![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/3bba37b6-3aa3-405e-a1d9-1a9eaaafc913)![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/669447b8-9611-4dee-89b3-ac531a39b7ee)![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/8937744a-abd3-49a1-9078-0ccb8f075f6b)![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/a0d91b5c-cdd2-4404-82ad-984c0dd3139d)![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/3887c8a4-a7cc-4ef3-bfa4-a17410864bda)

Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights

NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirstie, the leading e-commerce provider for beverage alcohol brands, today announced its partnership with Benriach Single Malt Scotch Whisky through the launch of the brand's store for U.S. consumers to purchase whisky online. Benriach is the first brand within Brown-Forman's prestigious spirits portfolio to have a branded online shopping experience in the U.S.

Benriach's online shop, powered by Thirstie, will provide consumers with a seamless digital experience through Thirstie's retail integration and partnerships.

Since the launch of Thirstie's proprietary platform in 2016, the company has demonstrated a strong commitment to compliance, enabling a three-tier compliant branded e-commerce solution for beverage alcohol suppliers. The technology, built by Thirstie, has a sophisticated retail algorithm that dynamically determines product availability based on pricing set by retail partners and tax calculations based on the market. Thirstie's front-end technology delivers a unique branded experience for adult consumers.

"e-Commerce within the spirits industry is rapidly growing, as adult consumers continue to shop online," stated Laura Petry, VP Group Brand Director - Emerging Brands. "At Brown-Forman, we are the champion of consumers, shoppers, customers, and trade. They are at the heart of everything we do. When looking for a partner to deliver a branded e-commerce experience, it was critical to find a solution that delivers a compliant experience and adheres to the regulations within beverage alcohol. We are excited to partner with Thirstie to launch our Benriach branded storefront within the US."

Benriach, based in Speyside, Scotland, is part of Brown-Forman's Single Malt Scotch Whisky family crafted under the guidance of Master Blender Rachel Barrie. Its unique whisky-making heritage and extensive flavor profile attract consumers globally, especially in the U.S. market. Benriach's digital storefront will enable U.S. customers to purchase the brand's extraordinary range of whiskies delivered or shipped directly to their homes.

"We are excited for Thirstie's partnership with Benriach coming to life with the launch of the online storefront," stated Thirstie's CEO & Co-Founder, Devaraj Southworth. "We certainly share a like-minded approach in paving the way for digital transformation in the spirits industry, while respecting the foundational principles our sector was established on."

Adult consumers in CA, CT, DC, FL, IL, MN, NJ, NY, WA markets can now purchase Benriach at shop.benriachdistillery.com.

**About Thirstie**

Thirstie is the leading e-commerce solution for beverage alcohol brands. Established in 2014 by Co-Founders, Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin, Thirstie's patented technology increases online consumer interactions for the world's most iconic alcohol companies. Thirstie delivers a compliant end-to-end full customer experience with its e-commerce, retailer, data, and gift card solutions. Thirstie's national network of licensed retailers seamlessly fulfills online orders funneled through a branded webstore that are routed to them through the company's proprietary algorithm. Thirstie's suite of best-in-class data capabilities helps brands better understand and target their customers. In 2021, the company launched the industry-first alcohol branded gift card solution, enabling brands to further drive online retail revenue. For more information about Thirstie, please visit www.thirstie.com.

**About Benriach**

A Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky as intriguing and extraordinary as Benriach could not have come to be without a unique whisky-making heritage, dating from 1898, when founder John Duff built his distillery. Ruggedly beautiful, Benriach stands on the site of the old Riach farm in north Speyside, drawing water from a mineral-rich aquifer, deep beneath the distillery.

Thanks to a long-standing tradition of distilling three styles of whisky; classic unpeated, Highland peated and triple distilled, together with an eclectic selection of casks from around the world, our whisky makers are able to explore the full flavour possibilities of Single Malt, creating some of the richest, most multi-layered whiskies in Speyside.

This tradition continues today under the guidance of Master Blender, Rachel Barrie. Benriach is the story of a hidden Speyside gem, quietly revealing its treasures to be discovered and savored.

Please Drink Responsibly. Benriach is a registered trademark. ©2022 Benriach. All rights reserved. Scotch Whisky 43% Alc. by Vol. Imported by Brown-Forman Beverages, Louisville, KY.

SOURCE THIRSTIE

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thirstie-and-brown-forman-launch-benriach-single-malt-scotch-whisky-e-commerce-partnership-with-debut-of-digital-storefront-301621783.html)

Thirstie and Brown-Forman Launch Benriach Single Malt Scotch Whisky E-Commerce Partnership With Debut of Digital Storefront.

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirstie, the leading e-commerce provider for beverage alcohol brands, today announced a partnership with William Grant & Sons, a global family-owned distiller and supplier, with the launch of The Balvenie and Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky U.S. digital storefronts.

The partnership stems from William Grant & Sons wider global e-commerce strategy in offering consumers digital access to its portfolio of premium spirits. Today, consumers in key markets throughout the U.S. can purchase two of the company's core brands, The Balvenie and Glenfiddich, through a branded shop site, powered by Thirstie.

"The U.S. is a key market for William Grant & Sons overall growth strategy, and it was imperative to offer a superior digital experience for our consumers," stated Jayme Buonocore, Director Digital & eCommerce, William Grant & Sons USA. "Our partnership with Thirstie delivers a unique and compliant online shopping experience for The Balvenie and Glenfiddich fan base."

Since the launch of Thirstie's proprietary platform in 2016, the company has demonstrated a strong commitment to compliance, enabling a three-tier compliant branded e-commerce solution for beverage alcohol suppliers. The technology, built by Thirstie, has a sophisticated retail algorithm that dynamically determines product availability based on pricing set by retail partners and tax calculations based on the market. Thirstie's front-end technology delivers a unique branded experience for adult consumers.

"We are thrilled to announce Thirstie's partnership with William Grant & Sons with the launch of The Balvenie and Glenfiddich digital storefronts," stated Thirstie's CEO & Co-Founder, Devaraj Southworth.

Adult consumers in CA, FL, IL markets can now purchase The Balvenie and Glenfiddich at shop.us.thebalvenie.com  & shop.us.glenfiddich.com shop sites.

**About Thirstie**

Thirstie is the leading e-commerce solution for beverage alcohol brands. Established in 2014 by Co-Founders, Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin, Thirstie's patented technology increases online consumer interactions for the world's most iconic alcohol companies. Thirstie delivers a compliant end-to-end full customer experience with its e-commerce, retailer, data, and gift card solutions. Thirstie's national network of licensed retailers seamlessly fulfills online orders funneled through a branded webstore that are routed to them through the company's proprietary algorithm. Thirstie's suite of best-in-class data capabilities helps brands better understand and target their customers. In 2021, the company launched the industry-first alcohol branded gift card solution, enabling brands to further drive online retail revenue. For more information about Thirstie, please visit www.thirstie.com.

**A bout William Grant & Sons**

William Grant & Sons Holdings Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the global premium spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distills some of the world's leading brands of Scotch whisky, including Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world's third largest blended Scotch, Grant's®, as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick's® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Spiced Rum, Tullamore D.E.W.® Irish Whiskey, Monkey Shoulder® Blended Malt Scotch Whisky and Drambuie® Scotch Liqueur.

Founded in 1964, William Grant & Sons USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of William Grant & Sons, Ltd. and features one of the fastest growing spirits portfolios in the US with brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick's Gin, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, Drambuie, Milagro Tequila, Fistful of Bourbon, Grant's, Hudson Whiskey, Gibson's Finest, Monkey Shoulder, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Flor de Caña Rum, The Knot and Raynal French Brandy. For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.williamgrantusa.com.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thirstie-launches-william-grant--sons-first-us-branded-e-commerce-sites-with-the-balvenie-and-glenfiddich-online-shops-301626783.html)



Thirstie Launches William Grant & Sons First U.S. Branded E-Commerce Sites With The Balvenie And Glenfiddich Online Shops

The definition of an entrepreneur, according to the Webster Dictionary, is a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk. What’s missing from this definition is the emotion and true passion that goes into entrepreneurship. It is this love for a challenge, the energy to want to change the status quo, and the need for something different that drives a person to want to start something from scratch.

I co-founded Thirstie with this very passion and drive to bring something entirely new to the beverage alcohol industry. I want to share with you today the most challenging thing about being an entrepreneur.

To be a true builder, a risk taker, one who wants to zag when everyone else zigs, you need to have something different with the way you’re wired. No one in their right mind would want to build something from nothing. It’s significantly easier to work on something that has already been well defined and built successfully without any major risk. An entrepreneur runs towards the risk, accepting the challenge of building from the ground up.

Adding to that challenge is the reality that things don’t always go the way you anticipate they will. In fact, they probably won’t; the best businesses and companies I’ve been a part of were able to interpret the landscape and course-correct as needed. Often times this type of movement could be accomplished laterally, but sometimes it requires taking a few steps backward in order to move forward.

Being able to say “the vision we’ve been working towards isn’t working the way we anticipated and we’ll need to make changes” is an extremely difficult conversation to have, not only with your partners, and other stakeholders, but with yourself. To be able to admit that what you’ve built isn’t working, and that you may need to rethink the overall strategy, is probably the most challenging reality I’ve ever had to face. And I relish it.

At Thirstie, we started as an app individuals could use for on-demand alcohol delivery. After some moderate success in the area, the data we collected and insight we discovered revealed a clearer and more profitable business need; direct-to-consumer sales channel from spirit brands directly to consumers. We had spent years building out a very specific use case we were extremely excited and passionate about. Suddenly, the market indicated the need for a significant pivot.

While the industry and market remained constant, our entire business had to be reborn. This was a significant under-taking; designing unique software, targeting a new customer base, hiring talent for new specialties, etc. We found ourselves building from the ground up again, as if we had started the company anew.

On one hand, this was a thrilling moment; as an entrepreneur, you’re witnessing your own vision in its infancy, just beginning to take shape. On the other hand, it’s a gut-punch to let go of your original idea.

That’s why I believe that a true entrepreneur has something inherently different about the way they are wired. My co-founder and I accepted this challenge, essentially building a brand new company from the ground up.

Today we work with alcohol and spirit brands of all sizes, changing the way they interact with their consumers by selling products online. Thirstie’s e-commerce solutions moved 90x more product in December than the entire previous year. Today, we are taking on many new brands who want to meet significant consumer demand for e-commerce purchase and home delivery in response to the recent pandemic. None of that would have been possible if we hadn’t embraced the changing needs of the market, and in many respects, started our business all over again.

My advice to all entrepreneurs facing similar challenges is that while it may sometimes feel like you are starting over, you’re not. Everything you have developed until that point is what got you to that moment. Without that, none of this is possible. Listen to the market, collect data, and take counsel from those you trust around you. But no matter what, stay true to your vision. Just realize that to accomplish your ultimate goals, you’ll oftentimes need to take a few steps back to reevaluate before you can move forward.

For a true entrepreneur, there is no better feeling.

*Always,
Devaraj
Devaraj Southworth, CEO & Co-Founder*

The Most Challenging Thing About Being an Entrepreneur

Strategic business partnerships are long-term relationships focused on creating joint value for two or more organizations. The more value created by the partnership, the more strategic it is. When executed effectively, these partnerships offer benefits to both parties involved, as well as offer the potential to increase growth and efficiency for both.


Developing and nurturing strategic partnerships can and will have a tremendous impact on the growth of an enterprise’s success. From the Thirstie perspective, we feel we’re a better business, and have been able to grow / adapt faster and more efficiently, thanks in part to the role and impact our strategic partnerships have had.

While it’s a bit of an over-simplification, there are three main reasons why our brand has focused on strategic industry-focused partnerships:
The growth of strategic industry-focused partnerships has been a natural progression. This evolution of “traditional” business practices has been influenced by a litany of different factors, including the overall growth of the ‘Gig Economy,’ as well as the impact of the millennial generation as they take on more senior business roles. It is also an extremely positive one: we live in a fully connected world, making it easier to fulfill maximum reach with strategic partnerships.

In other words, if you’re not partnering, you’re going to be left behind.
Strategic partnerships have become increasingly critical for business growth in today’s highly competitive marketplace. For a start-up, they can make the difference between success and failure.

## Benefits.
**Increase Expertise/Resources** — Access to subject matter experts that add value to your organization.

**Decrease Costs of Acquisition** — Leverage partner capabilities without added full-time expense/overhead.

**Create Incremental Revenue** — Opens new market sectors, target audiences and incremental businesses not available with current resources.

**Respond to Change Quickly** — By partnering with specialized experts, your brand reduces risk while handling inevitable changes and shifts in-market.

We at Thirstie deliver our innovative e-commerce solutions through strategic partnerships with multiple organizations:

1. Selected liquor retailers across the country. We have partners in over 50 major cities to fulfil online orders via same-day delivery or shipment where allowed.
2. We have also established referral partnerships with major distributors in the beverage alcohol industry. These partnerships enable Thirstie to extend our offering and help our clients with distribution as well as logistics support.
3. Finally, we have partnered with several data science companies. These partnerships enable us to augment our first party behavioral and attribution data with AI-enabled customer persona data to provide predictive customer profiles for all our clients.
These are a few examples of how strategic partnerships can be valuable tools for any business; in our case enabling Thirstie to provide our beverage alcohol clients with considerable added value.

Cheers!

Devaraj
CEO/ Co-Founder, Thirstie, Inc.

## About Thirstie, @areyouthirstie
Thirstie, a New York based e-commerce company, is the leading technology and logistics solution provider for beverage alcohol brands, founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014. Thirstie helps brands to power consumer on-line transactions within an industry three-tier system complaint platform through a robust API and expansive retail network. The Thirstie platform also provides brands with transparency into all data, consumer insights analytics and ROI to improve performance marketing.

For more information about Thirstie, please visit [thirstie.com](https://thirstie.com/).

The Value of Strategic Partnerships.

## Introduction

Welcome to Thirstie’s 3-part series on celebrity endorsement in the digital age. As we all know, celebrities have been used to endorse products for decades. In the early 1900s Mark Twain co-branded pens and Ty Cobb had his own line of tobacco products. The allure of a product endorsed by a famous person was powerful then; and an attraction that continues to this day.

This 3-part series will offer advice on how brands can successfully leverage celebrities and influencers, as well as highlight key things to watch out for when considering or managing a celebrity endorsement. Part one follows; be on the lookout for parts 2 and 3 in the coming weeks.
**
## Celebrity Endorsement defined

Celebrity endorsements are used by businesses of all shapes and sizes as a marketing strategy, providing endless benefits when executed effectively. The simple reality is that customers in all industries express a heightened interest for products or services endorsed by their favorite celebrities. Companies have the data to support the belief that the endorsement of their products by a well-known personality will help sell their goods and services.

There are different levels and models of celebrity endorsement that can impact the level of trust and credibility a brand portrays.

- Celebrity **ownership** provides a high level of credibility (the most successful example likely being the ‘Air Jordan’ brand partnership between Nike and Michael Jordan).
- **Influencer** endorsement, common for non-profit organizations, provides a platform for celebrities to support a cause (a fantastic example being Leonardo DiCaprio’s outspoken advocacy for Climate Change Awareness).
- Finally, there are pure unrelated endorsements by celebrities without any real connections to the product or service, as witnessed by Matthew McConaughey’s endorsement for Lincoln (It does makes sense that McConaughey, who starred in “The Lincoln Lawyer” film, has partnered up with, and become the pitchman for, Lincoln Motors over the last several years).

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/304fbc29-aad6-47a6-adb2-c4ff2efb9c36)

In each of these instances, the association with the celebrity provides the related brand or foundation a higher level of prestige and/or cache.

## Impacts of celebrity endorsements in the beverage alcohol industry

Brands within the beverage alcohol industry use celebrity endorsements across the same model spectrum. Recently, partner celebrity ownership appears to be all the rage, with successful launches within various sectors of the spirits industry:

- Thirstie has partnered with Eire Born Spirits for the brand **Proper No. Twelve** Irish Whiskey, co-founded by Conor McGregor, Irish professional mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting champion.
- Back to his Airness Jordan, Michael is one of five NBA owners who co-founded **Cincoro Tequila**. Jordan was openly enjoying his tequila during his interviews on the critically acclaimed Last Dance documentary.
- There are over 300 celebrity-backed brands in the industry, and Thirstie is already working with 10 of these brands, including Isiah Thomas for **Cheurlin Champagne**, NFL Hall-of-Famer Ty Law for **V-One Vodka** and Pitbull for **Voli 305 Vodka**.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/8331fc35-3733-4912-b4e4-b01e35b99134)

Celebrity endorsement of beverage alcohol brands has gained popularity in the last few years and is now a commonplace marketing tactic.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/201f704f-b41b-4900-9489-7a081959b180)

## Social Media and the Art of the ‘Influencer’

Social media offers a whole new avenue of celebrity endorsement, designed to meet the needs of millennials who demand purpose-alignment, credibility, and authenticity. Brands are now leveraging celebrity influencers in target audience circles to promote the products that influencers believe in, use, share and endorse.

As the former Global Marketing Director at BlackBerry, I successfully applied influencer marketing via celebrity endorsements on numerous occasions. We would seed new smartphone devices with these carefully selected celebrity influencers who would post their BlackBerry stories to their millions of fans on their various social media platforms. We partnered with well-known celebrities aligned with the BlackBerry consumer targets within sports (F1’s Lewis Hamilton), music (Alicia Keys), film (Adrien Grenier), business (Elon Musk), publishing (Neil Gamen) and even in politics (Barack Obama and the UK’s David Cameron). As a result of these celebrity endorsement strategies, BlackBerry’s consumer base quickly expanded.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/74e2af13-0199-4b01-a6ea-62f831d0f410)

We will return next week to take a deeper dive into the benefits as well as “watch-outs” of celebrity endorsements.

***Cheers**

**Rob Glen — Chief Marketing Officer, Thirstie, Inc.*

## About Thirstie, @areyouthirstie

Thirstie, a New York based e-commerce company, is the leading technology and logistics solution provider for beverage alcohol brands, founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014. Thirstie helps brands to power consumer on-line transactions within an industry three-tier system complaint platform through a robust API and expansive retail network. The Thirstie platform also provides brands with transparency into all data, consumer insights analytics and ROI to improve performance marketing. For more information about Thirstie, please visit [**thirstie.com**](https://thirstie.com/).

Celebrity Endorsement in the Digital Age

## Introduction

Welcome back to Thirstie’s 3-part series on “Celebrity Endorsement in the Digital Age”. This 3-part series offers advice on how to successfully leverage celebrity endorsements, and also highlights what to watch out for when managing a celebrity endorsement. Below is part two of this series. For part one, click the following link https://rb.gy/8f3he1

## So why do brands employ celebrity endorsements?

There are many benefits of investing in celebrity endorsements, including (but not limited to):

**To promote sales and brand loyalty**: One of the primary benefits of using celebrity endorsements is of course a sales boost and increase in brand loyalty. In other words, if you select the right celebrity to endorse your brand, consumers will buy and support your brand as a direct result, simply because they like that celebrity

**To inspire consumer confidence**: Another benefit of having a celebrity endorsement is that it inspires consumer confidence in your brand. When a high-integrity celebrity is willing to associate their legacy and personal brand to promote a product, this gives consumers more confidence in the products or services your brand is offering.

**To showcase their actual investment and passion for the brand**. Celebrities who have “skin in the game” and invest their money into the company behind the brand are very effective and authentic spokespeople. This is quite common in the Beverage Alcohol industry.

Examples of Celebrity-backed brands in Beverage Alcohol industry: Mary J. Blige & Sun Goddess Wines; Ryan Reynolds & Aviation Gin, Justin Hartley & Avila from Revel Spirits.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/d355c098-7be9-4a1e-b691-fce147bbb82b)

**To leverage the influencer**: Lastly, since celebrities have their own brand base and influence, their endorsement for your brand will extend to their fans, who will buy and endorse your brand because of the celebrity association. You gain new advocates as well as customers.

## Are celebrity endorsements effective?

Yes, and here’s why:

**The public love familiar faces**: Celebrity endorsements are effective because familiarity reduces risk. When we see a familiar face, we are much more likely to try a new product.

**The public follow celebrities**: Another reason is that many people view celebrities as icons, which makes the average person much more likely to try to mimic their behaviors.

**To open up a new demographic**: Another reason celebrity endorsements work is that it exposes their products to new demographics. For instance, if your chosen celebrity has a totally different demographic base than your brand, then you will immediately be exposed to an entirely new group of potential consumers.

**To capture a quality association**: Leveraging a reputable celebrity endorser, especially one who people believe would be selective on premium quality, transfers this same association to your brand.

**To ensure more memorable marketing**: Lastly, using a celebrity association makes your marketing messaging more memorable and stand out in a crowd.
Words of Caution

## A Tarnished Reputation
Celebrity appeal can turn on a dime. There are many examples where a celebrity’s behavior will expose your brand to significant risk. Out-clauses in contracts for these types of behavior are standard, and brands can actually leverage their celebrity divorce through quick actions and promoted responses.

*Examples where issues have negatively impacted brand appeal*: Jared Fogel (criminal charges) and Subway Restaurants; Lance Armstrong (cheating) and U.S. Postal Service.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/d2cd74fb-acc6-431b-9ab7-26c7ea9df5fa)

## Over-Exposure
Additionally, celebrities that promote everything under the sun lose their credibility with consumers, creating a huge expense with diminishing returns. 
It is best to ensure industry exclusivity in contracts and careful section criteria to prevent selecting endorsers who are already over-exposed.

## Credibility
It is important that consumers actually believe the celebrity who is endorsing your product actually uses it. Millennials are particularly wary of endorsements by celebrities, especially when they come off as spokespeople just in it for the money without a believable connection to the brand.

Next week we will return to review the do’s and don’ts of celebrity endorsements.

*Rob Glen
CMO — Thirstie, Inc.*

Celebrity Endorsement in the Digital Age — Part Two:

## Introduction

Welcome back to Thirstie’s series on “Celebrity Endorsement in the Digital Age”. This 3-part series offers advice on how to successfully leverage celebrity endorsements, and also highlights what to watch out for when managing a celebrity endorsement.

Below is the final segment in this three-part series.

For parts one and two, click the following links:

Part one: https://rb.gy/8f3he1

Part two: https://rb.gy/zzixgm

## Beverage Alcohol Industry Recap

Brands within the beverage alcohol industry use celebrity associations and endorsements in many ways. Just a few examples…

- Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey is associated with **Conor McGregor**, Irish professional mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Champion.
- **Benicio del Toro** currently promotes Heineken in television ads
- **Sarah Jessica Parker** in ads for Stella Artois beer
- Aviation American Gin is a brand of dry gin, most recently purchased by Diageo, with actor **Ryan Reynolds** remaining as part owner and well recognized spokesperson.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/a2c1da70-b6bc-4d27-a379-caccec81f953)

We at **Thirstie** are proud to work with many celebrity-backed brands and have been contacted by many others across music, sports, and film.

Celebrity associations/endorsements can be quite effective by:

**Building awareness and sales opportunities**: Utilizing celebrity endorsements can boost sales and build brand loyalty. If you leverage the appropriate celebrity to endorse your brand, consumers will purchase and support your brand simply because they have an affinity towards that particular celebrity.

