beginning to opt for branded energy drinks to find their fuel. From Celsius, Red Bull, Monster, Bubbl’r and beyond, the bulk-bought products sold at supermarkets simply outcompete the price of barista-style coffee.
According to market research firm Circana, between July 2024 and 2025, energy drink unit sales increased by 6.3%. Unit sales of ready-to-drink coffee and tea beverages, however, fell by 4.8%.
A surprising competitor contributing to this trend has entered the Oxford caffeine market. It is not local or even a small business.
The UPDATE “energy drink,” co-founded by Beverly Hills billionaire and socialite Kim Kardashian, has made waves at Walmarts across the nation by offering energy without the traditional ingredient of caffeine.
While branded as an energy drink, UPDATE contains zero caffeine; the key ingredient is paraxanthine, the compound your body naturally produces after consuming caffeine.
The UPDATE formula promises to “eliminate the crash, jitters and overstimulation” that caffeine drinkers typically suffer from while still delivering “four hours of focused energy when you need it most.”
What distinguishes UPDATE is not merely its celebrity association or ingredient label, but its branding. Much like many energy drink campaigns in recent years, the brand has targeted female consumers with bright, fruity flavors and claims of wellness.
UPDATE’s corporate strategy is not unique in its gendered marketing. In February, Monster Energy launched the female-focused FLRT energy drink line, offering its own array of flavors from “Guava Lava” to “Berry Tempting,” promoting wellness ingredients such as collagen and biotin.
The energy drink industry is undergoing a broader shift towards health-conscious branding to meet demands from consumers, according to Tony Guilfoyle, CCO at Celsius Energy Drinks.
While it is easy to discount the relevance of national brands to the relatively tiny town of Oxford, the style and tactics of marketing moguls affect caffeine consumers everywhere.
At a college where caffeine is ubiquitous, how are University of Mississippi students responding to drastic shifts in the energy drink market?
Jared Smith, a sophomore international studies and Spanish double major from Pass Christian, Miss., said that he consumes an UPDATE drink daily.
“I actually really enjoy the drinks because of their ‘clean’ energy,” Smith said. “When I used to drink (other) energy drinks, just the sheer amount of caffeine without anything else would send me either into shakes or deep lows after the caffeine high wore off.”
He said that drinking UPDATE, by contrast, did not result in the same side effects due to the use of more natural compounds instead of caffeine.
Furthermore, Smith believes that his peers will take well to the changing energy drink market.
“I think a lot of students have become more health conscious and more interested in what exactly we are putting in our bodies,” Smith said.
He compared the pivot in the energy drink market to the soda industry, with drinks like Ollipop and Poppi growing in popularity as “clean” soda alternatives.
Not all college students, however, share this view.
Junior political science major A’Davion Bush, from Indianola, Miss., said that his personal caffeine use is “more about function than taste.” Bush said his energy-related drinking habits fluctuate based on his needs at any given time.
“I do not think most students are going to choose a drink just because it is marketed as healthier,” Bush said. “College students still care a lot about price, convenience, taste and whether it actually gives them the energy boost they need.”
Bush argued that cleaner energy drink options may find success among UM students who are already invested in wellness and lifestyle trends.
“For others, the deciding factor will still be what is accessible, affordable and effective,” Bush said.
His point rings particularly true, as cost is an important factor in determining which products will be successful.
As energy drinks are becoming more popular nationwide, the change in price reflects one potential reason why they have become a competitor to other types of caffeinated beverages; data show that year-over-year price increases for energy drinks reached their peak at 6.2% in 2022, while coffee and tea options increased by 12%.
This trend indicates that the substitution effect is a primary driver for the success of energy drinks; when prices for coffee and tea rise, many will opt for cheaper alternatives.
Ultimately, it is clear that the energy drink market is making an obvious shift toward providing healthier, cleaner alternatives to the traditional energy drink, a move that will likely find success among students in Oxford and throughout the United States.
By being more particular in our consumption of caffeinated beverages, consumers could play an even greater role in the future of the energy drinks industry.
MacKenzie McDaries is a sophomore political science and Arabic major from Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Lenora Collier is a sophomore international studies major from Hattiesburg, Miss.