**Inspiring consumer confidence**: Celebrity endorsements can inspire consumer confidence in your brand. A high-integrity celebrity that is willing to associate their personal brand to promote a product, gives consumers more confidence in the products or services your brand is offering.

**Showcasing their investment and passion for the brand**: Celebrities who have “skin in the game” and invest dollars in the brand are extremely effective and authentic spokespeople. Over the last 5 years this has become quite common in the Beverage Alcohol industry.

## Tips on Execution

Acquiring the appropriate celebrity to elevate a brand above the competition is priority one. Once you have the “ideal” celebrity for your brand, how you leverage them makes a real difference.

Below are a few items to contemplate when crafting your brand/marketing programs with a celebrity association/endorsement.

**Continuity**: Companies should plan on giving the relationship between the celebrity endorser and the brand some time to solidify and link the brand personality to the celebrity image. View celebrity endorsements as an investment that will take time to garner results. As a celebrity’s popularity and impact on the target consumer decreases, decisions on continuation will be impacted.

**Digital match**: Companies should ensure there is a good profile match between the brand’s social community and the endorser’s social following. This will maximize potential influence and referrals within mutual social communities.

**Monitoring**: Companies should monitor celebrity endorser’s behavior, conduct and public image to understand popularity and minimize potential negative publicity. Celebrity appeal can turn on a dime in today’s digital and social world. Q-scores is an excellent celebrity popularity measurement tool. ([https://www.qscores.com/](https://www.qscores.com/))

**Unique endorsers**: Companies should select celebrity endorsers who have not been previously associated with similar or competitive products to ensure a clean and authentic transfer of celebrity appeal/identity to the brand.

**Timing**: As celebrities command a high price, companies should be on the lookout for emerging celebrities who show future promise and engage with them in their formative years.

**Influencer Marketing**: The digital age has exponentially expanded the scope and impact of influencer marketing. I define influencer marketing as tactics involving direct endorsements from people or organizations having a purported expertise, knowledge or social influence in their field. ROI can be significant.

**Usage restrictions**: Companies should ensure that the celebrities they hire understand the program and are legally papered to ensure they do not use competitors’ products within the same product category. I have personal experience, where a hired spokesperson was photographed in celebrity publications using a competitive smartphone. Not good!

**It’s just a channel**: Companies must realize that having a celebrity endorsing their brand is not a goal in and of itself; but rather a part of the communications mix that falls under the broader category of sponsorship marketing.

I hope this review was useful/insightful as you look to develop marketing plans that leverage a celebrity endorsement. Today’s digital age opens up many more avenues to showcase your brand in connection with well-known personalities. When done appropriately, the benefits can be significant.

*Best regards/Rob*

*Rob Glen, CMO Thirstie Inc.**

## About Thirstie, @areyouthirstie
Thirstie, a New York based e-commerce company, is the leading technology and logistics solution provider for beverage alcohol brands, founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014. Thirstie helps brands to power consumer on-line transactions within an industry three-tier system complaint platform through a robust API and expansive retail network. The Thirstie platform also provides brands with transparency into all data, consumer insights analytics and ROI to improve performance marketing. For more information about Thirstie, please visit [thirstie.com](https://thirstie.com/).

Celebrity Endorsement in the Digital Age — Part Three:

The beverage alcohol industry in the United States has historically relied on brick-and-mortar stores. Thanks to the three-tier system adopted after the repeal of prohibition with the 21st amendment, goods are sold through retailers, stored in warehouses, and distributed through distributors. The end result has been that, while selling alcohol online has been possible (and in fact growing YOY) via retailers and marketplaces, the distillers themselves have been left out of the process, making data points on the final sale impossible to come by.

Why is this an issue? Because e-commerce is a game changer when it comes to learning about your customers. It provides an insight to who your customers are, their shopping habits, and their pain points. The end goal is always to make more sales. First-party data about consumers that is collected through e-commerce has benefits beyond even direct sales. Brand loyalty is extremely important these days, and learning about your customers will allow you to not only attract new customers, but keep your old ones. *In short, a customer who purchases a product from your website is actually more valuable than a customer who purchases a product in-store.*

E-commerce is a business model that involves transactions over the internet. It was founded 40+ years ago, and according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in the year 2019, an estimated 16% of all U.S. retail sales took place online, with consumers spending approximately $600 billion with U.S. merchants. This percentage is up from 13.6% in 2018. Covid19 has further increased online sales significantly for 2020, with some commentators [having projected](https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/quarterly-online-sales/) that e-commerce will account for approximately 19% of purchases made in the U.S. in 2020 when the dust settles. Note that we at Thirstie believe that, if anything, that number may be low, as we will discuss in an upcoming article.

With the huge growth of alcohol sales, selling online has become normal, and the barrier for customers purchasing alcohol online has been broken. E-commerce has and will continue to become a common channel for procuring alcohol. The IWSR, an industry research group, [projects](https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2020/11/us-forecast-to-overtake-china-as-biggest-online-alcohol-market/) that direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales will grow at an annual rate of 24% through 2024. They also note that 44% of e-commerce consumers began purchasing alcohol online for the first time in 2020. So the question for brands has quickly evolved from (a) whether they should use this channel to (b) how to best utilize this channel.

This article is the first in a series on e-commerce for alcohol brands, and will provide an introduction to the primary topics with which everyone should be familiar. Subsequent articles will delve into greater detail in each area.

## Acquisition

E-commerce starts with acquisition, that is, getting people to a website/digital store. There are many channels to a website: getting there directly (typing in the url), through a search engine (like Google), through social media, emails with links, referrals from other websites, search ads, etc. Different methods may work better or worse for different brands, and it’s common to see the same visitor come in through multiple channels over their lifetime.There are also offline channels for marketing, such as TV ads, flyers, transit advertising, newspapers, and billboards. These offline channels are much harder to track and attribute, but might still be effective depending on the brand’s strategy, as there are many different types of marketing. There is awareness marketing, where brands want to familiarize customers with their brand, and there is also marketing with the intent to sell, which usually revolves around advertising a specific product, or line of products.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/d5751fc6-5fce-4c87-9e6e-bceae4804408)

There are many channels to your brand.

Once you’ve established an online presence, you will experience different types of visitors. The primary two are New visitors and Returning visitors. Shopping or browsing behaviours can vary wildly between these two visitor types, and it is important to satisfy both behaviours. A new visitor may be in a browsing or a research phase, learning about your brand and products. A returning visitor already has some familiarity with the site and may spend less time on your website and convert faster. Getting a new visitor to become a repeat visitor should be a priority for most brands, which is where data collection in e-commerce comes into play.

## Behaviours

Once on your website, visitors can do a variety of things. Some may read or watch content, some may be contacting a help center, some may be researching nearby events, and others may be looking at product catalogs and prices. Some may be making purchases. Every visitor will have a different path through your website. There are buttons to click, pages to read, and many interaction points. Creating a website experience that satisfies any type of customer is important, as some behaviours may be highly correlated with sales.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/8f74c3ae-5849-404a-b2d7-d8598f0aaa62)

A person accessing streaming website to enjoy their time.

Visitors to your website can do a variety of things — read or watch content, contact a help center, browse products. Some may be looking to make purchases.
It’s important to remember that a visitor may not necessarily be on your website for your specific brand/product in particular, but instead to research a product or brand that suits their needs. The design of a website is extremely important, as are page load times, in keeping a visitor from leaving. In terms of customer experiences, making sure that all product information is available, remembering visitor preferences, and transparency in pricing go a long way with potential customers. Keeping track of behaviours and optimizing where possible, can help guide visitors to the checkout.

## Checkout

Once a visitor adds a product to their cart and wants to pay, the checkout process begins. The shopping funnel encompasses steps including product views and add-to-carts, but the checkout process is a subset of these steps where a user adds their personal information and intends to make a purchase. The primary objective is to ensure that the checkout process is uninterrupted, smooth and that the consumer is able to successfully complete their purchase.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/9da55cce-6ca5-46c7-9b57-18853438a2dd)

A sample checkout (DITA Eyewear, checkout powered by Bolt).

Having a smooth and clear checkout process is essential to establish trust with a visitor, and eliminates possible drop-out points. Checkout processes differ from site to site, but common steps include Shipping, Billing, Delivery preferences, Payment Information, and Review pages.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/5f117631-91d6-40d9-84d4-bf4b8ec57063)

The Thirstie Access checkout process.

In the Thirstie Access checkout process, a visitor always knows what step of the process they are in. In order to add a product to cart, a visitor is first asked to enter their address. In the checkout process, the visitor information is pre-populated, eliminating the need for them to re-enter the delivery address. Since a customer was matched with a retailer during the product journey, there is a very logical reason why the delivery address must match, but by pre-populating this information, Thirstie eliminates the extra step and pain point for the customer. Additional features like allowing a visitor to edit their shopping cart throughout the checkout process, and providing a “Review” page before purchase, allows visitors to feel in control at each step. While these considerations may seem trivial, it helps establish trust between the visitor and a brand. We use data to better understand your customers, and make changes that help attract and keep them.

Several metrics used to measure the flow of the checkout process include cart drop-out rates (and can be looked at throughout each step of the checkout process), time to purchase, cart abandonment, and customer service contact rates.

## Closing

We’ve seen how e-commerce serves the goal of increasing sales and how it also provides an insight to who your customers are, their shopping habits, and pain points.

Innovations such as Thirstie Access allow alcohol brands to adopt an e-commerce model which shares the advantages of B2C model, from the perspective of the consumer, while staying compliant with the B2B model envisioned by the post-prohibition era three tier system. This allows for direct contact with the brands end consumers — the marketing/advertising implications of such a relationship clearly being quite significant. Therefore understanding your website’s and checkout experience is important, and an always-evolving process.

With Thirstie Access, we use data gathered across a broad range of brands and customer visits to optimize the user experience, leaving you to focus on how to market your brand. Since brands own this first party data, they can use the data collected from Thirstie Access to then maximize the ROI on their marketing dollars.

In the next article in this series, we will dive into different types of acquisitions, and how to understand your customers lifetime value.

*Cheers,
Hannah Vogel, Phd. and The Data Team at Thirstie.*

## About Thirstie, @areyouthirstie
Thirstie, a New York based e-commerce company, is the leading technology and logistics solution provider for beverage alcohol brands, founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014. Thirstie helps brands to power consumer on-line transactions within an industry three-tier system complaint platform through a robust API and expansive retail network. The Thirstie platform also provides brands with transparency into all data, consumer insights analytics and ROI to improve performance marketing. For more information about Thirstie, please visit [thirstie.com](http://thirstie.com/).

Alcohol E-Commerce: A Primer

This is the second in a series of posts about e-commerce and beverage alcohol. The previous post provided an introduction to the key concepts of e-commerce: [Alcohol E-Commerce: A Primer](#).

Customer acquisition is the process of finding prospective customers and persuading them to purchase your product in a way that is both measurable and consistent. We [previously](#) introduced the concept of acquisition and how it is the foundation for e-commerce, but there are still many open questions about how much a brand needs to invest into acquisition strategies, as well as the process for determining which strategy works best.

Recent marketing trends have revealed that within the last five years, the cost of customer acquisition has [increased by over 50%](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customer-acquisition), as companies spend more on their marketing campaigns than ever before, with digital marketing spaces becoming highly-competitive and over-saturated. For brands with an increasing direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales model, online marketing is an essential component for growth. In particular, the beverage alcohol industry is driven heavily by consumer preferences, so investing time and money in acquisition can guarantee sustainable growth and customer loyalty.

This post will help you understand the basics of customer acquisition, as well as describe the metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are necessary to help you track how effective your acquisition strategy is. By the end of this post, you will be able to assess where your customer acquisition stands and how you can tweak your strategy to better fit your brand’s needs.

## Why is Acquisition Important?
In today’s digital environment, it is easy to engage in micro-targeted campaigns that allow you to track users as they move from being prospective customers to paying customers. Acquisition can take place both in an offline or online setting (or a combination of the two), but with growing technologies and a larger presence of e-commerce, we are focusing on tracking online acquisition. Tracking offline conversions is a much more complex topic.

One of the advantages in the context of e-commerce is that customers move through a “funnel” that tracks their journey through the different stages of the acquisition process before they purchase a product.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/4de68b96-db90-46ff-9060-b233bd2765d7)

There are four stages of the sales funnel

The journey begins with customers gaining awareness about the brand itself, and being exposed to the product or service offered. If the brand appeals to them, they will move to the interest stage, as they will now consider purchasing the product. There are a variety of metrics that are used to track the different stages of the funnel, and this post will primarily focus on acquisition metrics that help measure the top of the funnel. This is because the bottom of the funnel (decision and action) focus on conversion strategies, and those are typically dedicated towards converting customers that have already been attracted to your brand.

[The average American customer is exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/08/25/finding-brand-success-in-the-digital-world/?sh=661bb2b6626e), so brands must find a way to stand out against their competitors. In order to find the right strategy, it’s important for brands to fully understand who their customers are and where those personas are most reachable. This can be done through analytics tools, surveys, or demographic reports. Brands also need to understand which strategy fits the needs of their business model best. For an e-commerce business in particular, it’s all about making a smart and calculated choice in deciding which channels to put money towards.

This, however, will not happen overnight. The process of finding the most effective channels will likely involve running experiments and trying out multiple methods, to understand the success rates of different channels. As a result, testing and optimization should both be an integral and continuous part of your overall strategy.

The key elements of a winning strategy are to ensure that it *is sustainable, flexible, and targeted.*

For an acquisition strategy to be considered sustainable, it must work in the long run, and any investments made will be upheld in the foreseeable future. A great example of a sustainable strategy is using blog posts for marketing, since once you have the resources and platform to create content, it exists on the internet for months or years to come and helps to prolong acquisition.

Flexible strategies ensure that you can respond to market trends in a quick and easy manner without having to restructure your acquisition plans.

Targeting the right users can help save considerable time and money, since not all people are your consumer base. It’s important for your target to be precise, and leverage the channel that is popular and influential to your particular target. A good example of this would be how recent trends have shown that brands targeting adolescents have found platforms like TikTok and Instagram to be more effective compared with Facebook, but platforms that heavily include younger populations might not work as well for a brand with a typically more mature consumer base. Thirstie provides brands with the ability to identify personas, or segments within their customer base, to help identify with more precision who the audience is and what drives their online activity. This can help the brand think about what channels will work for those personas.

## Finding the Right Strategy

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/b6721437-d2c7-477f-8c88-2ca8639dc091)

Different brands will adopt different strategies depending on what works best for them

There are a variety of acquisition strategies that e-commerce brands can focus on, all of which provide multiple acquisition channels, but the key idea is to focus on a strategy which will allow you to develop a niche audience. At the end of the day, if your brand’s goal is to acquire customers and convert them into buyers, the quality of traffic should be the primary driver of your strategy. Since alcohol brands are historically good at traditional marketing which draw customers into stores to purchase products, having an e-commerce presence adds to this approach and provides them with the opportunity to engage in different acquisition strategies that lead to direct sales online. As a result, alcohol brands have an existing rapport with their customers, and having an e-commerce presence makes it easier to track. A good way to track how many customers are actually purchasing a physical product is with the use of conversion rates.

Conversion rates can be split into two different types: session-based conversion rates and user-based conversion rates. A session can be thought of as a visit to your website. Session-based conversion rates are measured by dividing transactions by the total number of sessions, whereas a user-based conversion rate is calculated by dividing transactions by the total number of users. Since a single user can account for multiple sessions, we focus on the user-based conversion as a more robust metric to use. Thus, when we measure how effective a strategy is in ‘acquiring’ a new customer, it is helpful to utilize the user conversion rate to understand how many of those acquired users are turning into paying customers.

Once you decide on the correct strategy for customer acquisition, there are certain metrics and KPIs that help measure the success of a campaign.

## Managing your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/58f3f622-4fe5-4338-bb3b-aaa5a867940d)
There are a variety of metrics that will help you track your process through the acquisition journey

After implementing your acquisition strategies, there is no doubt that you will want a yardstick to measure your progress,

in order to understand which strategy works best for your brand. The customer acquisition cost (CAC) is a metric which determines how much money it costs to acquire a new customer — this is what establishes whether a strategy is worth pursuing over the long run. CAC is calculated by dividing total marketing expenses on customer acquisition by total new customers. The objective for any business is to find a strategy that will bring them the highest customers with the lowest CAC, while finding a way to retain customers.

## ($) Sales & marketing expenses / (#) new customers acquired = ($) CAC

[The average CAC for e-commerce companies for Google Paid Search Campaigns was around $45.27](https://www.demandjump.com/blog/customer-acquisition-cost-by-industry) in 2018, and will be higher or lower depending on the level of acquisition you are engaging in. Once you find a way to effectively reach your target audience, this cost will naturally lower. There is no magic number for CAC as it varies based on the size of your business and how established the brand is. For smaller brands, the CAC will be much higher in the earlier stages as you’re investing in marketing, and will pay off over time. Even if your CAC is initially high during the early stages of your acquisition process, you should focus on ensuring that it follows a downward trend in the years to come rather than aiming at a particular dollar value. A general rule of thumb is to also make sure that your CAC has a low value as compared to your Customer Lifetime Value.

## Understanding Customer Lifetime Value

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/291bf6e0-f33c-47d6-b1d1-2fa855538e75)

It is important for your strategy to attract, retain and convert potential customers

Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) is a metric that portrays the average revenue a single customer is predicted to generate over the duration of their account. It’s important to understand how acquisition translates into long term retention, and identifies which customers are most profitable between new and returning users. Since acquiring a new customer can be 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining existing ones, it’s important to understand where your CLTV stands to assess if you are spending too much or too little on acquisition.

There are ways to increase your CLTV without drastically increasing your costs by implementing simple strategies like increasing your average customer lifespan, increasing the volume of customer orders, and increasing the amount of time customers spend on your site. Amazon is a great example of an e-commerce company that has an exceptional CLTV, and the reason more than 100 million people pay for an Amazon Prime membership is because of fast and free shipping. Most customers are inclined to return to your business if their shipping needs are fulfilled, and this helps incentivize additional purchases. Using a combination of CLTV and CAC helps determine a good ratio which helps to answer the question of ‘how much do I really spend on acquisition?’ Generally, [a good CLTV: CAC ratio is about 3:1](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/what-does-cac-stand-for), meaning customers are spending more than its cost to acquire them.

**($) LTV / ($) CAC = (#) LTV to CAC Ratio**

## Customer Churn Rate
The acquisition process is heavily focused on acquiring new customers, but it’s equally important to gauge the quality of your customer acquisition strategy by understanding your churn rate. The customer churn rate measures the number of customers you lose over a given period of time, and is an important metric because it tells you how well or poorly you are retaining acquired customers.

**((#) Customers beginning of the month — (#) Customers end of the month) / (#) Original number of customers x 100 = (%) Customer Churn Rate**

In an ideal situation, the smaller your churn rate is, the better it is for overall performance. Tracking this metric will allow you to understand why you are losing customers, and the potential areas of improvement to increase your retention.

## Conclusion
We’ve discussed different ways to approach the idea of customer acquisition for alcohol brands, along with the KPIs necessary to measure how effective your existing strategy is. Companies can use a variety of channels in their acquisition strategies to attract new customers, but at the end of the day, those strategies must be flexible and sustainable through periods of economic changes, industry trends, and focus on a targeted audience. Acquisition is an important part of growth, but it is also important to make sure your efforts are profitable.

Understanding the type of customers you want to target is key to ensure that you can retain them over a prolonged period of time. Analyzing factors such as the different types of traffic, customer demographics, purchase frequency and lifetime value will all help you optimize your acquisition strategies over time.

Understanding your customers is the foundation of drawing them towards your brand. The next article in this series will discuss different ways to analyze your customer’s behaviors, demographics, and introduce the use of personas, so you can leverage Thirstie’s data solutions to measure your performance at each stage of the customer journey.

*Cheers,
Sophia Ahmed, and the Data Team at Thirstie.*

Customer Acquisition: Understanding the Basics

Hi, I’m Devaraj Southworth, the CEO and Co-Founder of Thirstie.
Like any successful young company, Thirstie has gone through numerous transitions over the past few years. We’ve serviced direct-to-consumer, we’ve provided enterprise-level SaaS solutions to multi billion dollar, publicly traded companies, and developed the quickest-to-market turnkey solution for brands of all sizes — a first for e-commerce in our industry. Through these various transitions, our core values have always remained the same.
Thirstie is here to help beverage alcohol brands, distributors, retailers, and of course consumers.
At Thirstie, our singular mission is to democratize the alcohol industry through our innovative and affordable turnkey e-commerce solutions. Thirstie is the only fully-compliant e-commerce technology that gives spirits, wine, ready-to-drink cocktails and beer brands complete control over their consumer interaction through a branded digital end-to-end shopping experience. I’m proud to say we’ve dedicated significant resources in the creation of a robust API solution that brings three-tier compliance to online commerce — in a fully white labeled, supplier branded manner.
This blog is an extension of this mission. We’ll use this workspace as an avenue for sharing company updates, industry innovations, client success stories, and any/everything else Thirstie comes across that we feel will help brands, retailers, and consumers be more successful in the beverage alcohol category. Our objective is to provide regular updates on the state of the industry, and ensure you’re staying ahead of the curve as it relates to the shifting complexities of our highly-regulated industry.
I’ll wrap up this initial post with a quote from Adam Morgan’s publication “Eating Big Fish,” which I believe sums up the opportunity for independent alcohol brands today — “a constraint should be regarded as a stimulus for positive change — and should choose to be used as an impetus to explore something new and arrive at a breakthrough.”
Thirstie is here to democratize an incredibly traditional industry and help beverage alcohol suppliers take full advantage of online commerce in an entirely new way, helping brands of all sizes be successful in a big brand world.
That’s why we’re starting this blog; to continue to help brands, distributors, and retailers of all sizes understand their end consumers, something they haven’t been able to do till now.
Our hope is you’ll find this content both of interest as well as informative. And if you ever have a topic or a question, please feel free to send our way.

*Always,
Devaraj
Devaraj Southworth, CEO & Co-Founder*

Democratizing the Alcohol Industry

Hi, I’m Devaraj Southworth, CEO and Co-founder of Thirstie, and I’m going to share how alcohol brands can thrive and succeed in the e-commerce space today.

E-commerce as an avenue for sales is a vital part of every business, especially in the alcohol space, where it’s been growing by 10% year over year. Now, in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic and with on-premise sales shut down, alcohol brands need to be utilizing all e-commerce options available in order to fulfill consumer demand.

Thirstie is a technology solution that enables consumers to order wine, beer, and spirits directly from the alcohol brand websites, something that was previously impossible due to the three-tiered system.

Let’s review three items on how your alcohol brand can succeed in this space.

**The first bit of advice we give to all the alcohol brands we counsel is speed to market.** There are solutions out there that take months, not to mention hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital and resources to build something that can allow brands to fully participate in e-commerce. And all that time, your customers are shopping elsewhere.

At Thirstie, our Access solution is specifically designed to get your e-commerce storefront up, live, and connected to our national retail network in a week’s time, ensuring you can quickly and efficiently start selling products online while also interacting with your loyal consumers.

**The next bit of advice I routinely offer to all of the alcohol brands I work with is to prioritize on-site checkouts.** I speak to so many alcohol brands that think they’re all set just by putting a “store locator” on their website or linking out to a third-party marketplace. Don’t get me wrong; third-party marketplaces serve a purpose and are a part of making your products available. But you want to ensure your products are available via every avenue available, including a check-out option directly from your branded website. In fact, the history of e-commerce has proven time and time again that giving consumers the ability to check-out directly from your website is the optimal consumer behavior.

Think of it this way: Let’s say I wanted to buy a pair of Nike basketball shoes. There are a couple different ways Nike will enable me to purchase them. I can go to a store, like Wal-Mart or Target, and hope they have my size in stock. I can also go to a third-party site, like Amazon or eBay, and purchase from them. However what Nike is hoping I will do is go to Nike.com, and order directly from their storefront. This way, Nike is getting all of the data and analytics on me as a consumer, helping them to make more informed marketing decisions going forward. If I go to Wal-Mart or Amazon to buy my Nike shoes, Nike doesn’t get access to this valuable data.

**The third piece of advice we give alcohol brands we work with is listen to the data.** Once you’ve prioritized on-site checkouts, you’re going to start seeing a lot of consumer behavior data, giving you insight into your customer base you’ve never had access to before.

Because alcohol brands haven’t had an e-commerce direct-to-consumer option previously, they’ve been missing out on valuable consumer insights. Once you’re empowered with these types of analytics, you’ll be able track sources of traffic to determine the effectiveness of all your marketing campaigns. You as the brand are now able to analyze the purchasing journey and optimize your calls to action. And you’ll be able to monitor user data and purchase history as a means to re-engage with your customers.

Thirstie’s mission is to democratize the industry, and we’re the only e-commerce solution that provides spirits, wine, and beer brands with complete control over their consumer interaction through a branded online shopping experience. Our solution is also by far the most affordable on the market, which gives smaller, independent brands access to the same technology the major players are using to jump start their e-commerce programs.

## If you would like to see me deliver a talk about this very subject, here’s a video.

[![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/4babe1ee-1277-44e8-9669-442b08f48123)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZzr_7Y2IkY)


I’m Devaraj Southworth, CEO and Co-founder of Thirstie. Let us know if we can help, but more importantly please stay safe.

*Always,
Devaraj
Devaraj Southworth, CEO & Co-Founder*

How to succeed as an alcohol brand in the e-commerce space

This is the fourth in a series of posts about e-commerce and beverage alcohol. The previous post provided an outline on how to identify and track your best [customers: Customer Behaviors: How to Track Your Best Customers](#).

E-commerce is currently at an all time high due to the climate presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to McKinsey, [e-commerce in the United States has experienced 10 years of growth in the first 3 months of the pandemic](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/five-fifty-the-quickening). The reason that it is crucial to understand key performance metrics and data is because it provides guidance and helps any business in making data-driven decisions. Since the e-commerce environment is rapidly changing along with consumer preferences and expectations, it is essential to understand behavioral data and forge a personalized user experience. This post intends to outline crucial steps in tracking your e-commerce performance and conversions using a variety of metrics that will help you capitalize on Thirstie’s data offerings.

## What is E-commerce Analytics?

E-commerce analytics is a tool that allows businesses to understand onsite consumer behavior and track steps in the entire purchasing process. Since there are a variety of metrics and data points within e-commerce analytics, you are given a multitude of perspectives which capture exactly what your users are doing on your site. Each metric is important in its own way, but depending on the nature of your business and industry (which in this case focuses on the beverage alcohol industry), there are certain components of e-commerce analytics that might better help mold your decision making process. In particular, in the beverage alcohol industry, the brand is not involved in the fulfillment of the order. Fulfillment is a transaction solely between a licensed retailer and the consumer, but you can track what the consumer does on the website and when the customer decides to purchase. Thirstie Access employs the power of enhanced e-commerce tracking using a variety of web analytics tools which collect data across the different steps of the customer journey.

We have previously discussed essential metrics that relate to [customer acquisition and retention](#), along with [customer behaviors and demographics](#) — once you have managed to track how you are bringing customers to your site, the next step is to understand conversion specific e-commerce metrics that can help you uncover different behavioral trends on your website.

## Conversion Metrics: The Key to Your Success

In e-commerce, the term conversion is used when a visitor to your website is converted into a consumer, but there are several steps that come before the final transaction which are significant for you to understand. Many visitors may come to your site, add a product to your cart, initiate a checkout but they might not make it to the final transaction. Understanding these metrics can help you improve any areas of or events within the checkout process which might be preventing the final purchase from occurring.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/80aa9ed6-c3b2-43df-89cf-717b69d8035c)

Conversion metrics are essential for understanding your overall performance.
Conversion rates can be split into two different types: session-based conversion rates and user-based conversion rates. A session can be thought of as a visit to your website. Session-based conversion rates are measured by dividing the number of transactions by the total number of sessions, whereas a user-based conversion rate is calculated by dividing the number of transactions by the total number of users. Since a single user can account for multiple sessions, we focus on the user-based conversion as a more robust metric to use. [The industry benchmark for the median user conversion rate for 2020 is set at 2.3%](https://www.wolfgangdigital.com/kpi-2020/).

*User Conversion Rate % = [ (#) transactions / (#) users ] * 100*

When observing conversion rates, we can further dissect them to understand which acquisition channel is driving the highest transactions per user, in order to understand how these channels are performing. Overall, Thirstie Access has seen the highest user conversion rate coming from Email, Referrals, and Direct channel groupings. From a year to date standpoint, conversions from the above channels for Thirstie Access are 4.96%, 2.07% and 1.26% respectively.

In addition to tracking conversions by acquisition channel, it is also helpful to understand how different device types play a role. For example, we see that mobile devices are playing a huge role in acquiring a higher volume of traffic, as the majority of the users are coming from this customer segment as compared to desktop. However, the overall user conversion rates between desktop and mobile devices are not too far apart, which could indicate that there is a larger portion of transactions taking place on desktop devices.

Understanding your average order value is another essential metric to track, as it helps gain greater insight into the average dollar amount a customer spends when making a purchase from your website. In general, increasing your average order value is an effective way to increase overall revenue, so a higher value is preferred. Since the beginning of the pandemic up until now, the average order value for the alcohol e-commerce industry as a whole has been growing in a positive direction. The average order value for Thirstie Access brands across the whole spectrum of price points is currently $95.94. It can be helpful to dive deeper into the average order value and segment it by different customer demographics like geographic location, device types, gender, and age groups.

*Average Order Value ($) = ($) total revenue / (#) orders placed*

## Abandonment Metrics: Tracking Users Who Drop-Off

Shopping cart abandonment is a helpful measure of site behavior because it highlights the number of visitors that add something to their cart but then leave your

site without making a purchase. It shows the rate of interested potential customers who leave without buying anything, compared to the total carts created. Essentially, this number should be on the lower side, as a higher than usual rate could indicate that there are issues with the checkout process. [Recent studies have shown that the average cart abandonment rate for the e-commerce retail industry is currently 74.52%](https://www.geckoboard.com/best-practice/kpi-examples/shopping-cart-abandonment-rate/#:~:text=Based%20on%20a%20number%20of,most%20recent%20study%20showing%2074.52%25.).

*Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate % = [1 — [ (#) completed purchases / (#) shopping carts created ]] * 100*
Checkout abandonment rates are also a critical metric, as they capture how many visitors initiate a checkout process, but then leave your site without purchasing anything. While it is similar to cart abandonment, it helps navigate whether or not there are any issues within the checkout process itself that is triggering abandonment. This metric can be improved using a variety of strategies such as offering different payment methods, free shipping or promotions, targeting your ads, or using abandoned cart email campaigns to recover users.
Checkout Abandonment Rate % = [1 — [ (#) completed purchases / (#) initiated checkouts ]] * 100

## Conversion Metrics Matter, But How Can We Improve Them?

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/e9792e98-6b42-4e4a-b90a-cb8c7cb7eeb1)

Different customer demographics will display different conversion metrics.
Optimizing for an overall higher conversion rate and conversion specific metrics is a good approach at improving your overall profitability and measuring the effectiveness of your e-commerce performance. In addition to understanding what each of these metrics imply towards your businesses performance, it is also important to understand how you can improve them over time. You should take note of the fact that benchmark data does not mean that your business has to reach that same target, rather it allows you to realistically establish a target for your brand in particular.

There are a few ways in which you can work towards improving your conversion rates and really focus on targeting a particular audience and attracting them towards your brand to turn them into paying customers. By sharpening your online advertising, you will be able to stand out against competitors and engage visitors towards your site better. This allows you to not only help promote your brand and product, but also ensure that any discounts, promotions and offerings are being effectively communicated to your audience and can help boost sales. Another important step is to optimize your landing page and try out different approaches to see how your conversions are being impacted. Allowing yourself to better understand your customer demographics can also help you tighten focus on a specific consumer group and drive your conversion in a positive direction. It is also important to note that conversions vary for different demographic groups, so utilizing demographics can help you determine which strategies work best for your target audience.

E-commerce Analytics: Let’s Talk About Conversions

Thirstie has launched branded [gift cards](https://thirstie.com/giftcardsolution/) specifically for its alcohol brands. This is a one-of-a-kind gift card solution and brings new opportunities for their e-commerce storefronts.

The global gift card market multiplied in the past decade to about [$300 billion in size in the U.S., and this has attracted more and more retailers towards it](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ilkerkoksal/2020/02/21/how-digital-gift-card-businesses-are-using-big-data-to-boost-customer-experience/?sh=732ca1147641). Gift cards have captured the interest of many businesses and customers, as they have proven to be mutually beneficial in several aspects. With a strong holiday e-commerce buying season, gift card sales were projected to rise even more than last year, given the steady recovery from the pandemic.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/35f3a4bc-fd7d-42da-8350-49ef7d1a7243)

Both physical and e-gift cards are redeemable on any brands online store.

## What Makes Them So Special?

Gift cards are an essential tool in branding your business for multiple reasons. Not only are they a special type of product that can be used as payment in the future, but they also represent a cost-effective way to advertise and help establish your brand name. Retailers and marketers use them as a part of their promotion strategy to boost sales, drive brand awareness, and earn greater customer loyalty as they encourage repeat purchases. Gift cards offer consumers the ability to select their own products, are faster to buy, easier to send via email, and incentivize greater gift purchasing.

From a brand standpoint, they offer a great way to establish your brand and incentivize the recipients to purchase additional products from your company. For example, a customer who purchases a gift card from you might already be a loyal customer, but the recipient of the gift card might not have been aware of your brand at all. This exchange helps increase your customer base and loyalty and incentivizes the recipient to spend a value potentially higher than that of the gift card itself. This leads to more online traffic and customer attraction as opposed to simply offering products.

## E-Gift Cards and Physical Gift Cards: Both A Great Way to Boost your Online Store Activity

Given the expansion of the e-commerce industry as a whole, more and more brands are opting for digital gift cards, or ‘e-gift cards’, in addition to physical gift cards. E-gift cards are extremely beneficial since they have virtually no production cost, and are environmentally friendly as well. Given that there is a lower risk level associated with their production, it makes them a great way for an already-established brand to begin their gift card offerings online.

Physical gift cards are placed in brick-and-mortar stores, and they are a great way to create brand awareness since they are likely to catch customers’ eyes as they shop through stores. Grocery chains and drug stores allow you to place gift cards at the checkout counter, which can be greatly beneficial in attracting customers as they end their shopping experience. Liquor stores have a slightly different approach when selling gift cards, as they would have to be placed on shelves, like a physical product. This provides customers with a wider variety when it comes to purchasing alcohol products from brick and mortar liquor stores. In addition to placing physical gift cards in stores, we are also planning on selling physical gift cards online that will be mailed directly to the recipient.

The type of gift card that a brand should opt for using in their strategy depends on their key aims from selling this type of product. Physical gift cards are a great way to increase brand awareness, help create a more personalized product for the customer, and can be placed in several different locations, thereby increasing market reach. Physical gift cards integrate into the e-commerce platform as they are currently meant for online redemption, so brands can capture consumers that they would have otherwise not been able to. Since the liquor branded gift cards are redeemable on any Thirstie-powered website, this allows us to see the full e-commerce funnel of the user shopping experience. Virtual gift cards provide greater flexibility, are more cost-effective from a production standpoint, and can be easier to place as they are available online and don’t need to be placed in a particular location. Both gift card types are a great way for any brand to increase its customer awareness and tap into a wider audience.

## Brand Awareness: Capitalizing on Gift Cards

Gift cards give brands the opportunity to connect directly with their existing customers, and simultaneously increase their customer base. This also helps brands drive their e-commerce sales as consumers will adapt to purchasing bottles online. By integrating the concepts of gifting and gift cards with the e-commerce industry, brands can hone in on existing customer behaviors with online purchasing and enhance demand. Consumers generally respond in a positive way when given greater choices, and by giving them the option to purchase a bottle of liquor versus a gift card, the latter seems to be a more attractive option as it integrates more choice.

In addition to offering customers greater choice, the integration of physical gift cards along with virtual gift cards is a great way to drive e-commerce sales and purchases. Since Thirstie’s physical gift cards can only be redeemed online, this incentivizes customers to try out a new platform and purchase alcohol online if they have not previously done so, and if they have, it reinforces their behavior. It also helps improve overall revenue, since [on average customers spend 40 percent more than the value of a gift card itself, and this is great for the brand’s bottom line](https://www.northstarmeetingsgroup.com/Incentive/Corporate-Gifts/First-Data-Study-Consumers-Spend-Beyond-Gift-Card-Value).

[75 percent of consumers have stated that they prefer a physical gift card as compared to a digital one](https://www.ngc-group.com/even-in-digital-age-3-out-of-4-redeem-loyalty-points-for-plastic-gift-cards). Even though digital gift cards offer a great deal of flexibility and can be attractive for younger generations, physical gift cards are a better aid for brand awareness and consumer adoption. Since Thirstie’s physical gift cards are currently only redeemable online, they are a great way to offer new gifting options since they integrate the benefits of e-commerce and grow online storefront engagements.
When a consumer is checking out at a store and sees a gift card on display by the cashier, they might be more likely to purchase it as it is incentivizing. Even if they do not purchase it immediately, the brand’s logo is likely to be displayed and this will help attract new customers that might not be aware of your brand from before. Physical gift cards are also more secure to purchase and are more likely to generate additional revenue as customers typically buy more than the amount of the gift card itself.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/b70241b9-1fe3-49b0-8616-d1126c6b709a)

Thirstie’s liquor branded gift cards are a great way to connect brands and consumers.

## Benefits of Integrating Gift Cards and E-commerce

Alcohol brands can benefit greatly by integrating both digital and physical gift cards into their online stores. [Gift cards are the best way to capture holiday sales](https://makewebbetter.com/blog/ecommerce-gift-cards/), especially for the alcohol beverage industry. Since consumers’ preferences are usually specific, it is oftentimes much easier to purchase a gift card for one’s favorite alcohol brand as compared to buying a specific product. This flexibility makes a gift card model perfect for alcohol brands, and it also helps capture customer preferences in a unique way.

In addition to the flexibility, gift cards can often be accompanied by loyalty programs or special promotions that incentivize customers to use them. This is a great marketing opportunity, as it helps open the doors for a deeper customer relationship. They also help you to better understand your customers as gift cards collect vital data that can give you market insights. Gift cards open doors for improving prediction on customer behavior and personalizing their experience. From market insights on which time of the year gift card sales might be more prominent to the choice between a digital or physical gift card, there are behavioral patterns that can be uncovered from this product.

[Age demographics are another useful insight, as studies have shown that millennials are more likely to engage in using e-gift cards as compared to other age groups](https://www.retaildive.com/news/millennial-and-gen-z-shoppers-are-leading-e-gift-card-adoption/553671/). By optimizing the distribution of digital gift cards, brands can help attract and engage younger consumers by improving their digital experience.

[![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/b1edab79-610f-49a6-a72b-6afbe5d5b37d)](https://shop.blackenedwhiskey.com/products/gift-card)
Gift cards are a great way to ensure that you can engage in timely gift giving for any occasion.

## Supply-Chain Shocks

The pandemic resulted in a supply-chain crisis that resulted in several companies halting production, causing product shortages on a global scale. This expanded the markets for gift cards and increased demand since they offered a flexible and no-frills way to buy a gift for an individual. Gift cards are a much more meaningful token as compared to handing someone cash, especially for the holiday season. [Gift cards create a sales boost because shoppers often spend more than the card itself is worth, and if they don’t redeem the entire value of the card in one purchase, they are likely to return for another one in the future](https://www.yahoo.com/now/supply-chain-crisis-bad-iphones-123043583.html).


Gift Cards: A Versatile Way to Grow your Brand

This is the third in a series of posts about e-commerce and beverage alcohol. The previous post provided an overview of the customer acquisition process, and the necessary metrics to keep track of your brand’s acquisition journey: [Customer Acquisition: Understanding the Basics](#).

We [previously](#) discussed the process of attracting new customers towards your business and turning them from browsers to paying customers. Now that you are more familiar with how [beverage alcohol for e-commerce works](#), and the different aspects of the customer journey, let’s dive into understanding your customers better and leveraging the benefits that e-commerce has to offer in analyzing customer behaviors.

Not all customers are the same, and as a result, customer segmentation and grouping based on their behaviors can release valuable insights. Tracking customer behaviors is an essential part of developing a targeted and effective marketing strategy, since you can group customers based on common attributes and interests that they possess, and develop your e-commerce strategy in accordance with their behaviors.

## Why Are Demographics Important?

Demographic data is socioeconomic information, including age, gender, income, marital status and more. Gathering demographic data on web users and customers can be difficult, but is possible through surveys or third party tools, and can also be determined statistically through some web analytics tools, such as Google Analytics.

Understanding your customer’s demographic is an essential part of any business, because no matter what product or service you are trying to sell, the end goal is to increase your acquired customer base and turn potential browsers into buying customers, and thus you want to use data to optimize your acquisition strategies. For the beverage alcohol industry in particular, there are several demographic factors that not only play a huge role in deciphering your target market, but help you strategize on different aspects of your business. These include website design, the curation of images, the checkout process and overall promotion to understand what appeals to your best customers.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/6c754c7a-c654-4eb5-bfb6-7b9eecefca6d)

Customers use different device types for their online shopping.

If your brand has a better understanding of where your customers are located, how old they are, whether or not they have greater access to mobile devices as compared with desktops, you will be able to hone in on who your customers really are, and understand how they search for information that leads them to your product. Since demographics are measurable characteristics, you can keep track of them over time.

## Key Metrics: Establishing Your Own Baseline

Given that alcohol e-commerce has shifted traffic from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to online retailers and marketplaces, there is a wider variety of data points available to track the customer journey. Given that customer demographics vary so heavily, it is important to note that even though there are certain industry benchmarks for these metrics, it is preferable to look at a range instead of a fixed number, as behaviors will tend to vary. It’s important to put all these metrics into context as well. A number outside or at the ends of a range is not necessarily a bad thing or cause for alarm; these metrics exist to allow you to further think about your brand and online experience.

Bounce rates are a great example of an industry benchmark that tends to vary quite heavily. A bounce occurs when a user comes to your website and leaves without further interacting with the site. Benchmarks differ by website type, channel, device, landing page, [so it is difficult to establish a baseline bounce rate](https://cxl.com/guides/bounce-rate/benchmarks/). For instance, if a user lands on your product catalogue page as compared with your main landing page, their decision to stay on that page will differ based on the information they see. It’s possible that a bounce may be higher on a product page than a home page, because a user can gather information without needing to take any further action. Or it may be the other way around, depending on your website. Thus the bounce rate of your site can vary depending on what page a user lands on. Instead of asking yourself if your bounce rate meets the industry benchmark, it might be better to ask yourself if it compares to similar web pages instead. A general rule of thumb is to aim for a range between [26 percent to 40 percent](https://www.gorocketfuel.com/the-rocket-blog/whats-the-average-bounce-rate-in-google-analytics/#:~:text=As%20a%20rule%20of%20thumb,%2C%20news%2C%20events%2C%20etc.), but it is important to set your own baseline in relation to your brand’s performance.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/e7ebdf75-c9e9-4790-9ede-befbaefdea44)

Demographic information can influence your KPIs and performance metrics.

In addition to the bounce rate, using a shopping behavior analysis can help demonstrate where you end up losing customers, and which sessions actually end up translating into a transaction. The add-to-cart rate, which is the percentage of items added to cart after product views, will also vary depending on demographic factors such as device type, as it is [usually lower on smartphones as compared with desktops](https://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/ecommerce-analytics/typical-average-add-cart-conversion-rates/). Observing this rate will not only give you a better picture of how to improve your overall sales, but also identify your top-performing products and holdup in your checkout process. In general, an add-to-cart rate within the [range of 2.7 percent and 8.6 percent indicates an average performance for a website](https://www.littledata.io/average/add-to-cart-rate).

In addition to these metrics, analyzing other data points like the most popular time of day your users are on your site, and the day of the week helps you tailor your marketing and promotions in accordance with your desired traffic.

## Which Demographics should I be tracking?

Now that we discussed some different metrics, the next step would be to integrate demographic information to observe trends in customer behavior. Thirstie Access’s data solutions provide you with a wide variety of demographic information that can be leveraged in order to understand how different demographics portray different online behaviors throughout the e-commerce shopping process. With the help of web analytics, you can use this information to understand who your customers are, and what brings them to your site.

![](https://datum.thirstie.com/assets/c0a82169-eb93-4550-bdc4-1c955af53566)

Using demographics will allow you to establish an effective target audience.

First and foremost, it is crucial to determine the type of users that are coming to your site and purchasing your products. Users are those who have initiated a session with your website for a specific period of time. [New users are those who have never been to your site before, whereas returning users have visited your site before and are starting a new session](https://www.hotjar.com/google-analytics/glossary/users/#:~:text=A%20'new%20user'%20is%20a,a%20cookie%20is%20not%20present.). By segregating your users into these two groups, you can compare their behaviors across different levels such as the number of page-views, average time spent on the website, conversion rates, bounce rates, and so on. Analytics can really help you investigate the why behind why certain users drop off from your site, and others do not.

Factors such as age, geographic location, gender and the types of device used for the purchase are also key demographic indicators for alcohol e-commerce.

Age demographics help classify your customers under different brackets, and this allows you to gauge their familiarity with technology, how they perceive your marketing, and what their preferred mode of communication is. This gives you a good idea of how customers end up searching for your product and what influences their final decision to buy it. For example, [research has shown that millennials portray lower levels of brand loyalty](https://www.bigcommerce.com/ecommerce-answers/what-are-major-age-demographics-ecommerce/) and respond to social media marketing and interaction at a greater level as compared with other age groups. Having information like this can allow you to predict customer’s online behavior better.

Gender plays a key role in determining your customer base as well, because there are not only differences in e-commerce behaviors across genders, but also the type of alcohol consumed. [Research has shown that about 43.2 percent of female respondents claimed wine as their favorite alcoholic beverage category, while 39.3 percent of the male responders picked spirits / liquor as theirs](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1042563/gender-preferred-alcoholic-beverages-us/#:~:text=Preferred%20alcoholic%20beverages%20in%20U.S.%202019%2C%20by%20gender&text=According%20to%20a%202019%20survey,their%20preferred%20type%20of%20alcohol.). Understanding these different tastes and preferences will help you tailor your marketing strategies and make sure that your brand appeals to its target audience.

The type of the device really determines the way in which users interact with your website, since there are variations in screen sizing, resolution, display and so on. By segmenting your users through device categories, you can analyze your traffic better and how it impacts the outcome of the visit. For example, the [U.S e-commerce conversion rate for desktops was 2.1%, while it was 3.32% for tablets for the second quarter of 2020](https://www.statista.com/statistics/234884/us-online-shopper-conversion-rate-by-device/). Key metrics like the user conversion rate, bounce rates, average order value and pages per session can give you a better picture of how your customer journey can vary by device type. [According to the 2019 E-commerce Year in Review, 65 percent of all e-commerce traffic was driven by mobile devices](https://www.salecycle.com/blog/stats-en-us/2019-ecommerce-year-in-review-infographic/). If the majority of your traffic is mobile, you have to make sure that your product images are clear, and that your site is easy to navigate through. Information like this is extremely important in making sure that your audience is viewing your website in a way that speaks to them, and makes their decision making process easier.

## Beyond Demographics: Building Personas
Marketing personas are used as an essential tool in marketing to capture more than just your target audience’s demographics, but also their motivations and key characteristics that help you better envision a customer. If you currently have a strong customer base, you can establish common characteristics into a persona that will help go beyond simple demographic information. For example, if you are aware that the majority of your customers are geographically located in the state of California, then building a persona will help you gather information regarding whether they live in an urban area versus the suburbs, how much income they make, their hobbies, and so on. This way, you have a better understanding of how customers spend their money, and you can improve your marketing efforts to help reach those particular audiences.

*Knowing your audience will help you pick which demographics to target with your ads, and how to frame your marketing strategy. A future blog post will go into details about different ways to track your audience using UTM parameters, and various social media pixels.*

Customer Behaviors: How to Track Your Best Customers

Consumers have a strong appetite for gift cards and gifting alcohol. But until now they could not do both with a branded gift card. The market had none.

Beverage alcohol e-commerce platform company Thirstie on Tuesday announced the first-ever alcohol branded gift cards with major liquor brands.

A recent Thirstie poll of over 2,000 adult Americans 21 years or older found there is an overwhelming interest in liquor-branded gift cards. Given the choice, nearly twice as many consumers would give a gift card for alcohol over a bottle, according to Thirstie’s consumer survey conducted in Spring 2021 by Swytchback.

Additionally, high-income consumers’ demand for a top-selling vodka brand gift card is 84.4 percent, exceeding the demand for leading retail gift cards such as Apple at 76.9 percent and Starbucks at 76.5 percent. The survey also showed that 77 percent of consumers prefer premium and value branded gift cards, criteria that many liquor portfolio companies represent.

Thirstie’s technology platform connects beverage alcohol brands with consumers. Its gift-card solution is the first and only of its kind in the United States.

“We were working to solve for a very real pain point with our industry, which was how to most effectively drive consumers to adopt branded e-commerce storefronts,” said Thirstie CEO and co-founder Devaraj Southworth.

The unique card solution resulted from thinking completely out of the box and pushing the boundaries of innovation, he said. The innovative approach enhanced a consumer behavior that already exists, rather than trying to force consumers to try something completely unfamiliar to consumers.

Bringing the first and only liquor branded gift card solution to both the beverage alcohol and gift card industries will further connect consumers to Thirstie’s brand partners’ e-commerce experience, he explained.

Viable Money Backing
Digital behaviors around gifting in both gift card and alcohol-gifting industries continue to accelerate. The pandemic and supply-chain issues drove that growth, noted researchers at Blackhawk Network. About 75 percent of millennials prefer to receive gift cards over physical presents, said researchers.

Across all Thirstie-powered storefronts, 12 percent of all e-commerce orders were gifts. That sales growth jumped to 22 percent in December 2020, as per Thirstie. Within the gift card sector, online purchases of gift cards more than doubled in 2020, outperforming the growth in 2019, according to Research and Markets.

The beverage alcohol and gift card industries have both seen significant gains year over year. That growth is expected to continue. The global beverage alcohol market is expected to reach $736 billion, Research and Markets reports.

Exceeding that market size and growth is the global gift cards industry. Allied Market Research projects the global gift card industry to reach $1.1 trillion by 2030.

Allied’s market research valued the size of the industry at $258.34 billion in 2020. The company projected the industry to see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.8 percent from 2021 to 2030.

## How It Works

Thirstie-powered gift cards will enable liquor brands to connect with their consumers through a full omnichannel approach. Gift card recipients can only redeem their gift cards through merchant sites affiliated with Thirstie.

Brands now have the ability to offer gift cards through both their online storefront and in-store purchases. That dual-outlet will drive consumer traffic to affiliated vendors’ digital stores.

Liquor-branded gift cards will undoubtedly transform two multi-billion-dollar industries, according to Southworth. Thirstie’s mission always will be to redefine the way consumers are interacting with their favorite brands.

“By putting brands in a position of control where they have the ability to directly connect with their fanbase, we have been able to solve a major pain point within the beverage alcohol industry,” he said.

His company is taking one step further in fulfilling that mission by bringing this innovative solution to the market and helping brands drive consumer adoption to their e-commerce sites, thus meeting consumer demand while doing so, he added.

## Increase Revenue Without Marketing

Thirstie partners exclusively with retailers having their own local delivery mechanism or can ship products in states permitted by law. The company also works with duly licensed retailers who make interstate retail sales of alcoholic beverages. But the consumers must reside in states that permit such sales.

The process is automated by Thirstie for affiliated liquor retailers. The company sets up the affiliated stores in its software platform and integrates with the retailer’s POS system. The setup includes common carrier and bank accounts for direct deposits.

A key advantage for affiliated liquor retailers is the opportunity to grow sales revenue without a need to market their stores to consumers. This allows local stores to maximize their revenue per square foot by gaining incremental sales via Thirstie.

## Liquor Gift Cards Game-Changing

Much like branded e-commerce sites, gift cards give brands the ability to connect directly with their customers. This increases consumer adoption to purchase bottles online.

Thirstie’s new gift card solution arms companies with data insights and significantly increases their ROI. Consumers spend on average 40 percent more than the value of a gift card, according to Blackhawk.

Leading brands leverage gift cards to increase cart size and boost revenue. Starbucks last year reported that nearly 45 percent of its revenue comes from gift cards, according to Restaurant Business.

“Liquor gift cards will be game-changing not just for Thirstie and its brand partners, but the industry at large,” predicted founder of Blackhawk Networks and Thirstie advisor, Donald Kingsborough.

This solution will completely transform both the gifting and alcohol sectors at a scale never seen before, he predicted.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/87347.html)

Belly Up to the Bar With First-Ever Digital Booze Card

Consumer concerns about slow deliveries and worldwide inventory issues means some 45% of holiday-season spending this year will go to gift cards, according to survey results from consumers in 10 countries gathered by Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. That represents a 27% increase in gift card spending from last year’s holidays, Blackhawk says. The survey drew responses from some 11,000 consumers.

Payments provider Electronic Merchant Systems said it is offering a payment processing and gift card program for Herbalife Nutrition Clubs.
Blockchain-based payments provider Circle Internet Financial LLC said its SeedInvest funding platform has invested $10.5 million as part of a $13.5 million round for Crowdcube Ltd., said to be the largest fundraising platform in the United Kingdom for startups.

Thirstie Inc., whose technology links liquor brands with consumers, launched a line of gift cards created specifically for alcohol brands, the first time such cards have been introduced, the company says.
In related news, blockchain-based e-commerce processor Future FinTech Group Inc., based in the United States, said its FTFT UK Ltd. unit has started beta testing a mobile wallet.

Blockchain-based payments provider Flexa said it will enable Regal, a major movie-theater operator, to accept payments from consumers using digital currency. Regal operates more than 7,000 screens across 500 theaters.
Fiserv Inc. closed on its previously announced acquisition of BentoBox CMS Inc., a provider of marketing and commerce technology for restaurants. Terms were not announced.

Quisitive Technology Solutions Inc., parent company of the LedgerPay payments technology, reported revenue of $27.8 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up 119% year-over-year, and payment volume of $940 million.
POSaBIt, a blockchain-based payments provider specializing in cash-only businesses, said it is teaming with Shield Compliance to offer clients software for anti-money-laundering and Bank Secrecy Act compliance.
Payments analytics firm and consultancy The Strawhecker Group noted the promotion of Marissa Charles to digital marketing manager. She had been a marketing analyst. The firm also noted several recent hires.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.digitaltransactions.net/45-of-holiday-spending-slotted-for-gift-cards-and-other-digital-transactions-news-briefs-from-11-23-21/)

45% of Holiday Spending Slotted for Gift Cards and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 11/23/21

Bacardi, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, has partnered with Thirstie, a leading technology company that connects beverage alcohol brands with consumers, to announce the launch of Bacardi e-gift cards, featuring its portfolio of iconic premium spirit brands. Bacardi is the first company in the United States to give consumers access to branded virtual gift cards for spirits this holiday season through Thirstie’s new e-gift card solution.

Both the spirits and e-gift card industries have seen tremendous growth. While the beverage alcohol industry is expected to reach $735.83 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 8%, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com, the digital gift card market is predicted to reach $1101.03 billion globally by 2030, according to Allied Market Research.

“Bacardi has always had a consumer-first mindset as we innovate and push the boundaries within our sector to give people a seamless way to experience our brands and delicious cocktails,” said Alex Tomlin, SVP, Head of Marketing, Bacardi North America. “By offering Bacardi branded e-gift cards in partnership with Thirstie, not only are we meeting the high demand for spirits during the holiday season, but we’re creating an additional channel for the spirits industry to engage and interact with end-consumers in a meaningful way.”

With close to 30% of Americans saying Christmas cocktails are the new Christmas tradition they’ll be embracing this year, according to the Bacardi Holiday Survey 2021, these e-gift cards will make the perfect present for friends and family.

In addition, the Bacardi e-gift cards will help drive consumer adoption to branded digital channels. Similar to brand-owned e-commerce platforms like the innovative Bacardi portfolio app Mix Lab, which enables consumers to create personalized, well-crafted cocktails at home with recipes to new drinks based on the ingredients they have on hand, the e-gift cards, powered by Thirstie, enable Bacardi to create a more enticing and tailored gifting experience.

“Thirstie is excited to bring the first spirits branded e-gift card to the market with our valued partner, Bacardi,” stated Thirstie CEO & Co-Founder, Devaraj Southworth. “As a technology company, we aim to bring new and innovative solutions to beverage alcohol brands so they can further connect with their consumers. The e-gift cards featuring the Mix Lab portfolio and GREY GOOSE will not only enable Bacardi to offer its consumers something that no other spirits company has before, but it gives Bacardi the ability to provide them with a comprehensive digital experience.”

Bacardi e-gift cards will be available for purchase as a portfolio e-card for Mix Lab at https://bit.ly/mixlabgiftcards, offering many of Bacardi’s most awarded brands like PATRÓN, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, ANGEL’S ENVY, BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho, DEWAR’S and more. A GREY GOOSE card is also available, sold digitally at bit.ly/greygoosegiftcards.

E-card redemption for delivery and shipment is available in key markets throughout the U.S., including CA, CT, DC, FL, IL, MN, MO, NJ, NY and WA.

## About Bacardi Limited

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDÍ® rum, GREY GOOSE® vodka, PATRÓN® tequila, DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON’S® Scotch whisky, ST-GERMAIN® elderflower liqueur, and ERISTOFF® vodka.

Founded nearly 160 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs more than 7,000, operates production facilities in 10 countries, and sells its brands in more than 170 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

## About Thirstie

Thirstie, a New York based technology company connects brands with consumers. Its offerings include white-label e-commerce, consumer adoption and data intelligence solutions for Beverage Alcohol brands. Founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014, Thirstie helps brands to power consumer interactions in an industry three-tier compliant system. For more information about Thirstie, please visit www.thirstie.com or follow us on LinkedIn @Thirstie or Instagram and Twitter, @AreYouThirstie.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://apnews.com/press-release/business-wire/technology-business-lifestyle-united-states-holidays-9fce4942d78e4d0fa50abf0324208fe0)

Bacardi and Thirstie Partner to Bring First Spirits Branded E-Gift Cards to Market

NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, consumers can now purchase liquor branded gift cards. Thirstie, a leading technology company that connects beverage alcohol brands with consumers, today announced the launch of gift cards specifically for alcohol brands, the first and only gift card solution of its kind in the United States. This year, the company is launching its gift card solution with major spirits and celebrity backed brands.

Despite a strong consumer appetite for both gift cards and gifting alcohol, branded alcohol gift cards have never existed on the market, until now.

"At Thirstie, we were working to solve for a very real pain point with our industry, which was how to most effectively drive consumers to adopt branded e-commerce storefronts," stated Thirstie CEO & Co-Founder, Devaraj Southworth. "While solutions like our data analytics continue to help brands reach their consumers, we tasked ourselves with thinking completely out-of-the-box and pushing the boundaries of innovation. By taking a concept like gifting and gift cards and applying it to the alcohol industry, we are enhancing a consumer behavior that already exists, rather than trying to force consumers to try something they are not completely familiar with. We are excited to bring the first and only liquor branded gift card solution to both the beverage alcohol and gift card industries and know it will further connect consumers to our brand partners' e-commerce experience."  

A recent Thirstie survey of over 2,000 adult Americans found there is an overwhelming interest in liquor branded gift cards. Given the choice, nearly two times as many consumers would give a gift card for alcohol over a bottle, the survey found. Additionally, high-income consumers' demand for a top-selling vodka brand gift card is 84.4%, exceeding the demand for leading retail gift cards such as Apple at 76.9% and Starbucks at 76.5%. The survey also showed that 77% of consumers prefer premium and value branded gift cards, criteria that many liquor portfolio companies represent.

The beverage alcohol and gift card industries have seen significant gains year over year and are both expected to continue growth. According to ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global beverage alcohol market is expected to reach $736 billion. Exceeding that market size and growth is the global gift cards industry which is projected to hit $1,922.87 billion by 2027, according to Allied Market Research.

Digital behaviors around gifting in both industries continue to accelerate. Across all Thirstie powered storefronts, 12% of all e-commerce orders were gifts from October 2020 - October 2021; that number jumped to 22% in December 2020. Within the gift card sector, online purchases of gift cards more than doubled in 2020, outperforming the growth in 2019, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com.

Thirstie powered gift cards will enable liquor brands to connect with their consumers through a full omnichannel approach. Brands now have the ability to offer gift cards through both their online storefront and in-store while driving traffic to their digital stores, as cards can only be redeemed through their Thirstie powered sites.

"Liquor branded gift cards will undoubtedly transform not one, but two, multi-billion dollar industries," continued Southworth. "Our mission at Thirstie has and always will be to redefine the way consumers are interacting with their favorite brands. By putting brands in a position of control where they have the ability to directly connect with their fanbase, we have been able to solve a major pain point within the beverage alcohol industry. We are excited to take one step further by bringing this innovative solution to the market and helping brands drive consumer adoption to their e-commerce sites and meeting consumer demand while doing so." 

Much like branded e-commerce sites, gift cards give brands the ability to connect directly with their customers, while increasing consumer adoption to purchasing bottles online. Thirstie's new gift card solution will arm companies with data insights and significantly increase their ROI, as seen from leading brands across other industries. As consumers spend on average 40% more than the value of a gift card, according to Blackhawk, brands leverage gift cards to increase cart size and boost revenue. Leading beverage and retail brand, Starbucks, recently reported that nearly half (45%) of its revenue comes from gift cards.

Despite growth driven by the pandemic and supply-chain issues, both physical and digital gift cards continue to be in high consumer demand. About 75% of millennials prefer to receive gift cards over physical presents, according to Blackhawk. The digital gift card market is also predicted to tio $1,101 Billion, globally, by 2030, according to Allied Market Research.

"Liquor gift cards will be game changing not just for Thirstie and its brand partners, but the industry at large," stated Founder of Blackhawk Networks and Thirstie Advisor, Donald Kingsborough. "As the Founder of the largest gift card distribution company, the evolution of the industry has been something I've personally been very proud of. However, this solution will completely transform both the gifting and alcohol sectors at a scale that we have never seen before. I am honored to have worked with Thirstie on bringing this solution to life and couldn't be more excited to be part of this innovation."

Brands can learn more about Thirstie and its new liquor branded gift card solution by visiting www.thirstie.com.  

*Thirstie consumer survey conducted in Spring 2021 by Swytchback of 2000 Americans 21 years or older.

## About Thirstie

Thirstie, a New York based technology company connects brands with consumers. Its offerings include white-label e-commerce, consumer adoption and data intelligence solutions for Beverage Alcohol brands. Founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014, Thirstie helps brands to power consumer interactions in an industry three-tier compliant system. For more information about Thirstie, please visit www.thirstie.com or follow us on LinkedIn @Thirstie or Instagram and Twitter, @AreYouThirstie.

[LINK TO ARTICLE
](uhttps://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thirstie-brings-first-and-only-beverage-alcohol-branded-gift-cards-to-market-with-major-spirits-and-celebrity-backed-brands-301430784.html

Thirstie Brings First and Only Beverage Alcohol Branded Gift Cards To Market With Major Spirits And Celebrity-Backed Brands

The digital shift may have completely transformed most food and beverage brands and retailers, with consumers getting more of their restaurant and grocery needs met through online channels than ever before. However, one major category has been left out of this trend: alcoholic beverages. A PYMNTS survey of around 2,000 United States adults conducted earlier this year found that only 15% of consumers purchase alcohol online to have it delivered at a later date, and only 14% purchase alcohol online to have it delivered that same day.

On Tuesday (Nov. 23), Thirstie, an alcoholic beverage-focused technology company, announced the launch of its branded gift cards, the first of their kind for liquor brands, which can be used for purchases from Thirstie-powered sites.

Read more: Thirstie Debuts Branded Gift Cards for Liquor Industry

“The old adage, ‘if you build it, they will come,’ I think we all recognize isn't the reality,” Devaraj Southworth, the company’s CEO and co-founder, told PYMNTS in an interview. “So we have highly compliant digital storefronts that Thirstie is powering, we have data and analytics capabilities of consumer shopping behaviors to feed back to brand leadership, but to actually have a strong on-ramp to increase digital consumption of a very traditional industry, that's pretty compelling.”

He highlighted the results of the company’s survey of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers, which found that almost twice as many respondents would be interested in giving a gift card for alcoholic beverages than a specific bottle, adding that consumers using these gift cards are likely to not only purchase from brands’ online shops, but to also spend above the card’s value.

## The Roaring 20s

Southworth traces many of the challenges facing liquor brands in the digital marketplace back to legislation passed in the time of Prohibition that banned brands from interacting directly with consumers. Thirstie addresses these challenges by using the storefronts to guide consumers to local retailers.

“Alcohol sales have been a little slower to join the [eCommerce] party, but I think we all can say at this point, the growth is absolutely there,” he said, adding that in 2020, Thirstie’s brands saw sales rise “anywhere between 500% and 700%.”

Throughout 2021, much of the growth in alcohol eCommerce has been through marketplaces, with Uber Eats completing its acquisition of Drizly, DoorDash adding alcoholic beverages in select areas, Instacart rolling out its on-demand alcoholic beverage delivery in partnership with supermarket chain Meijer and more. Thirstie, meanwhile, aims to help brands catch up in terms of building direct relationships with consumers through branded eCommerce sites.

“Every brand, from Nike to Gucci to Dove body wash, has been able to sell directly to the consumer, but alcohol companies quite literally are getting left behind,” he noted.

## Drinking, by the Numbers

Despite widespread reports of quarantine binge drinking, PYMNTS’ survey finds that the majority of alcohol drinkers actually maintained about the same level of alcohol consumption during the pandemic. Additionally, the share of all consumers who report lower alcohol consumption (25%) is actually slightly greater than the share reporting higher consumption (22%).

That said, it is technically possible that the total number of drinks purchased nonetheless increased, since someone in the former group may have only cut their consumption by a drink or two a week, while someone in the latter may have begun drinking significantly more. Still, while 98% of consumers who decreased their consumption reported that they expect to maintain some or all of the changes even once contagion concerns subside, only 70% of those who increased their consumption said the same.

For Thirstie’s part, Southworth noted that the trend of returning to pre-pandemic levels of mobility since the start of the vaccine rollout has not had a huge impact on how consumers engage with the company’s digital storefronts, given that the use case of visiting a brand’s website is very different than that of, say, going to a bar.

## What Lies Ahead

In the near future, Southworth wants to focus on building contextual commerce technology into stores’ sites, integrating shoppability into articles, videos and more.

“We're going to be doing more as far as integrations with content to commerce, so that the ability to purchase is embedded within the very fabric of that story,” said Southworth. “For brands, the storytelling aspect is critical … with the ability to embed buying experiences within the content.”

Additionally, he hopes to make more payment options available, given that currently, all Thirstie transactions occur by credit card and now by gift card. He noted that the company will be experimenting with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and other digital wallets “in the next six months.”

With gift cards, increased payment capabilities and contextual commerce, Southworth aims to drive up adoption, significantly increasing eCommerce's share of total transactions. A 2019 IWSR study found that online sales made up only 1% of all off-trade retail sales of alcoholic beverages.

“We can get our industry to 10% of digital transactions in the next five years, and maybe it gets to 20% in the next 10 years,” predicted Southworth. “And the reason I can say that with relative confidence, and it may be off by a few percentage points, is that in other countries like France and China, that digital penetration is between 10% and 20%.”

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.pymnts.com/news/payment-methods/2021/liquor-brands-use-gift-cards-to-drive-online-sales-build-brand-loyalty/)

Liquor Brands Use Gift Cards to Drive Online Sales, Build Brand Loyalty

E-commerce and data solutions provider for alcohol brands Thirstie has launched liquor-branded gift cards, thought to be a first for the industry in the US.

A recent Thirstie survey of more than 2,000 adult Americans found almost twice as many consumers would give a gift card for alcohol over a bottle.

Furthermore, the results showed high-income consumers’ demand for a top-selling vodka brand gift card was 84.5%. the survey also showed 77% of consumers prefer premium and value-branded gift cards.

The gift cards have been designed to connect brands and consumers through an omnichannel approach. Gift cards will be available online and in stores, but can only be redeemed through Thirstie-powered sites.

Devaraj Southworth, Thirstie CEO and founder, said: “At Thirstie, we were working to solve for a very real pain point with our industry, which was how to most effectively drive consumers to adopt branded e-commerce storefronts.

“While solutions like our data analytics continue to help brands reach their consumers, we tasked ourselves with thinking completely out-of-the-box and pushing the boundaries of innovation.

“By taking a concept like gifting and gift cards and applying it to the alcohol industry, we are enhancing a consumer behaviour that already exists, rather than trying to force consumers to try something they are not completely familiar with.

“We are excited to bring the first and only liquor-branded gift card solution to both the beverage alcohol and gift card industries, and know it will further connect consumers to our brand partners’ e-commerce experience.”

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2021/11/thirstie-releases-alcohol-branded-gift-cards-in-us/)

Thirstie releases alcohol-branded gift cards in US – The Spirits Business

## There’s no understating it: The pandemic impacted traditional business practices in ways that will be felt for years.

For many business leaders, the pandemic delivered an unintended slowdown. But for some, like me, it created an unexpected acceleration of multiple business objectives. Being thrown into the pressure cooker of the pandemic brought new goals into focus for many small businesses by helping refine strategy and goals. 

## Stay focused.

The pandemic certainly created new opportunities for e-commerce and did so at incredible speed. Some of the early winners of the pandemic era were companies like Shopify, which overtook eBay and benefited from retailers opening up online storefronts during the first waves of lockdowns. PayPal, and its cash app Venmo, also soared as stores eschewed physical money while consumers sent more money within their family and friend circles as unemployment rose. 

However, it wasn’t all merely about digital transactions. According to The New York Times article, small businesses specializing in high-end bicycles, small wine producers and even custom home design all saw unexpected, and sustained, sales bumps as consumers reexamined needs.

What’s the link between the Shopify boom and a custom bicycle shop? An investment and a commitment to a certain kind of online consumer shopping behavior. Many of these businesses used pandemic-assistance loans to keep staff and source materials; several made key investments in digital marketing, according to the New York Times article cited above, to reach new customers. 

But mostly, these businesses doubled down on their offerings and their commitment to their vision precisely as consumers started looking for them.

## Don’t fear transformation.

With rapid demand comes incredible growth. Growing too quickly sometimes sends companies into a panic, stoking fears they won’t be able to keep up with demands.
But if companies expect (rather than fear) transformation as a necessary part of their business evolution, a change (whether it’s in the company itself or the industry at large) can be the start of a new chapter. 
According to McKinsey, “Companies cannot settle for incremental improvement; they must periodically undergo performance transformations to get, and stay, on top.” As business leaders interviewed by McKinsey note, framing a company’s transformation in a strong story can energize employees as well as consumers. “The ultimate impact of the story depends on the CEO’s willingness to make the transformation personal, to engage others openly, and to spotlight successes as they emerge.” 
In my own company, Thirstie, we took the time to draft an updated strategy and vision after two years of substantial growth. It was a much-needed reset to make sure that we remained on track as industry goal posts shifted. 

## Listen to the market.

Every company must maintain an awareness of their market and their customer needs. Apply this knowledge to take calculated risks to take the company further.
When the pandemic put a focus on reducing in-person contact with money, paper menus and employees, customers turned to digital ordering apps en masse. Fast food retailers, for example, saw that customers were spending more and ordering more food while also moving their orders online. Chipotle, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Yum! Brands’s Taco Bell reported record-breaking use of their ordering apps. In 2020, Chipotle’s digital sales jumped 216% year-over-year while digital orders at Yum! ticked up from $1 billion to $3.5 billion in one year.

Digital apps certainly existed before the pandemic, but the pandemic accelerated consumer behavior in a way that seems to suggest digital orders will be the norm in the years to come. As companies edge forward, the question to ask is: What can be streamlined? What behaviors can be moved to digital? How can every product offering be represented and delivered with less physical contact? What offline purchases can be reimagined for the digital present?

At Thirstie, for example, we revamped an offline gifting to allow for online shopping behavior. This year, in time for the holidays, for example, we launched the first alcohol-branded gift card.

## Leadership equals transparency and communication.

Leadership in the age of the pandemic is the same as leadership in an age of uncertainty. A Harvard Business Review article about leadership cited NBA commissioner Adam Silver and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as examples of how to lead publicly in a crisis, with fast-changing scenarios and a lot of unanswered questions. 
According to the article, this approach enabled the organization to “communicate with transparency,” which meant “providing honest and accurate descriptions of reality.” In addition to “constantly updating teams” and “responding to missteps,” leadership in this new era means having to say that one doesn’t always have the answers. 

This example is one of many of how the corporate era where a CEO is required to know everything and single-handedly is expected to make every decision is long gone. People, whether they be customers, partners, investors or team members appreciate transparency. The pandemic has taught us that it’s OK to say, “I don’t know.”
In a recent New York Times piece, CEOs across numerous industries share how the pandemic called on them to rewrite the leadership playbook. One software CEO stated his company, “Threw out any plans we had, any budget, any road map.” Adding that he has since shed “the sense of rigid confidence that had previously been at the core of his leadership.” He was forced to admit that no one, not even him, knew when pandemic stresses were going to end.

At Thirstie, we aim for a similar transparency. While our vision does not alter, we have certainly opened new roadmaps to get there.

## The biggest takeaway.

Staying focused, not fearing transformation, listening to the market and being transparent are all major lessons to keep in mind as you grow and scale your businesses. However, the biggest takeaway I can share as we approach year three of the pandemic, is that the world has changed, and companies that want to be part of the future have to adapt.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/02/08/four-lessons-from-running-a-business-during-the-pandemic/)


Four Lessons From Running A Business During The Pandemic

Royal Salute 51 year old, Blue Run Cask Strength Rye, and newcomers from Adelphi and The Whistler are among the offerings featured in Whisky Advocate’s latest weekly roundup.The magazine’s website has all the details.

Bacardi has partnered with e-commerce company Thirstie to create e-gift cards for its spirits portfolio in what it says it is a first for the industry. “By offering Bacardi branded e-gift cards in partnership with Thirstie, not only are we meeting the high demand for spirits during the holiday season, but we’re creating an additional channel for the spirits industry to engage and interact with end consumers in a meaningful way,” said Alex Tomlin, SVP, head of marketing, Bacardi North America. Bacardi is launching e-gift cards for its portfolio through its Mix Lab app (offering labels like Patrón, Bombay Sapphire, Angel’s Envy, Bacardi Reserva Ocho, and Dewar’s), while Grey Goose has its own site offering branded e-cards. E-card redemption for delivery and shipment is available in key markets throughout the U.S., including CA, CT, DC, FL, IL, MN, MO, NJ, NY, and WA.

Utah-based High West is launching new entry High Country Single Malt nationwide early next month. Retailing at $80 a 750-ml., the newcomer is at 44% abv and is the first of the brand’s High Country bottlings to be finished in part in Oloroso sherry barrels, with no peated malt in the blend. Made from 100% High West distillate in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, the whiskey is unfiltered and distilled on the grain. Part of the Constellation portfolio, High West was up 15% to 132,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank.

Código 1530 has partnered with Playboy on a new special edition Tequila, Rare Hare Double Barrel Añejo. Aged in French oak Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels and finished in Spanish Sherry-Fino casks, the new entry comes in a wooden presentation box and retails at $899 a bottle, with 1,530 individually numbered bottles rolling out. Rare Hare is available on the websites of both Código 1530 and Playboy, as well as in select retail outlets.

Mark Kent, former U.K. ambassador to Argentina, has been tapped as the new leader of the Scotch Whisky Association, following current chief executive Karen Betts’ departure in January 2022. Kent has served in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for over 30 years and, beyond Argentina, was the U.K.’s ambassador to Thailand and Vietnam among other diplomatic posts. Betts, the first woman to lead the SWA, is taking a role leading the Food and Drink Federation.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.shankennewsdaily.com/index.php/2021/11/30/29958/news-briefs-for-november-30-2021/)


News Briefs for November 30, 2021

Since the start of the pandemic, on-demand delivery has taken over the restaurant industry and gained significant ground in grocery. Yet, facing increased oversight and regulation, alcoholic beverage businesses have been slower to penetrate the bring-it-to-me economy.

It took eight months between Uber’s announcement of its acquisition of on-demand alcoholic beverage delivery marketplace Drizly back in February and the close of the deal in October, and in that time DoorDash was able to add beer, wine and spirits to its marketplace in 20 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Canada and Australia. Meanwhile, Instacart is also competing to meet consumers’ instant alcoholic beverage needs, as are newcomers to the on-demand delivery space such as ultrafast grocery delivery service Jokr.

In just the past month or so, access to on-demand beer, wine and spirits delivery has increased dramatically. Last week, DoorDash announced that it was adding alcoholic beverage delivery through Midwestern supermarket chains Meijer and Hy-Vee. In mid-November, Drizly stated that, following a successful 190-store pilot program, it is partnering with 7-Eleven to deliver alcohol in 60 minutes or less from 1,200 of the convenience retailer’s stores.

The space is growing quickly, but as yet, brands and retailers selling alcohol have not been able to see the success in the online market that other food and beverage businesses have.

“The old adage, ‘if you build it, they will come,’ I think we all recognize isn’t the reality,” Devaraj Southworth, CEO and co-founder of Thirstie, a company that creates eCommerce solutions for alcohol brands, told PYMNTS in an interview.

Still, he predicts that within the next five years, digital channels will generate 10% of all alcohol sales, doubling to 20% within the next 10 years. “And the reason I can say that with relative confidence, and it may be off by a few percentage points, is that in other countries like France and China, that digital penetration is between 10% and 20%.”

For comparison, PYMNTS research from the 2021 Restaurant Readiness Index, created in collaboration with Paytronix, finds that, by last spring, 32% of sales at restaurants with table service were coming from digital orders, as were 47% for quick service restaurants (QSRs). As an additional point of reference, PYMNTS’ study “What Consumers Expect From Their Grocery Shopping Experiences,” created in collaboration with ACI Worldwide, found that 34% of consumers now buy groceries online.

A PYMNTS survey from the first quarter of this year, which asked a census-balanced panel of about 2,000 U.S. adults about their alcohol buying habits, found that only 14% of the 1,200 who had purchased alcohol had done so online for same-day delivery. Additionally, the study found that millennials were twice as likely as the general population to take advantage of these on-demand ecommerce channels.

Still, despite this relatively low penetration, the habits are sticky. About half of those taking advantage of these options reported that they were doing so more often than before the start of the pandemic, and 70% stated that they expect to maintain these increases.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.pymnts.com/news/ecommerce/2021/on-demand-alcohol-delivery-options-expand-despite-slow-adoption/)

On-Demand Alcohol Delivery Options Expand Despite Slow Adoption

The digital transformation that has resulted from consumers adapting to the restrictions of Covid 19 has catapulted beverage alcohol online sales in the US to a staggering 167% growth in 2020 vs 2019. Delivering growth that was supposed to take 10 years in one explosive year has producers and retailers scrambling to keep up, and customer need for convenience and online access is expected to continue post Covid. Here are five key trends that have been accelerated in the wine industry over the past year, and how brands can keep up.

**Adapt a commerce everywhere approach**

When it comes to the wine category specifically, consumers are now expecting to be able to purchase alcohol easily wherever they are and have it delivered to them quickly. From producer owned online stores, retail online stores and wine clubs, social channel shop buttons, branded apps and delivery services like Drizzly and Thirstie, consumers want and expect easy access.

Responding to this shift requires not just digital tools, but adjustments to fulfillment operations, inventory allocations, marketing budgets as well as hiring well-trained personnel. In 2021 as this revenue stream continues growing, brands will continue to see worth in these efforts, and increased margins to match.

**Leverage data architecture**

Wine companies have historically been slow to invest in a connected digital infrastructure, one that connects all consumer types across their preferred channels and wine occasions to develop an intelligent 360 degree view of their consumers. They have instead relied on a patchwork of legacy systems to service internal and external needs. This fragmentation can hinder brands from being able to grow their businesses, especially when facing the digital transformations happening due to COVID-19. It is essential for brands to take a cold hard look at their data structure and the tools that deliver that data to make sure that strategic plans are supported and that they are empowering the decision makers with up-to- date information.

Best practices dictate that all systems and their data outputs need to be tied to a winery’s business and consumer goals, both short and long term, and a regular audit will identify the gaps that are preventing that growth. Investing in more agile and connected systems will put brands on a strong path and enable them to more effectively meet the needs of modern consumers.

**Ensure next-level customer service**

The acceleration of online commerce has resulted in higher customer service expectations, particularly when it comes to response times.

Wine brands have traditionally taken pride in their level of customer service when it occurs in their in-person facilities, however have struggled to excel in the burgeoning online commerce space, where excellent customer service is required at scale. It demands updated management systems, digital tools, communications that are relevant and personalized to the customer and online community management. When brands invest in these tools, however, the results are rewarding. Great online customer service increases customer retention rates,  with a 5% growth in customer retention potentially increasing profits by more than 25%

**Lean into experiences**

The relationship that consumers have with wine is almost always one shaped by experiences they have had while consuming the product with their friends and loved ones, or when visiting a winery or event. It is those experiences that set the foundation for a strong and healthy long-term brand relationship. As more consumers are now interacting with wine online, it’s essential for brands to develop engaging experiences that reflect and translate their values and authentic story into the digital space.  Champagne brands have been early adopters of this kind of experiential online marketing as a way of differentiating themselves in the marketplace, and now other wine brands are following suit.

Experiences like virtual tastings and events, culinary experiences, hosted winery visits,  episodic storytelling, real- time virtual retail and educational webinars can be delivered via all channels, from social to email marketing, to in-store/restaurant, via zoom chats,  live streaming applications and podcasts. Experiences can also be as simple as consumer preference quizzes, personalized storytelling content based on products that are of interest to them, or even educational webinars with winemakers. Many companies are also partnering with other non-wine companies to create bespoke experiences. But, consistency is key.

**Rethink wine clubs**

Consumers generally subscribe to a wine club for approximately 18 months. The main reason they leave is because they no longer see the value of remaining members. Solving this churn issue, especially as more consumers move online, is an ongoing focus for most wineries.

Why don’t consumers see value in this offering? Primarily, this is because most wine clubs are set up for the benefit of the winery (shipments and product selection are controlled by the winery, not the consumer). The main perk of a wine club for consumers is access and discounts, both of which are easily overcome by the competitive online marketplace. Brands need to re-think the wine club model away from quarterly preplanned drops into a modern commerce loyalty experience, supported by personalization, choice and innovative programs to build long-term customer relationships and increased customer lifetime value.

It is increasingly clear that the alcohol landscape of 2021 is going to continue to shift. From an ecommerce perspective, the wine industry has faced some of the biggest challenges and opportunities over the past 12-months, and is struggling to  pivot. If brands want to emerge from this change bigger and better, they need to remain consumer focused and develop  a strong  ecommerce strategy.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](urhttps://foodindustryexecutive.com/2021/12/5-key-commerce-trends-to-watch-in-the-wine-industry-how-brands-can-stay-ahead-of-an-online-category-accelerated-by-covid-19/l)

5 Key Commerce Trends to Watch in the Wine Industry – How Brands Can Stay Ahead of an Online Category Accelerated by COVID-19

Alcohol retail technology boomed during the pandemic. Growth rates for these ecommerce companies spiked, with many reaching triple digits. Fueling this was a large number of consumers, stuck at home, who realized for the first time that they could buy alcohol online.

**The question now is: what next?**

“There is a lot of room for growth in beverage alcohol ecommerce,” says Erynn Petersen, chief technology officer at Drizly. “Alcohol online is where fashion and cars were five years ago in ecommerce — on the edge of breaking out, with digital experiences catching up to what consumers need in these commerce experiences.”

A pioneer in digital delivery, Drizly was acquired by Uber in early 2021. The deal foreshadows continued consolidation, growth and innovation for alcohol ecommerce.

“We are excited to be working towards Drizly’s integration within the Uber Eats app,” says Petersen. “We’ll maintain a standalone web and app experience and through our singular focus on beverage alcohol.

“We’re working on a number of new initiatives at this time,” she adds, “including a deeper dive into personalization, identifying more opportunities to create greater value for our consumers and enabling easier discovery and search.”

Much of this depends on collecting and utilizing consumer data, which becomes exponentially more critical as ecommerce explodes.


“The more we can ‘connect the dots’ around consumer behaviors pertaining to e-commerce, the more the entire bev-alc industry can accelerate in the digital world.” — Thirstie CEO Devaraj Southworth
“Thirstie has seen firsthand the impact consumer data has had on the brands we work with,” says Thirstie CEO Devaraj Southworth. “We not only arm our brand partners with first-party data, but also provide tools to understand how they can apply data to their marketing efforts and increase traffic to their digital stores.”

“The more we can ‘connect the dots’ around consumer behaviors pertaining to e-commerce, the more the entire bev-alc industry can accelerate in the digital world,” he adds.

But that is more difficult after recent privacy changes for products like iPhones, making people harder to track.

“The writing has been on the wall the last couple of years as the effects of privacy continue to evolve,” says 3×3 CEO Mike Provance. “And shoppers are getting smarter. They want information useful to them. They don’t want to get slammed with spam. They want genuine interactions with alcohol products. That’s who we’re targeting and curating.”

3×3, which specializes in data-driven marketing programs for retailers, is now looking beyond cellular apps.

“We’ve seen a downward trend in people using apps because people are inundated with apps,” Provance says. “Our approach is leveraging what’s native in the phone. Text messaging, mobile web, e-wallets.”

Businesses that do not adapt accordingly may find themselves in trouble as technology evolves.

“I think the most important thing is that many liquor stores don’t realize how much they’re under attack,” says Elie Y. Katz, president and CEO of POS-provider National Retail Solutions (NRS). “In the past, liquor stores were threatened by brick-and-mortar businesses like Costco and Walmart. Now, delivery and online sources are working hard to prevent people from going into stores in the first place.”

“That’s why it’s so important for liquor stores to get the right technology and start pivoting,” he adds.

NRS itself is pivoting — in a market still stricken by pandemic-caused distribution issues — into logistics options. “We’re going to get more involved in point-to-point deliveries,” Katz says.

In a post-Covid world, businesses are also under attack from a staffing shortage.

“Staffing challenges that have long plagued beverage alcohol retail are exacerbated post-pandemic with stores struggling to build back the in-store staff they lost during the pandemic,” says Igor Ostrovsky, co-founder and CEO of Koverly, a B2B-payment solution. “Many businesses need to ask more of the employees that remain.”

“Right now, businesses need technology solutions that reduce tasks, increase efficiency and position them for sustainable, healthy growth,” he adds. “The Koverly platform connects to distributor payment portals, pulling invoice details from multiple distributors and suppliers into one dashboard and providing beverage alcohol business owners a single workspace to manage all of their bills and payments.”

How consumers interact with brands has also changed dramatically in the past few years. It’s no longer enough for a brand to simply post informative or entertaining social media content. Savvy companies now leverage digital interactions and data to form more personalized relationships with customers.

“At Drizly, we realize the importance of understanding what our customers want and need,” says Petersen. “For example, if a customer loves stouts, they should never have to wade through IPAs. Drizly is building a deep, rich catalog on our standalone app and website of all things bev-alc, and applying what we are learning across millions of users to deliver a personalized experience to each individual consumer.”

Perhaps the greatest question moving forward is where exactly alcohol ecommerce operates within the three-their system. This remains a murky answer.

“We believe that commitment to compliance will eventually come to the forefront of alcohol retail technology,” says Southworth of Thirstie. “As e-commerce is a new ‘fourth tier’ within the alcohol ecosystem, it’s quite complex for brands to understand what is compliant and what isn’t. Thirstie has put compliance front and center, and has made it a point to meet directly with state regulators to understand how to build a compliant solution.”

As alcohol ecommerce continues to expand, and the companies continue to consolidate, more businesses will need help navigating these new legal and business challenges.

“We are still experiencing a swell of bev-alc retailers coming online for the first time, and Drizly’s technology and support teams help minimize what might be a daunting leap to selling online by automating compliance and regulation,” says Petersen. “This includes tools that take care of sales tax calculation based on a delivery address, compliant payment flow of funds, promotions and discounting, and ID verification at the doorstep.”

“While we have a strong base of retailers who understand how to serve their local online buyers, we’re also looking at what tools make it even easier for smaller retailers to move into the online delivery space,” she adds.

In the years ahead, forever shaped by the pandemic, the world will likely become increasingly reliant upon technology. With more consumers now fluent in ecommerce, implementing the right tech has never been more important for beverage alcohol retailers.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://beveragedynamics.com/2021/12/09/alcohol-retail-technology-future-trends-2022/)

What Will Alcohol Retail Technology Look Like in 2022?


Technology was already important for beverage alcohol retailers before the pandemic. Now, with consumers more accustomed to buying everything online as they prefer quicker, efficient shopping, running the right tech at your business has never been more critical.

Stores can now utilize technology to grow sales onsite, increase digital commerce and marketing, boost customer service and improve every-day performance. But with so many providers and services now available, how can you determine which are right for you?

That’s why Beverage Dynamics has brought back its annual Technology Buyer’s Guide, now for the fifth year running. This list of companies and services is an expansion of our former Point of Sale (POS) guide, and now includes ecommerce, analytics, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and digital delivery apps.

The 2021 edition of the guide is broken down into four sections: POS, Finances and Analytics; Ecommerce; Loyalty, Education and Communications Programs; and Digital Delivery Apps. We hope you find this document useful enough to keep around for reference, and share with other business professionals in need of advice or contacts for tech.

## Ecommerce

**Atlantic Systems Inc.**

The company’s Spirits Web Polling feature allows internet businesses to fully automate the ability to upload products to websites and download orders directly into Spirits, eliminating the need to manually enter online orders.
Contact: 732-280-6616
URL: atlanticsystemsinc.com

**BigCommerce**

Showcase brands and products on their responsive templates. Choose from high-converting online store themes designed especially for major ecommerce industries. Or create your website from scratch in their website-builder program. An all-in-one marketing and ecommerce platform that includes SEO, tools to create eye-catching online stores, and more than 100 built-in marketing tools that make it easy to sell on mobile, Facebook and eBay.
Contact: 888-248-9325
URL: bigcommerce.com

**Bindo**

One-click setup instantly puts your products online and lets shoppers buy them via the Bindo Market app and website. Comprehensive yet easy-to-understand data across all devices. Sales summary reports. Income statement analysis. Side-by-side product comparison. Historical sales data comparison. Exportable spreadsheets
Contact: 800-692-4636
URL: bindopos.com

**CashierLive**

Integrated with BigCommerce. When you add BigCommerce to your Cashier Live account, inventory will transfer over with the push of a button.
Contact: 877-312-1750
URL: cashierlive.com

**City Hive**

Omni-channel ecommerce solution (web/app) digitally transforming the beverage alcohol industry and trusted by 2,000+ retailers.
Contact: 917-920–2768
URL: cityhive.net

**Clover**

Automatically connects with Clover POS. Clover Online offers a variety of professionally designed website templates.
Contact: 855-853-8340
URL: clover.com

**Cybertill**

Cybertill offers out-of-the-box, ready-to-launch websites, custom-build ecommerce websites, or real-time integration options to link your RetailStore platform with your existing ecommerce website.
Contact: enquiries@cybertill.com
URL: cybertill.com

**Marketing360**

Get approved to accept payments, connect your bank account and begin accepting and managing payments any way you’d like in under five minutes.
Contact: 970-800-2890
URL: marketing360.com

**ePOS**

ePOS Now integrates with websites and online stores through their app store, which allows connections to hundreds of online services. Integration allows your website to stay synchronized with the ePOS Now Back Office, ensuring your online store is connected to your physical store.
Contact: 855-434-3767
URL: eposnow.com/us

**ERPLY**

Product management and inventory replenishment is done in one place. Receive orders from sales representatives, physical stores, phone sales, email and ecommerce channels to one centralized inventory management system. Keep inventory in sync across all channels.
Contact: 855-463-7759
URL: erply.com

**Franpos**

This is the new name for the brand iConnect. Their eCommerce solution is synced with your Franpos POS account, so customers can make purchases online and in-store. Inventory is automatically updated and synced to your account no matter where a sale is made.
Contact: 408-898-3217
URL: franpos.com

**HarborTouch**

Process transactions over the Internet using their secure payment gateway: Authorize.Net. This ecommerce solution integrates with your existing website.
Contact: 800-201-0461
URL: harbortouch.com

**Lightspeed**

Create your online store with marketing, design and sales tools. Customize your checkout.
Contact: 866-932-1801
URL: lightspeedhq.com

**The Merchant Solutions**

Process debit and credit card payments online in a secure, real-time environment. Compatible with many existing shopping carts, TMS payment gateway solution will authenticate customers in real-time, reducing the risk of fraudulent transactions.
Contact: 888-707-2836
URL: themerchantsolutions.com

mPower Beverage
mPower Beverage’s POS software open architecture provides the ability to integrate with new or existing ecommerce websites.
Contact: 972-234-5884
URL: mpowerbeverage.com

**NCR Corporation**

View online activity through the point-of-sale. Automatically manage your inventory. Enable the same promotions across channels.
Contact: 800-262-7782
URL: ncr.com/retail

**Netsuite**

Rapidly create mobile, web and in-store experiences. From Oracle, powered by SuiteCommerce.
Contact: 877-638-7848
URL: netsuite.com

**NCR Silver**

NCR Silver App takes mobile payments and features intuitive sales reporting, loyalty rewards and other business management options.
Contact: 877-630-9711
URL: ncrsilver.com

With hyper niche focus on technology for beer, wine and liquor stores, RITE offers Cloud Retailer. Designed specifically for beer, wine and liquor stores, Cloud Retailer is next-generation business intelligence for small- and medium-sized retailers. It has tools like point-of-sale, inventory control, customer loyalty, e-commerce, security safeguards and more.
Contact: 888-267-RITE(7483)
URL: rite.us

**Sage**

Sage One enables you to manage business finances on your mobile device: iPhone, iPad or tablet. With Sage Live, you can use your tablet or smartphone to review flash reports and communicate with colleagues.
Contact: 866-705-7243
URL: sage.com

**Sellr**

A Sellr website puts your products at the forefront so customers can easily see what is available in your store. It includes features like content editor and page builder, latest modern code and design, custom branding and colors.
Contact: 888-662-8347
URL: getsellr.com

**ShopKeep**

Know your top-selling items, and which departments to expand, with detailed reporting on your digital devices.
Contact: 800-820-9814
URL: shopkeep.com

**Square for Retail**

With their website-building partners and APIs, you can build your online store and accept payments online through Square.
URL: squareup.com

**Thirstie**

Aiming to be “the Shopify for alcohol,” Thirstie builds legally compliant digital storefronts. Through their proprietary technology they provide companies with first-party consumer data to help grow their business. Integrates with a retailer’s POS system, common carrier account as well as bank account for direct deposits.
URL: thirstie.com

**Vend**

With one login, all of your reports are in one place, with seamless inventory syncing. Choose a website design from one of several themes on their growing Theme Store, designed with mobile and tablets in mind. Customize the look of your online store and add pages whenever you want.
Contact: 844-814-5409
URL: vendhq.com

**Weebly**

Build customizable websites through drag-and-drop. Sell online. Complete platform to manage inventory, track orders and handle taxes. Built-in marketing.
URL: weebly.com

**WineFetch**

A fully customizable, SEO-friendly, PCI-compliant, mobile-optimized and secure ecommerce website. Secure checkout via Apple Pay.
URL: winefetch.com/retailers/

**Windward Software**

A Windward ecommerce website has customizable e-cart software solutions. Software package that integrates your online and offline businesses.
Contact: 716-821-9808
URL: windwardsoftware.com

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://beveragedynamics.com/2021/11/29/the-top-alcohol-retail-tech-providers-for-2021-22/)

The Top Alcohol Retail Tech Providers for 2021-22

With the trend across the restaurant and grocery industries moving toward digital personalization, eCommerce gift cards may be more important than ever this holiday season, especially for brands for which consumer choice is central to their value prop. On Tuesday (Nov. 23), Kroger-owned meal kit and prepared meals delivery service Home Chef announced the launch of new digital gift cards in partnership with GiftNow, a gifting service from Loop Commerce, a Synchrony solution.

“We're excited to elevate our digital gifting operations and offer customers more opportunities to personalize and send gift cards,” Eric Dean, senior director of marketing partnerships at Home Chef, said in a statement. “By partnering with GiftNow, we have transformed the gifting experience at HomeChef.com, making it more experiential, customizable and accessible for both gifters and recipients.”

The news comes as consumers are turning to online shopping more than ever before to meet their holiday gifting needs. According to data from PYMNTS’ report The 2021 Holiday Shopping Outlook, created in collaboration with Kount, 87% of consumers plan to shop online this holiday season, up 10 percentage points from last year. Additionally, about one in 25 consumers actually expect gift cards to be their most important payment method for shopping online during the holidays.

Restaurant brands have also been turning to gift cards to drive eCommerce sales. In another gift card-related announcement on Tuesday, Lake Forest, California-based quick service restaurant (QSR) Del Taco relaunched its holiday gift card bonus program, which rewards loyalty program members who purchase these cards with coupons for free meals. And on Monday (Nov. 22), Taco John’s, a Cheyenne, Wyoming-based quick-service chain, announced $5 bonus gift cards for every purchase of a $25 card. Dozens of other major restaurant brands are offering similar perks and deals for gift card purchases.

Additionally, if there is enough demand on the buyers’ side, gift cards can be a key way to drive adoption for brands that have a good product, but struggle to bring customers into the fold. Take, for instance, Thirstie, an alcoholic beverage-focused technology company, which on Tuesday announced the first branded gift cards for liquor companies in a move to drive adoption of online liquor shopping, a hugely underpenetrated space.

“The old adage, ‘if you build it, they will come,’ I think we all recognize isn't the reality,” Devaraj Southworth, the company’s CEO and co-founder, told PYMNTS in an interview. “So we have highly compliant digital storefronts that Thirstie is powering, we have data and analytics capabilities of consumer shopping behaviors to feed back to brand leadership, but to actually have a strong on-ramp to increase digital consumption of a very traditional industry, that's pretty compelling.”

Home Chef, for its part, has been seeing sales rise dramatically in the years since it was acquired by Kroger in 2018. Last month, the company announced that it had exceeded $1 billion in annual sales. At the time of its acquisition, Home Chef had reported $250 million in revenue, indicating that the brand has increased its sales more than fourfold in its time as a Kroger subsidiary. Still, meal subscriptions overall continue to account for only a small share of consumers’ food spending.

Plus, supply chain issues are making consumers especially interested in purchasing gift cards this holiday season. In an interview with PYMNTS, Brett Narlinger, head of global commerce at Blackhawk Network, said Blackhawk has already started to see a dramatic increase in gift card purchases for the holidays this year, in large part because of bottlenecks that have consumers worried about getting items in time.

“That entire process is going to be a drag, and it’s not going to be fun for consumers,” said Narlinger. “And that’s a really good reason that we’re seeing so many with this intent toward gift cards, so they have a choice.”

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2021/cpg-brands-turn-to-personalized-digital-gift-cards-to-boost-holiday-sales/)

CPG Brands Turn to Personalized, Digital Gift Cards to Boost Holiday Sales

White-label eCommerce firm Thirstie is launching gift cards for liquor brands, the first offering of its kind in the U.S., according to a press release emailed to PYMNTS on Tuesday (Nov. 23).

Thirstie connects alcohol brands with consumers, and its gift card solution will feature major alcohol and celebrity-backed brands to meet consumer demand for both gift cards and gifting alcohol. Before Thirstie’s offering, branded alcohol gift cards weren’t available.

“At Thirstie, we were working to solve for a very real pain point with our industry, which was how to most effectively drive consumers to adopt branded eCommerce storefronts,” said Thirstie CEO and co-founder, Devaraj Southworth. “While solutions like our data analytics continue to help brands reach their consumers, we tasked ourselves with thinking completely out-of-the-box and pushing the boundaries of innovation.

“By taking a concept like gifting and gift cards and applying it to the alcohol industry, we are enhancing a consumer behavior that already exists, rather than trying to force consumers to try something they are not completely familiar with.”

Almost two times as many consumers would prefer to give a gift card for booze over a bottle if given a choice, according to a Thirstie survey that polled more than 2,000 U.S. adults. Furthermore, consumer demand for a leading vodka brand gift card was 84.4%, topping the demand for a retail gift card.

The alcohol market worldwide is anticipated to hit $736 billion, while the global gift card space is forecast to top $1.9 billion by 2027, according to Allied Market Research.

“Liquor gift cards will be game-changing, not just for Thirstie and its brand partners, but the industry at large,” said Donald Kingsborough, founder of Blackhawk Networks and a Thirstie advisor.

You may also enjoy: On-Demand Alcohol Delivery Grows More Competitive, Despite Mutually Beneficial Relationship

“Our mission at Thirstie has and always will be to redefine the way consumers are interacting with their favorite brands,” Southworth said. “By putting brands in a position of control where they have the ability to directly connect with their fanbase, we have been able to solve a major pain point within the beverage alcohol industry.

“Liquor branded gift cards will undoubtedly transform not one, but two, multi-billion dollar industries.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.pymnts.com/news/merchant-innovation/2021/thirstie-debuts-branded-gift-cards-liquor-industry/)

Thirstie Debuts Branded Gift Cards for Liquor Industry

Despite the legal hurdles in the U.S, direct-to-consumer alcohol delivery is starting to go mainstream. 

Traditionally, spirits have been harder to disrupt with online sales due to post-prohibition laws, which prevent spirits producers from selling directly to customers. However, with the help of a logistics network of licensed retailers, consumers are increasingly able to complete an entire purchase through an alcohol brand’s website. 

One startup helping brands create DTC channels is Thirstie, a New York City-based white label delivery platform. The platform powers the online presence of legacy brands like The Macallan whiskey and Bacardi, as well as newcomers like agave RTD brand Zuzu, which launched its online store on Thirstie this year. While other CPG brands have been increasingly getting into white-label fulfillment and same-day delivery,  for alcohol brands, the trend is still new. 

Still, it’s a growing trend. Platforms like Drizly and Minibar Delivery saw unprecedented demand over the last year. The e-commerce alcohol market is expected to nearly double in 2021, thanks to a 42% increase since 2020, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

How Thirstie works
Thirstie’s goal is “to become the Shopify for alcohol brands,” Thirstie co-founder and CEO Devaraj Southworth told Modern Retail. The company, which launched as an alcohol marketplace in 2014, pivoted to white label delivery in 2017. Last year, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit, the startup debuted its turnkey delivery platform, called Thirstie Access. The company doesn’t take a commission cut from sales. However, alcohol brands pay Thirstie a monthly flat fee for the e-commerce plan, which start at $500. 

The latest Thirstie iteration, said Southworth, runs on a network of licensed alcohol retailers that are allowed to ship across the country. “Our job is to link all the players in compliance with local federal and state alcohol laws,” Southworth said. The platform’s tools allow alcohol companies to launch branded websites, where they can sell via local retailers, including same-day delivery. This makes it an alternative to marketplaces, like Drizly, UberEats and DoorDash. 

The company currently has 200 stores in its network, which are licensed to ship across the country, said Southworth. “We think of these retailers as our fulfillment hubs, so maintaining strong relationships with them is crucial to operating the platform.” 

There are a number of benefits to launching a branded delivery service, Southworth said. For one, the alcohol brand gets better ad and sales analytics to assess what SKUs perform best online. With that, Thirstie allows for integration with brands’ latest digital campaigns, such as social media posts, out-of-home and paid ads. The platform also provides white label post-purchase tools, such as email notifications and customer communication, said Southworth, “so it looks like it’s coming from the brand itself.” Thirstie handles in-house customer service on behalf of the brand. 

While offering legal compliance is a major draw, “we tell brands that the biggest value is in receiving data and customer analytics,” which has historically been difficult due to the three-tier system. He also said that Thirstie-powered sales aren’t meant to replace traditional regional distribution, given that the latter still dominates the majority of American alcohol sales. 

Streamlining the fulfillment process is still a work in progress, said Southworth. Thirstie recently began offering discounted delivery charges through its integration with DoorDash, and is working on developing algorithms to improve routing, said Southworth. The company, which last fundraised in 2019, is also set to close a round this year to help it meet demand. 

Currently, Thirstie receives about 30 inbound inquiries per week, but Southworth said the company is being selective, “It’s a longterm strategy,” said Southworth. “We want to make sure brands are committed to growing their [DTC] in the long run.”

A growing DTC space
Over the years, alcohol brands have been slow to launch robust direct-to-consumer strategies. Carly Sutherland, a strategy consultant who’s worked with Molson Coors and General Mills, previously told Modern Retail that a big hurdle is that alcohol brands have to rethink how they communicate with customers. “A lot of legacy brands are catching up on building in-house customer relationship management,” she said. Most recently, Bacardi attempted it with its new Mix Lab app, which offers exclusive recipes and shoppable products from across the company’s brands.

White label delivery has helped whiskey brand Blackened Whiskey “provide a high touch consumer experience that is expected in today’s e-retail space,” James North, director of e-commerce at Blackened Whiskey, told Modern Retail in an email. 

The digital storefront provides a streamlined mechanism to facilitate sales when demand spikes, said North. Blackened Whiskey has also used the online channel for special releases. One example, North said, was the recent sale of over 1,000 bottles of the brand’s Limited Edition Signed Bottles — which sold out in 13 minutes through the e-commerce site.

Kimberly Gordon, business development director at Pure the Winery, said that the first-party data gained from white label delivery allows the company to build more effective marketing campaigns. 

With Thirstie, the brand has been able to connect with more consumers throughout the U.S., as opposed to just in its U.S. market on the East Coast, said Gordon. Pure has been able to expand its online availability from 10 states to over 24 states this year, “which has helped increase revenue while spreading the word about its zero sugar wines,” said Gordon. 

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.modernretail.co/platforms/how-thirstie-is-building-a-white-label-alcohol-delivery-platform/)

How Thirstie is building a white label alcohol delivery platform

*Devaraj Southworth is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thirstie, a leading e-commerce solution helping alcohol brands grow.*

Starting a business is hard. Starting a business in a highly regulated, archaic industry is even harder, and yet, that’s what my cofounder and I set out to do back in 2014. 

Not every entrepreneur is going to attempt to take on the alcohol industry, with its layers of laws and outdated practices. That said, the lessons we have learned along the way can be adapted by any tech entrepreneur with an idea and the ambition to shake things up. 

For better or worse, there are few industries as legally complex as the selling of alcohol in America. This goes back to the repeal of Prohibition, when the U.S. set up a three tier-system to place intermediaries between distillers and consumers. But what made sense in the 1930s doesn’t always work in today’s mobile and digital age. Our company knew it was heading into a world of laws written before the internet was even a dream and that it was going to be, well, difficult. But we did it anyway because we believed in our vision of transforming an industry and making it more efficient.

For example, we were the first company to offer a branded e-commerce platform built specifically for alcohol beverage suppliers. We offered a white-label product in 2017 and launched our new turnkey platform last year. Since the company's inception, we have made compliance a pillar of our ethos and have worked to make the company the first of its kind: a branded direct-to-consumer liquor platform. 

That’s the first lesson: Investment in your product is not just about capital. Investment, at the start of your product journey, is about putting in time, energy and resources to fully view your industry landscape and understand legal challenges as well as retail issues. Nothing will cost a fledgling company more than cutting legal corners at the start. 

Research is more than just market studies and consumer leads; research is about seeing around corners and not only understanding where the legal traps lie but also protecting your company against future threats. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of investing in a sharp legal team from the very start. Many buzzy startups have launched with great fanfare, only to be struck down by legal challenges just as they are gaining momentum to take off.

Additionally, make sure you buffer your legal team with insider knowledge; we made it a point to meet with lawmakers and state regulators to not only stay on the right side of the law today, but also to have a sense of where new laws might land, and how we should map our strategy for the years ahead. Today, we have hundreds of retailers on our platform, while most competitors might have around five.  

Our mindset is, and has always been, that the path of greatest impact might likely be harder and windier, but it pays off in the end. That leads me to my second lesson: Stay focused on the long game, not on competitors.

Startups are often too aware of what rivals are doing and get caught up in a race with them when they should be paying closer attention to the long road ahead. Within the small world of alcohol retailers, for example, it’s easy to know who is and who isn’t complying with liquor laws. What other competitors do has never impacted our strategy; we’re looking to shape our industry over the next several decades. We’re not swayed by others’ short-term corner-cutting.

Take, for example, the issue of purchasing bottles online: While laws vary by state, some states require that consumers be given choices of multiple retailers; e-commerce platforms cannot show favoritism. From what I've seen, many sites do not comply with this law, and it’s only a matter of time before regulators catch on. Additionally, we do not list pricing until users enter their addresses. That’s because prices vary from state to state. Keeping up with legal requirements can often feel like asking for headaches, and it can be tempting to gloss over requirements, but don't let what your rivals are doing influence you.

This tees up my last lesson: Be patient. Like a master distiller who sets down whisky to age in barrels, knowing that it might be as long as five decades before the liquid reaches its full potential, our strategy is to stay ahead of legal issues and wait as long as we need to for the rest of the industry to catch up. Smaller brands might not understand the risk of using a non-compliant solution, but we do, and it’s not a risk we’re willing to take on. 

I think every startup can repurpose and apply these lessons. Identify the hardest questions, and face them straight on. Hire an agile legal team that keeps you on the right side of regulations but also anticipates what lies ahead. It’s a vast understatement to say that technology evolves faster than laws, and straddling the line between emerging tech and archaic laws is something that many startups are forced to do. Companies, no matter the size, can set themselves apart by engaging teams that are innovative in all aspects, from product development to strategic partnerships to compliance.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/10/18/lessons-learned-from-choosing-the-hard-road-as-a-tech-entrepreneur/?sh=14e950f53e09)

Lessons Learned From Choosing The Hard Road As A Tech Entrepreneur

Thirstie, the leading e-commerce and data solutions provider for beverage alcohol brands, today announced Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights, an ongoing data intelligence report geared towards online shopping patterns for alcohol consumers. The company released its first report focused on Tequila and Mezcal finding that Single Suburbanites make up nearly one third of online category sales with 30.25% share.

Thirstie, the first to market with a white-label e-commerce solution for beverage alcohol brands, arms its brand partners with robust consumer data capabilities. Unlike marketplaces, Thirstie’s platform enables brands to own their consumer data. For the first time, alcohol brands are able to fully understand and effectively market to their end customers.

Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights reports will focus on aggregated data compiled through analyzed purchasing patterns of U.S. consumers across Thirstie’s hundreds of branded digital storefronts.

“We have seen the tremendous impact data has on individual brands and their growth,” said Thirstie’s CEO & Co-Founder, Devaraj Southworth. “While each Thirstie brand’s consumer data is specific to them, we want to provide a holistic view of the trends we are seeing in regard to online consumer behaviors across each category. As a data intelligence company, our goal is to help paint a clear picture for brands throughout the industry to understand and connect with consumers in a more efficient way.”

Thirstie is launching its data insights series with an in-depth analysis of the tequila and mezcal category. The report findings are compiled from over 1,000 consumers across the U.S. from Aug. 2020 – Aug. 2021 who purchased Tequila and/or Mezcal through Thirstie’s proprietary platform.

Key learnings from Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights: Tequila & Mezcal include:

The Typical Online Tequila/Mezcal Shopper May Not Be Who You Think It Is: Single young to mid-aged urbanites are a smaller share than both single young to mid-aged suburban and wealthy suburban small family consumers.
High Income Parents Like To Buy Premium Alcohol Online: Wealthy small families have a significantly higher average checkout value and buy slightly more items than any other consumer group. Though this consumer group typically has a strong preference for luxury offline shopping, Tequila and Mezcal suppliers should not overlook them in their e-commerce digital marketing strategy.
Single Suburban Buyers Have More Diverse Tastes: While single suburban buyers purchase more premium products (28.5%) they purchase significantly more value products (14.5%) compared to the category average of 5.6%.
Gift Giving Is Most Popular Among Single Urbanites: Tequila and Mezcal producers have fueled e-commerce sales through gift-giving, particularly among single young to mid-age urban consumers. This group makes up 27.66% of gift-giving purchases for the category, which is significantly higher than the average 17.36% across all consumer groups.

[LINK TO ARTICLE ](https://www.martechcube.com/ecommerce-leader-thirstie-launches-new-data-insights-report/)

Ecommerce Leader Thirstie Launches New Data Insights Report

New York-based Thirstie announced Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights, an ongoing data intelligence report geared toward online shopping patterns for alcohol consumers. The company released its first report focused on tequila and mezcal finding that single suburbanites make up nearly one third of online category sales with 30.25% share.

Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights reports will focus on aggregated data compiled through analyzed purchasing patterns of U.S. consumers across Thirstie's hundreds of branded digital storefronts.

“We have seen the tremendous impact data has on individual brands and their growth,” said Thirstie's CEO and Co-Founder Devaraj Southworth in a statement. “While each Thirstie brand's consumer data is specific to them, we want to provide a holistic view of the trends we are seeing in regard to online consumer behaviors across each category. As a data intelligence company, our goal is to help paint a clear picture for brands throughout the industry to understand and connect with consumers in a more efficient way.”

Thirstie is launching its data insights series with an in-depth analysis of the tequila and mezcal category. The report findings are compiled from more than 1,000 consumers across the United from August 2020 to August 2021 who purchased tequila and/or mezcal through Thirstie's proprietary platform.

The following are key learnings from Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights on tequila and mezcal:

•    The Typical Online Tequila/Mezcal Shopper May Not Be Who You Think It Is: Single young to mid-aged urbanites are a smaller share than both single young to mid-aged suburban and wealthy suburban small family consumers.

•    High Income Parents Like To Buy Premium Alcohol Online: Wealthy small families have a significantly higher average checkout value and buy slightly more items than any other consumer group. Although this consumer group typically has a strong preference for luxury offline shopping, tequila and mezcal suppliers should not overlook them in their eCommerce digital marketing strategy.

•    Single Suburban Buyers Have More Diverse Tastes: While single suburban buyers purchase more premium products (28.5%) they purchase significantly more value products (14.5%) compared with the category average of 5.6%.

•    Gift Giving Is Most Popular Among Single Urbanites: Tequila and mezcal producers have fueled eCommerce sales through gift-giving, particularly among single young to mid-age urban consumers. This group makes up 27.66% of gift-giving purchases for the category, which is significantly higher than the average 17.36% across all consumer groups.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.bevindustry.com/articles/94453-thirstie-launches-new-data-insights-report)

Thirstie launches new data insights report

Single suburbanites’ are responsible for almost one-third of online Tequila and mezcal sales, according to the inaugural Thirstie Digital Consumer Insights report.

Thirstie is an e-commerce and data solutions provider for beverage alcohol brands. Its new digital report focuses on Tequila and mezcal, and has been designed to reveal the online shopping behaviours of alcohol consumers.

The findings were compiled from more than 1,000 consumers across the US between August 2020 and August 2021, who purchased Tequila and/or mezcal through Thirstie’s commercial platform.

The report shows 30.2% of online Tequila and mezcal sales were placed by ‘single suburbanites’.

Single urbanites were responsible for 17.9% of sales, while retirees contributed towards 12.6% of sales. Wealthy small families made up 24.7% of sales and large families were responsible for 14.6% of sales.

Devaraj Southworth, Thirstie CEO and co-founder, said: “We have seen the tremendous impact data has on individual brands and their growth.

“While each Thirstie brand’s consumer data is specific to them, we want to provide a holistic view of the trends we are seeing in regard to online consumer behaviours across each category.

“As a data intelligence company, our goal is to help paint a clear picture for brands throughout the industry to understand and connect with consumers in a more efficient way.”

Further takeaways from the report include that high-income parents like to buy premium alcohol, single suburban buyers have more diverse tastes, and gift-giving is most popular among single urbanites, responsible for 27.66% of gift-giving purchases for the category.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2021/09/thirstie-analyses-online-tequila-shopping-habits/)

Thirstie analyses online Tequila shopping habits

As the ecommerce manager for a large wine and spirits wholesaler, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the pandemic has changed the way consumers interact with the brands we represent. As Americans increasingly embrace online shopping for their beverage alcohol needs, all three tiers of our industry must take advantage of new digital marketing opportunities. 

While many suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers view ecommerce as a “fourth tier” of the existing framework, I believe ecommerce should be integrated into the existing system in order to optimize the effectiveness of each of the three tiers. Consequently, we must work to educate industry members and empower them to utilize the ecommerce space as an extension of our current reach. 

How Suppliers Can Level Up
When initiating conversations with our suppliers about their digital strategies, we encourage them to start by articulating their online goals and priorities. Often a great place to begin is by ensuring their brands have good online representation and updated digital assets, in addition to learning about the B2B and B2C digital promotional opportunities now available for reaching both wholesale and consumer buyers.  

Suppliers should leverage the local expertise of their distribution partners through market-specific e-activation. One effective way to do this is through digital activations with high-volume and influential accounts. Like traditional merchandising efforts, local market relationships are a critical element of online foundations and eventual success. When working with top retailers, suppliers can request they feature the brands they represent in an email blast, banner advertisement, or perhaps even by hosting a virtual tasting. 

“One Prosecco rosé brand we represent grew their business 26 percent over a four-week pilot period through a mix of banner ads and local market activation.”
We’ve seen how effective these merchandising activations can be: One Prosecco rosé brand we represent grew their business 26 percent over a four-week pilot period through a mix of banner ads and local market activation. 

Another avenue of success can come from supplier activation with B2C retail ecommerce providers like CityHive, WineFetch, and Bottlecapps. Though each company specializes in a unique aspect of direct ecommerce, these types of providers can typically break down the barriers small retailers often face when trying to achieve digital equity and high-quality representation without the time or cost investment a custom solution would require. With the flip of a switch, web development groups (B2C focus) can unlock market-specific digital activations across thousands of retailers. 

Suppliers have also seen positive results with activations through third-party aggregated marketplaces (Drizly, MiniBar, ReserveBar, and Vivino, among others) which are overwhelmingly popular with consumers and have extensive reach. When conducting promotions through a consumer-facing marketplace, such as banners, targeted emails, or category takeovers, we recommend that our suppliers consider the potential impact to the account fulfilling the order. It is also important that the distance between the retailer and the ultimate consumer does not increase to the point of store anonymity. Consumers value their relationships with their local retailers and as the path to purchase is consolidated, the opportunities for communication and personal attention decrease. When negotiating agreements with B2C marketplaces, suppliers should make sure to retain access to data and sales results. This is a must when calculating return on investment.

“Through omnichannel digital activation and local market collaboration with distribution partners, suppliers can optimize and build lasting brand equity in the digital ecosystem.”
A multifaceted approach is a must in order to meet your customers where they are, and that includes trade buyers. On wholesale B2B aggregated marketplaces like SevenFifty (the parent company of SevenFifty Daily), suppliers can promote and advertise their products, reaching restaurant and retail buyers when they are searching for new items and placing orders to distributor reps. 

Another opportunity for improving marketing effectiveness lies with consumer-facing technology solutions (Thirstie and MikMak, for example) which offer suppliers greater access to data and control of the path to purchase, thus reducing potential friction while maintaining three-tier compliance. 

Like in-store execution, the last step is reserved for continuous improvement and creative, small-scale pilots. Most recently, we have been working with one of our supplier partners on a digital version of a mail-in rebate program. We are constantly trying to inspire creative discussions about online opportunities in an effort to redefine the standards for digital merchandising. 

Through omnichannel digital activation and local market collaboration with distribution partners, suppliers can optimize and build lasting brand equity in the digital ecosystem. 

How Wholesalers Can Drive Merchandising Online
At Empire Merchants, our sales teams are experts when it comes to traditional merchandising, and we are working to empower them to take the core, traditional principles and apply them to digital storefronts. Consumers shop differently online, so we need to look past the four walls of a liquor store and begin to bring brands to life in the digital space with the same initiative and creativity we do for the in-person shopping experience.

From a general Google search, distributor sales teams can determine if an account has a website, participates with any marketplaces, or maintains a social media presence; this is where we suggest to begin a retail survey. 

The next step in the survey process would be to evaluate the retailer’s website. By assessing banner advertisements, homepage placements, product adjacency, and pricing and sizes available for represented brands, wholesalers can gain critical information and establish a baseline for future activations. 

For ease of analysis, we encourage our salesforce to break down digital surveying into its analogous in-store equivalents. For example, banner advertisements on a webpage can be thought of like a traditional floor display. Banner advertisements can occupy a third or even half of a webpage before “the fold,” taking up more proportional digital space than a traditional product floor display would in a retail store. 

Other analogous components to the brick-and-mortar store include cold box placements, prioritized search and window displays, and strategic homepage placements. Once the sales teams are comfortable with the transferability of these concepts, we encourage our teams to speak with retailers and push for them to showcase supplier assets in these customizable sections on their websites.  

Well-executed ecommerce can create a more connected distribution with a closer connection to the final consumer through access to data and a thoughtful feedback loop with retailers. 

How Retailers Can Improve Online Sales and User Experience
The more control retailers have over their domain (both literally and figuratively), the better success they will have building a virtual trademark and extending their merchandising reach in the hyper-competitive online retail space. 

Product content on a retailer’s website is the first thing that consumers see and interact with before purchase. It is critical that retailers work to close content gaps and ensure that their brands are represented by high-quality and accurate digital assets. According to research conducted by Salesforce, 87 percent of shoppers engage with digital content before making a purchase either online or in store.  

The digital shelf is different, and it must be activated to capture all of the online sales opportunities. We encourage retailers to ask their salespeople for modern merchandising content that can help bring brands to life. Think of digital activation like offering 50-milliliter bottles at the counter—successful exposure will increase exploration, trial, and incremental sales. 

By creating a strong digital presence, retailers can take control of the online sales experience, including added space for supplier digital activations and more access to sales data. This data can be shared with their wholesaler and supplier partners to enhance product offerings, promotions, and subsequently, customer relationships. Additionally, by thinking creatively and offering store-controlled delivery options and programs, retailers can protect their franchise and prevent further marketplace consolidation. It’s also important for retailers to increase delivery efficiencies and clearly communicate expected delivery times, as we all suffer from the Amazon Prime expectations of one- or two-day shipping. 

While digital activation has grown exponentially, it is by no means replacing the paramount in-store experience. Thus, when creating a digital strategy, retailers must keep in mind that consumers often shop (and research) online before making in-store purchases. Keeping the online and in-store messaging consistent encourages a frictionless interaction between the in-person experience and online sales. 

Online activation has become a critical component of the omnichannel retail framework and will continue to increase in influence. To successfully compete by reaching the final consumer in a meaningful way, all three tiers need to adapt to an enhanced digital environment and provide a smoother path to purchase. It is critical that suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers embrace this online opportunity to both stay competitive and build the brands they represent.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://daily.sevenfifty.com/an-insider-shares-his-wine-and-spirits-ecommerce-strategy-playbook/)


An Insider Shares His Wine and Spirits Ecommerce Strategy Playbook

Thirstie sets out to disrupt the beverage alcohol business
US tech platform Thirstie aims to level the playing field for thousands of small independent alcohol brands by giving them a platform, co-founder Devaraj Southworth tells Alex Oldroyd of Global Drinks Intel.

USA. Devaraj Southworth is the co-founder of Thirstie, a US tech platform that enables seamless click-through ordering directly from an alcohol brand’s website for delivery to the consumer’s door, in full compliance with the myriad of federal, state and local regulations. Put in a single sentence, this sounds straightforward enough, but it takes complex technology, combined with a swathe of retail relationships, to deliver an apparently simple solution for the consumer and then convey data about the purchase securely back to the brand owner.

Southworth embarked on this, his third entrepreneurial project, seven years ago with his co-founder, Maxim Razmakhin. Neither founder has a background in the drinks industry, which may explain why they only saw the opportunity and not the hurdles presented by the regulatory idiosyncrasies of the US spirits industry. He says they approached it from the perspective that they “understand how challenging it is to create a product, develop a market and raise capital” and they wanted to apply that experience to a traditional category. “From my estimation, there are two categories in the US that — and this is an overused phrase — are ripe for technological disruption when you look at digital penetration and digital consumption from that lens: automotive and alcoholic beverage,” says Southworth.

They picked alcohol as they saw the opportunity to transform an industry where only about 1% of sales were online compared with 15-18% for other consumer goods. Southworth previously worked at Accenture, helping companies understand how to go to market, and at Amex on mobile payments. Meanwhile, co-founder Razmakhin had worked with a couple of technology-related startups. They approached the situation from the perspective of providing a technological solution to a market opportunity rather than from the perspective of the drinks industry itself. Southworth says: “We see ourselves fundamentally as a data analytics business rather than a drinks business.”

**Consumer-facing marketplace**

At the outset, Thirstie launched as a consumer-facing marketplace. It developed partnerships with brands and retailers and put in the back-end technology to manage home delivery in compliance with regulations. The big transformational strategic decision was made after the first couple of years when they saw a larger opportunity working for suppliers and brands on a white-label basis, utilising the same back-end technology and retailer network to enable brands to interact directly with their consumers while still maintaining full compliance with the regulatory three-tier system to manage the home delivery. (White labelling is when a company removes their brand from the end product and instead uses the branding requested by the purchaser.)

Interestingly, IWSR Drinks Market Analysis recently produced a report referring to the increasing popularity in the US of white-label storefronts, like Thirstie, among premium brands. The IWSR concludes these sites, of which Southworth estimates Thirstie is the largest, are popular because the brand can provide better information, experiences and service to its consumers while capturing valuable data. Southworth says: “We have several patents that we’ve been issued and an IP (internet protocol) around how we present data, process payments and manage regulation.”

The decision to change tack was not taken lightly, as Thirstie had already raised investment based on the original plan. Southworth says the marketplace model is “more flashy”, but the decision to move to a tech platform was “pivotal” — especially considering Thirstie was not as well capitalised as some of the other market places, like Drizly. Fewer competitors were providing platforms for brand sites, so there was an opportunity to take the first-mover advantage and leadership.

While few brands could afford to fully utilise the marketplace model because they had to have internal capabilities as well as paying high fees, Southworth recognised that, with the new model, Thirstie could service smaller brands more cost-effectively. It took some time to make the transition but, now, anyone with basic content management capabilities can build their brand’s storefronts on the Thirstie platform, using drag-and-drop functions from the site if need be. The brand’s site can be launched very quickly, which is good for the client, but has also enabled Thirstie to expand very quickly in response to the Covid-19-related demand for home delivery. Southworth says: “We went from four customers to 200 in 15 months and we’ll probably double again in the next six months.”

Southworth is very enthusiastic about the opportunity that the platform can create for smaller brands. “For small independent brands, it’s about democratising and making sure that these smaller brands have the same access and capabilities as the larger billion-dollar companies do,” he says. Then, the brand’s success depends to a great extent on its own ability to manage an e-commerce digital storefront. Thirstie can provide help with audience analysis, demographic and geographic targeting and with understanding commercial aspects like which campaigns have worked. Southworth admits the brands still have a wide range of outcomes, with some seeing quick success, others taking a bit longer and some unable to make it work at all.

**Transparent pricing and affordable for small brands**

Looking at what Thirstie does now, there’s a very transparent pricing structure and there is a capability to target very tightly by geography, so it is affordable for smaller brands who can operate in a fairly compact geography and then use the data provided to demonstrate their consumer pull and manage their expansion.

In order to fulfil short-term delivery windows, a brand does need to be available in local stores, but the system can still be used as long as there is some retail availability in the state. “Thirstie is a hybrid and we have the capability to get you that product in one hour,” explains Southworth. “We have that capability to get you that product in a two-hour window over a three-day period. And if you are out on vacation and you are OK getting that product in five days, we can get it to you. We’re doing some pretty interesting things from a partnership perspective, with DoorDash and Postmates, to increase that on-demand capability.” For the moment, on-demand delivery is about 30% of Thirstie’s business.

Southworth sees the critical benefit of Thirstie as its ability to provide the brand data back to the brand owner, either with analytics or ready for the brand owner to analyse for themselves. In that respect, the brand storefront is much the same as one might find in a market that does not require intermediaries for direct-to-consumer shipping like, for example, the UK.

The difference, however, is that, where in the UK the brand owner can potentially capture a higher share of the supply chain margin, in the US, there is no disintermediation of the wholesale and retail tiers. In the absence of margin capture, the business case for the brand site relies on other benefits, Southworth elaborates: “The basket size for a branded storefront is close to double that of a marketplace, and the conversion rates are eight times different — and then you can have the shopping cart data.” However, he says the two models for home delivery are not mutually exclusive and many of his customers would use both Thirstie and a marketplace storefront like Drizly.

Time and resources needed to grow retail network

Was there was anything they would have done differently? Southworth wonders if they should have raised more money sooner. However, he balances that against the need to stay focused, patient, maintain quality and create shareholder value. While there was never a point when they thought it wouldn’t work, Southworth says it definitely took longer than they might have anticipated. This was because they had to build credibility, both around their business and in the concept; they had to build out the retail network, attracting retail partners across a lot of markets; and they had to manage local regulators, demonstrating compliance at every step.

“It’s been quite a bit of resource, from a cost perspective, we’ve put into making certain that we crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s to make sure that this system is highly compliant,” says Southworth. “And that’s the cornerstone of who we are. The biggest operational challenge was growing the retailer part — that’s hard work. It takes time, it takes resources. But we’ve done it well.”

Rolling out faster could have risked customer service and regulatory compliance, but now that Thirstie is established in the states where home delivery is legal, the company is rapidly bringing on more retailers. Southworth says: “We have several hundred retail partners and we’re now doubling the number of retailers.” The platform can also work with the on-premise but, right now, it is waiting to see whether the legislation allowing home delivery from bars and restaurants is going to have sufficient longevity to make it worthwhile bringing these outlets on board.

There’s no doubt that Covid-19 accelerated the development of e-commerce in general and alcohol specifically, giving a boost to Thirstie’s business. Southworth says some brands saw sales through the platform increase 500- 700% last year. E-commerce acceleration has generally continued because “consumers and investors now really believe that e-commerce in alcohol is real”. For Thirstie, says Southworth, “things are moving at breakneck speed — we have more than 30 brands reaching out every week”.

It was probably not as difficult for Thirstie to find investors at the outset as it is for other startups because the founders already had a successful track record and they had a professional network of individuals with both money to invest and relevant experience. Their early investors included seasoned business people from the worlds of technology and beverages. Up to now, they have not taken institutional money and they have been a little wary of the investors who have come to them wanting to invest and change the strategy, while the original investor base brought a wealth of experience and connections. “We wanted to make sure that there were people that understood our business and were patient, if that makes sense,” says Southworth. “It was about market fit, about looking for profitability. It was not about raising large amounts of capital.”

Having experienced explosive growth in the last year or so, Thirstie will now look to raise more money and will probably take venture capital investment in the next round. This is partly because they see the value that can be added by the venture capital partner and partly because they think the Drizly transaction has opened investors’ eyes to the opportunity. “The perception from the financial community is very different because there has been a significant player in alcohol beverage e-commerce that saw an exit,” reveals Southworth. Despite receiving a lot of attention since the Drizly announcement, he says he is trying to remain focused on delivering the core strategy.

Recruiting the right people is crucial for success

One immediate challenge Thirstie faces is to build out its internal infrastructure to support future expansion of the business. Success so far has been founded on a very strong base of people with the right skills and the right personal fit. Southworth says of his co-founder Razmakhin: “He’s a phenomenal product innovator — a visionary, who understands the trends and where products will be years before they actually end up there.”

The technology element, which Southworth credits to strong engineering leadership, has obviously been critical, as has the data analytics capability which is currently being further developed by a Wall Street veteran with a background in proprietary trading. The company just announced a number of additions to the advisory and operational teams to further strengthen its capabilities. “I recognise from being a repeat founder, that there’s a certain point in time where you need to make sure that you build a very strong infrastructure,” Southworth says. “We have a strong infrastructure, but if we want to be a unicorn [a privately held startup company valued at over $1bn], it’s got to be stronger. If we actually are going to change an industry, we do need the right support.”

Recruitment is not undertaken lightly. “Our HR process is extensive,” reveals Southworth. “I don’t think there’s been a role in the last four years that has had fewer than 350 candidates. We’re incredibly honoured by that.” Even then, they may not hire anybody if they don’t feel they’ve found the right person. “Finding the right people is absolutely pivotal, making sure that there’s chemistry and making sure that, obviously, there’s competence,” says Southworth. “If they have the right people in the right roles and the founders can trust those people, they are comfortable delegating. Also, from a founder’s perspective, you have to be OK with relinquishing some of the things that you’re incredibly passionate about and entrusting them to someone who hopefully is more skilled in that domain than you, so you can focus on the larger picture.”

The future development of the business has many potential avenues, such as international expansion to enable a brand’s site to adapt to different markets with the same functionality for the consumer to order directly. One option they have considered for this would be to license the technology to partners for international development rather than investing to develop the overseas infrastructure themselves. However, there is also an opportunity to apply the same proprietary technology to other regulated industries, such as cannabis, and this is an area Southworth may explore. Either way, his ambition is to continue to develop the company to create a unicorn.

“We are not looking to sell our business,” Southworth says. “We’re looking to build a very large business and at some point maybe…” It is unlikely that one of the multinational spirits companies would buy Thirstie due to the three-tier regulatory structure. It would more likely appeal to another e-commerce, technology or payments company, bearing in mind the company’s patented IP relates to data presentation and payment processing.

Southworth sums up his current ambition for the business: “We know we have a multi-billion-dollar opportunity if we just focus on providing superior e-commerce infrastructure and — really boring — data and analytics solutions so that brands of any size can make data-driven decisions on how to build their brand. And give smaller independents — the tens of thousands of them — a platform and level the playing field. That’s really what we’ve been trying to do. We’re not there yet, but we’re moving there relatively quickly.”

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://drinks-intel.com/news-categories/interview/thirstie-sets-out-to-disrupt-the-beverage-alcohol-business-3/)

Thirstie sets out to disrupt the beverage alcohol business

The rise in retail e-commerce has been evident for years now, and companies of all sorts are focusing their efforts on a more user-friendly customer experience. However, to do so, it's crucial to keep up with today's trends for your sales to grow. Here are seven e-commerce trends to consider this year.

1. Social media
Social media is a powerful instrument for e-commerce business owners. You should leverage it as both a marketing tactic and a customer service tool to attract and retain consumers.

"Whether you explore Facebook product retargeting or Instagram's organic shopping functionality, the key is to recognize where your customers spend their time and meet them with content that inspires them to make a purchase," said Drew Blais, brand marketing manager at Groove.

Don't just communicate with your customers when you want something. Create an online community of like-minded people with similar interests, and connect with your members so they feel more comfortable purchasing your products. This can be as simple as posting relevant content on Instagram, tweeting back to customers on Twitter and encouraging questions through Facebook Messenger.

Editor's note: Looking for the right e-commerce solution for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.

2. Brick and mortar
If your business also has a brick-and-mortar location, maintaining both an online and in-store experience will help your business maintain a competitive edge in your industry. Businesses with a physical location can offer omnichannel options, like in-store pickup, to your customers.

"This can help reduce shipping costs as well as drive people in-store," said Greg Zakowicz, senior commerce marketing analyst at Oracle Bronto.

Additionally, physical stores allow you to better connect with your customers, and allow customers to better interact with the brand. Make sure your aesthetics and your workers accurately represent your business.

3. Mobile optimization
Many consumers use their mobile devices to make purchases, with convenience and accessibility being major priorities for online shoppers. If you want your products to sell, you'll have to make your mobile site as user-friendly as possible.

"A small business needs to ensure that they have a great [user] experience on smartphones and tablet devices," said Jacklyn Deans, e-commerce consultant and founder of Flash + Color. "These sites should be responsive, meaning that the site's design will shift to render well on any customer device."

However, mobile optimization relates to more than just web design, covering everything from chat support to optimized checkout, said Blais.

Accept digital wallet payments like Apple Pay, Amazon Pay or PayPal to increase conversion rates and lower abandonment, Deans added.

4. Influencer marketing
Social media influencers can be a great marketing investment for your business. Essentially, you find a well-known, trusted source in your industry and sponsor them to endorse your product or service on their social platform.

"Brands that use influencers with highly engaged followers have increased awareness, traffic and sales for their e-commerce site," said Deans. "A small business can leverage this trend by finding and working with several microinfluencers that are in line with their ideal customer."

You don't need to choose the most popular personality to promote your company – relevance is better than status. Deans noted that microinfluencers have between 1,000 to 10,000 followers for niche subjects and between 10,000 to 100,000 followers for broader categories.  

5. Video
Video is another growing marketing tool, attracting customers with concise yet informative clips. You can implement them into your social platforms, like Facebook and Instagram.

Two major advertising trends right now are both Snapchat and Instagram story videos. Both are great ways to reach consumers, as that's where many users spend their browsing time.

"Like traditional e-commerce channels, social media platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, have become today's modern catalogs," said Devaraj Southworth, co-founder and CEO of Thirstie, e-commerce and logistics solution for alcohol brands. "Through these channels, consumers can find their favorite brands and discover new ones presenting themselves with imagery and video clips that take consumers on a digital journey. But the thing that makes this experience much different and better than flipping through a catalog is the ability to purchase the products that excite them right then and there by simply clicking on a link. This makes these platforms powerful tools for both brands and shoppers alike."

6. Email
Email is a great way to advertise your business, alert your customers with deals or new items, update buyers on their purchases, and answer any questions or concerns.

According to Blais, you should automate your post-purchase, abandoned cart and win-back emails to increase your list of contacts.

But not everything should be automated, said Zakowicz. Try to personalize messages rather than continuously sending a burst of emails to your entire contact list. Insert product recommendations, offer birthday deals, ask if they were satisfied with a recent purchase, etc.

7. Artificial intelligence (AI)
There are many ways that AI is impacting e-commerce, from chatbots to voice search. Integrating AI into your marketing efforts will keep your brand relevant.

Today, consumers expect an immediate response to any questions or concerns they may have. And since you can't always answer every individual, chatbots are a great option.

"Chatbots are becoming more sophisticated and will soon be able to do more than simply help with customer support – their capabilities will be expanded to help customers complete purchases, provide personalized offers and promotions, and proactively reach out to customers on your site via configurable rules and actions," said Harry Thakkar, partner at Avatria, a digital commerce firm and developer of innovative e-commerce solutions.

Additionally, ComScore projects that by 2020, 50 percent of mobile queries will be voice searches. To take advantage of this growing trend, Blais suggests focusing on long-tail keywords and everyday syntax, and writing in structured, digestible bites.

To leverage this trend, however, it's important that you understand how best to use it for your brand and audience.

"Machine learning will be used more heavily in 2019 to help identify how customers are shopping on a business's site," said Thakkar. "As a small business owner, don't be afraid to make an investment here … While these products are being more heavily used by large sites, adoption has not yet fully penetrated the SMB space. Being an early adopter here can help set you up for success in 2019 and beyond."

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10557-ecommerce-trends-to-watch.html)

7 E-Commerce Trends to Watch in 2019

Following consumer trends and fueled by the pandemic and related loosening of restrictions on in-state retailer alcohol delivery regulations, the marketplace for alcohol delivery services has expanded exponentially over the last several years and shows no signs of slowing down. Industry forecasts predict double-digit growth year-over-year until at least 2025 for alcohol-focused e-commerce platforms. However, like anything in the alcohol beverage space, various avenues of penetration for new or existing companies come with certain restrictions that need to be balanced against opportunities for delivering customer convenience through alcohol delivery services.

Available Models
As alcohol delivery has grown and expanded in nearly every US state, numerous delivery models have developed to bring alcohol to a consumer’s doorstep. Of the various models, three have emerged as the most dominant go-to-market approaches to service this new industry sector.

The first are purely e-commerce platforms that connect consumers directly with a wide variety of licensed alcohol retailers but are themselves unlicensed (such as Drizly). The second are unlicensed white-labeled alcohol delivery services which appear as a branded website but integrate with a network of licensed retailers (like Thirstie). And the third are delivery platforms that themselves hold alcohol licenses (such as Gopuff).

Regulatory Opportunities and Impediments
While each of these models presents growth opportunities to service consumers’ desires to receive alcohol at their doorsteps, they also come with a host of restrictions that entities—and any investors in these companies—need to understand. Chief among these considerations are:

“Sale of Alcohol”: If the alcohol delivery service is itself unlicensed, the “sale” of alcohol must be between the consumer and the ultimate retail license holder. This means that the service cannot itself first receive the funds for the sale, take its fee and then pass the monies forward to the license holder. In some states, the provider may, however, be able to direct funds in the first instance to an escrow account or other independent account if the licensee retains a degree of control over the account. The licensed retailer should also always maintain control over the “sale” of alcohol, including setting pricing and accepting or rejecting orders.

Fee Structure: While state regulators allow for platforms to charge for their delivery and hard costs related to their services, how that fee is derived can be of particular significance if it is or can be correlated with alcohol sales. This restriction is premised on the fact that only a licensed entity should receive the benefit or privilege of the sale of alcohol. Accordingly, certain states like New York have suggested that if the fee structure is not a “flat fee” for services, receiving more than 10% of the revenue from a retailer as part of the sale of alcohol renders the platform a “Co-Licensee” and subject to the state’s authority and licensee vetting process.

Supplier Advertising: The ability of alcohol suppliers to pay to advertise on alcohol delivery platforms is of particular focus to alcohol state regulators. First, if the platform is itself unlicensed, the platform may allow supplier advertising, but it must rigorously assure the money it receives for supplier advertising does not benefit a retailer either directly or indirectly. Alternatively, if the platform is focused on a single retailer-branded website or is itself a licensed retailer or owned by a retail licensee, it will be important to analogize the supplier advertising in the digital space to allowable supplier advertising at the physical retail premises. This would include drawing parallels to allowable “signage” or other physical displays to avoid a finding that the supplier advertisement is a means to induce the retailer to purchase the alcohol of the supplier.

Safeguarding and Unlocking Value in Personal Data. Consumer privacy is no longer an issue limited to international operations. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and Virginia all have recently passed consumer privacy laws that impact how companies collect and use the data of their consumers. These changes are important for alcohol delivery companies as the data collected from their platforms is, at times, its own source of current or future revenue. In addition, how this data is shared, sold or paid for between the tiers has ramifications not only for alcohol beverage laws but for privacy, consumer protection and antitrust.

Variations by State: As with everything in the alcohol space, each state approaches alcohol delivery differently. Much care and due diligence should be given to developing a model that can be scalable as different states provide unique opportunities and limitations on those retailers seeking to deliver their alcohol (versus potentially unlicensed third-party providers). Furthermore, there will be variations regarding the allowance of delivery of different categories of alcohol—beer versus wine or spirits, and even licensing, permitting, training and reporting requirements that should be taken into consideration—depending on the jurisdiction.

Alcohol delivery is here to stay, and consumers will push for its convenience and access as they do for other types of consumer goods. However, which model (or combination of models) is preferable from a business perspective will continue to develop as alcohol regulators make room for this new market approach to the sale and delivery of alcohol. With the success and attention these services are experiencing, state regulators are likely to continue to focus on areas of compliance in connection with delivery. As such, platforms should do their due diligence to ensure that their current models are compliant and closely monitor and adapt their models based on state regulatory updates and changes.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.natlawreview.com/article/expanding-landscape-alcohol-delivery-services?amp)

The Expanding Landscape of Alcohol Delivery Services

Bar Convent Brooklyn (BCB) marks its triumphant return to the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint on Aug. 17 and 18. Arriving by way of Berlin back in 2018, the two-day trade fair has already emerged as one of the premier events for bar and beverage industry professionals –– and it’s easy to understand why: Hundreds of exhibitors from across the globe will converge, transforming 60,000 square feet of convention space into a vibrant panorama of immersive experiences and interactive demos.

The networking is nonpareil; if you’re looking to meet and greet with top names in the beverage business, you’ve come to the right place. But make sure you bring a thirst for knowledge because over the past several years, BCB has set a new industry standard in educational programming. This year will raise the bar further still, as a parade of world-class experts prepare to take the stage for the first in-person trade seminars of 2021. Whether you’re looking to build your own spirits brand, broaden the menu at your bar or restaurant, or broaden your horizons to become a more conscientious consumer, there is a panel waiting to welcome you, each meticulously curated by a specially formed education committee.

“The value is in the breadth of seminars and the talent and qualifications of the people presenting them,” says Colin Baugh, principal of Emblem PR, a beverage-focused communications firm. “They hit so many different parts of the industry — bartenders, owners, and operators, even PR people like me.”

A recently released preview of programming reveals sessions geared toward community-building, including “Solidarity, not Charity,” hosted by a who’s who of workers’ aid advocates. “The Ethos of Eco-Spirits” promises a practical discussion on how to implement best practices vis-a-vis waste reduction and biodiversity. It’s led by marquee experts such as Waluco Maheia of Copal Tree Distillery and Lynnette Marrero, co-founder of Llama San in New York. Elayne Duff and Tracey Eden are slated to curate a dialogue for those looking to become — or hire — a brand ambassador.

Indispensable expertise, to be sure. It’s also an obvious way to track the latest trends making the rounds. And yet it’s easy to forget that before BCB, these sorts of insights were much harder to come by. “When I first started bartending, resources to aid in understanding the products we work with, the history of the industry, and career advancement were limited,” explains Eric “ET” Tecosky, founder and owner of Dirty Sue, a line of premium bar mixers. “The educational seminars at BCB are incredibly helpful in growing the modern bartender, helping to recognize open doors when they present themselves, and giving us the know-how to walk through them.”

And for the aspiring entrepreneur, two days of BCB education can be nothing short of transformative. Take it from someone who knows. “Education is the cornerstone to innovation and growth within the beverage alcohol industry,” according to Devaraj Southworth, CEO and co-founder of Thirstie, a leading e-commerce platform in the beverage space. “Bar Convent Brooklyn’s seminars bring together true thought leaders to share first-hand knowledge, ideas, and perspective to continue to propel the sector forward.”

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the game. Even the most seasoned industry vets will settle into a seat at any of the conference’s four main stages and come away with fresh perspectives and, yes, fresh opportunities. You need only be open to receiving them. “It’s easy to write [seminars] off as stuff you already know,” admits Aaron Polsky, award-winning bartender and, most recently, founder of LiveWire Cocktail Co. “But, invariably, a brilliant person in the industry will shed a gem that will blow your mind. It happens every time. So pick something or someone that interests you and go in there just to see what happens.”

In fact, you don’t have to go “in there” physically at all. This year, Bar Convent Brooklyn is making its panels available digitally for those who are unable to join in person or prefer to participate remotely. You can access it all via the easy-to-navigate BCB website. And keep your eye on that space for frequent updates and additions to the programming.

If you are planning to be in Brooklyn on Aug. 17 and 18, pre-purchased tickets to BCB are still available here for $65 per day — or $80 at the door. Each session begins at 11 a.m. and closes promptly at 7 p.m. You’ll be joined by as many as 4,000 colleagues in an open environment as boisterous and convivial as it is safe and sterile. Attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination upon entry. So, rest easy —you’ll need your energy. The entire beverage industry is eager to welcome you back to the wondrous world of live events, and they’ve been holding a seat open just for you. Class is officially in session.

“There’s always something to learn,” adds Baugh. “Whether it’s technical acumen, category education, or taking the next step in your career, it’s all available here.” So just make sure you are, too.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://vinepair.com/articles/bar-convent-brooklyn-tradeshow/)

Here’s Why No Bar Pro Should Miss Bar Convent Brooklyn

NEW YORK, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirstie, the leading e-commerce and data solutions provider for beverage alcohol brands, today announced two-hour delivery service in major markets and retail expansion throughout the country.
Thristie launched its new courier service supporting on-demand delivery with DoorDash and soon to be Postmates, an Uber company. Two-hour delivery is available in key markets throughout New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Arizona and Texas. The e-commerce company now offers brands expansive reach to 100 million adult consumers through hundreds of strategic retail partnerships in over 40 geographies nationwide, with new markets in Arizona, Ohio and Georgia.

The company was the first to market with a branded e-commerce platform built specifically for alcohol beverage suppliers. Founded in 2014, Thirstie offered its first white label solution in 2017 and most recently launched its turnkey platform, Thirstie Access, in 2020. Since its inception the company has made a strong commitment to compliance and has met with several regulators in key states to make this first of a kind, branded direct-to-consumer type experience possible.

"Thirstie's success has been fueled by our heavy investment in our retail strategy," stated Thirstie's CEO & Co-Founder, Devaraj Southworth. "Our approach is extremely unique in the industry as we have a hybrid model compared to that of other e-commerce players. While some partner with a single retailer and rely heavily on them, others bring on thousands at a rapid pace. At Thirstie, we work with hundreds of highly curated retail partners, and now courier services, to ensure the best customer experience possible."

Understanding that retail partners are the cornerstone to both compliance and customer experience, Thirstie continues to expand its retail network and delivery options in a localized and focused way. "Our goal is to provide our brand partners a quick, efficient and compliant solution that provides a superior e-commerce experience for their consumers at a national level," continued Southworth. "We are on track to making that happen with a measured and targeted approach."

Thirstie's retail expansion has enabled its brand partners to offer faster shipping times, lower delivery fees and on-demand delivery options to their customers. Through its partnerships and usage of technology, Thirstie has been able to offer the least expensive shipping fees across all white label solutions. In the last 12 months, the company has been able to decrease its shipping fees by nearly 50%, and offers further reduced delivery charges through its integration with DoorDash.

Hundreds of beverage alcohol brands have experienced the impact of Thirstie's retail strategy and continued market growth. In addition to its expansive consumer reach through retailers, the company's capabilities enable brands of all sizes and types to generate substantial growth to meet the demands of their customers. Furthermore, Thirstie's patented technology, customer service, client support and data intelligence enable brands to connect with their consumers more effectively.

"With Thirstie, PURE The Winery has been able to connect with more consumers throughout the USA, and enable them to market more effectively with the first-party data Thirstie offers," stated Kimberly Gordon, Business Development Director, PURE The Winery. "We have always known consumers would embrace PURE the Winery. All our wines are zero sugar, contain no carbs, are lower in alcohol and lower in calories than ordinary wines, which is ever-more relevant in today's more health conscious world. Thirstie has been instrumental in identifying and growing our fan base throughout the USA, with online availability expanding from 10 states to over 24 states, which has had a positive impact on our revenue and cementing PURE the Winery as America's favored Zero Sugar Wine."

Thirstie has also enabled brands with a strong built-in fan base to meet demand, including BLACKENED American Whiskey, the award winning super-premium American Whiskey collaboration from Master Distiller Dave Pickerell & Metallica. "Our Thirstie powered digital storefront provides us a streamlined mechanism to facilitate the enormous consumer demand for BLACKENED Whiskey," said James North, Creative Director & Director of E-Commerce, BLACKENED Whiskey. "Thirstie's strategic retail partnerships have not only enabled us to reach more consumers across the country, they've also provided us a high touch consumer experience that is expected in today's e-retail space. Additionally, Thirstie has provided incredible results for our special brand releases, which has put Thirstie's retail network to the test. One proof point is the sale of 1,000+ bottles of our BLACKENED Whiskey Limited Edition Signed Bottles within 13 minutes through our e-commerce site."

Alongside its brand partners, Thirstie has helped increase hundreds of retailers' revenue throughout the country. "Partnering with Thirstie has been a great way to build a new clientele and revenue stream without having to expand our in-house marketing and advertising teams," said Wine & Liquor Depot Owner, Andrew Faour. "The retailer portal is also very user-friendly and easy to navigate, making the whole experience a pleasure."

Alcohol brands and retailers can learn more about partnering with Thirstie at thirstie.com.

About Thirstie
Thirstie, a New York based e-commerce company, is the leading e-commerce and data solutions provider for Beverage Alcohol brands, founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014. Thirstie helps brands to power consumer on-line transactions within an industry three-tier system complaint platform through a robust API and expansive retail network. The Thirstie platform also provides brands with transparency into all data, consumer insights analytics and ROI to improve performance marketing. For more information about Thirstie, please visit www.thirstie.com.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/beverage-alcohol-e-commerce-pioneer-123900564.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM0aZmOjBIqUxFmPdv6BRlxijk0fHdrKp8Ym_-CbNLpftvmf0dp6Vds2fNxZi2TBChm1lEYoJUWnOanoNNYMLVVhVE8Zf315HtUjyJJ24qRHQ99_kEL45DrJQbPO8neuop8ypoPaLSf8_lun84H_1t7t0h4lFCNy7rFnw_sDDJMh)

Beverage Alcohol E-Commerce Pioneer, Thirstie, Continues To Lead Industry With New Courier Service Offerings and Retail Network Expansion

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Pomp & Whimsy, the gin cordial brand created by sociologist, consumer insights expert, and spirits entrepreneur Dr. Nicola Nice, announced $2.65 million in new funding drawn from a collection of A-list investors, including fashion entrepreneurs, executives at top consumer brands and angel funds supporting female founders.

Among the marquee names backing the brand are Rebecca Minkoff, Founder of Rebecca Minkoff and The Female Founder Collective; Michelle Grant, Founder and CEO of Wear Lively; Academy nominated, Emmy and Peabody award winning film producer Regina K. Scully; and advertising luminary Cindy Gallop. Additional support comes by way of current and former executives of Estee Lauder, Twitter, Facebook, Warby Parker, and Crate & Barrel.

The brand: Dr. Nice created Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur after working for over two decades as a consultant to the spirits industry and recognizing the enormous unmet potential of the female consumer market. Bringing her personal, professional, and academic passions together, she spent two years researching and experimenting with home infusions for a gin-based liqueur that would redefine the spirit once known as “Mother Gin”, launching the brand in January 2017.

Said Dr. Nice, “As a researcher and brand strategist, I have spent my career observing how women shape trends in cocktailing from their position as the drivers of purchasing decisions and as the chief entertainers of the home. Yet for years the spirits industry has not taken women seriously. I launched Pomp & Whimsy because I felt it was time to give women back their rightful place in the story of gin and the cocktail.”

She continued, “It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a founder in this industry and the company is really at a pivotal moment in its growth. We are grateful to be at the center of a wide network of powerful women and men who are lifting the rope for entrepreneurs to bring fresh perspective through innovation. That our investors come from backgrounds as varied as fashion, beauty, banking, and the alcohol industry speaks not only to the broad appeal of the brand, but to the timeliness and importance of its mission.”

Pomp & Whimsy will use the new funds to accelerate growth in key markets. Distribution will expand through current and new distribution partners including Breakthru Beverage Group and Allied Beverage, Republic National Distribution Company, Opici Family Distributing, and Favorite Brands. The company also plans to build on its successful e-commerce business through its partnership with Thirstie.

As investor Rebecca Minkoff said of the deal, “Women-led businesses tend to be more successful on many levels. There’s not only a social imperative to invest in female founders, economically it’s  the smart thing to do.”

“As a founder and a CEO, Dr. Nicola Nice has displayed the kind of passion and talent for pursuing a brand promise that is rare, and she is already delivering tremendous value to our industry,” said spirits industry veteran and Pomp & Whimsy board advisor and investor Ted Roman. “I look forward to continuing to help guide Nicola and her team in building the brand with new distribution, portfolio expansion and national sales opportunities.”

Cate Luzio, Founder and CEO of Luminary, investor and member of the Pomp & Whimsy board of advisors, added, “Pomp & Whimsy has established itself as a brand that understands how to speak to women and isled by an incredibly passionate and entrepreneurial team. The great strength, ingenuity and success the business has demonstrated through the last year especially, is testament to the enormous growth potential of the business going forward.”

The round is being led by El Dorado Spirits, LLC, a private venture group headed by consumer and retail veterans Steven Wisch and Alex Brick, and includes additional funding from angel groups Golden Seeds, Oxford Angel Fund, and Next Act Fund.

About Pomp & Whimsy

Back in the heyday of gin, the spirit’s seductive nature earned it the nickname Mother Gin. From lords to ladies, mistresses to maids, all were captivated by the exotic botanicals within.  With Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur, we return to the dawn of the affair with a reinvention of the classic gin cordial style, updated for a contemporary palate. Bringing fancy, modernity and dare we say it, a touch of femininity, to this wondrously old-world spirit.

Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur brings modern sensibilities to the tradition of gin making by infusing classically distilled gin with a select blend of organic and whole botanicals, including juniper, coriander, grapefruit, orange, lychee, cucumber and jasmine pearls. Light citrus and exotic fruits are prominent on the start, evolving into a dry, warm spice finish, with a familiar suggestion of citrusy juniper on the tail. Subtly sweet and eminently quaffable, it is delicious sipped by itself, topped with soda, tonic or champagne, or used in place of gin in classic cocktails.  It’s gin. Reimagined.

Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur is low proof at 30% ABV, gluten-free, and contains less than a quarter of the sugar of mainstream cocktail cordials. The brand’s signature spritz can be found on menu at some of the nation’s best restaurants and bars, with bottles on shelf at retailers such as Total Wine and More and BevMo!, and delivery available to 33 states through sites like Drizly, wine.com and the brand’s e-commerce site.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://www.bevnet.com/spirits/2021/pomp-whimsy-inc-closes-2-65m-seed-round)

Pomp & Whimsy Inc. Closes $2.65M Seed Round

Thirstie, the leading e-commerce and business intelligence provider for beverage alcohol brands, announced strong business momentum resulting in new team additions and top advisors from the e-commerce space, including the former CEO of Magento and former President of SAP Hybris.

As accelerated adoption of Thirstie’s e-commerce platform for retailers and alcohol brands continues, the company has generated substantial growth. In early 2020, there were less than a dozen brands using Thirstie; today there are 200 alcohol brand partners using the platform with more being added every day. Platform revenue quadrupled from 2019 to 2020, and Thirstie anticipates a 2X YoY growth in brand sign up rate in Q3 2021 as the company continues to expand despite post-pandemic consumer behavior, adding both retailer and brand partners on to the platform.

“In the past year, we’ve had tremendous momentum; this growth and enthusiasm is a testament to the need for a highly-compliant ecommerce-driven data solution for alcohol brands,” stated Devaraj Southworth, Thirstie’s CEO & Co-Founder. “Our goal is to help grow and scale these companies while changing the course of the alcohol industry. Making these strategic investments in our team and advisory board will allow us to continue to be great partners for both brands and retailers while shaping the future of the Beverage Alcohol space.”

Joining a diverse group of advisors and investors, Thirstie has added two e-commerce all-stars as Strategic Advisors; Mark Lavelle, the former CEO of Magento and SVP of Commerce at Adobe and Carsten Thoma, former President of SAP Hybris.

Mark Lavelle, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder at Deep Lake Capital, joins Thirstie as a Strategic Advisor following his investment in the business. As the former CEO of Magento and SVP of Commerce at Adobe following Adobe’s 2018 acquisition of Magento for $1.68 billion, Lavelle brings decades of e-commerce experience to the Thirstie team. “I am thrilled to serve as both an investor as well as advisor to Thirstie and look forward to providing strategic insights from my years of experience in this challenging space,” stated Lavelle. “Thirstie is defining what B2B E-Commerce means within a highly regulated industry and I am confident they will continue to not only be innovators, but industry leaders.”

Following his investment, Thirstie has also added Carsten Thoma to its Advisory board. Thoma is the former Co-Founder and Managing Director of Hybris and President of SAP Hybris, following SAP’s acquisition of the company in 2006 for $1.1B. “There are many parallels between Thirstie’s approach to e-commerce and how I have approached the space with my former company,” stated Thoma. “E-Commerce and digital storefronts have the ability to change the trajectory for CPG brands. However, it’s critical for businesses to find the right e-commerce partner. Devaraj and Max have figured out how to make this happen, through development of a highly compliant vertically integrated e-commerce solution built specifically for Beverage Alcohol.”

In addition to strategic advisors, Thirstie announced Jason Dacaret as VP of People. In this position, Dacaret will guide and manage all human capital strategy, company culture, in-house processes for hiring talent, and employee onboarding processes. Prior to joining Thirstie, Dacaret was the Chief Human Resources Officer and Investment Committee Member at REAPRA, a venture builder and venture capital/investment management company in Southeast Asia. Prior to REAPRA, Dacaret spearheaded business development for North America for RGF International Recruitment, part of Recruit Group, the 4th largest HR services provider worldwide.

Thirstie has also onboarded John Briar as VP and General Manager. In this role, Briar will manage the day-to-day execution of the company’s vision, as well as provide high-level guidance to departments that include Operations, Accounting, Customer Support, Retail and Brand Sales, Retail and Brand Account Management, and Partnerships. Prior to joining Thirstie, Briar served as Managing Director, Marketing Operations at Annalect, which he joined in 2019. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at Operative, where he held numerous roles including Chief Services Officer, and built a team from five to 300 employees over the course of his tenure.

In addition, Thirstie added Hannah Vogel as the Director of Analytics where she oversees Data Intelligence for Thirstie’s Brand Partners. Vogel has a PhD in Mathematics, and has spent her career as a data scientist, analyst, and consultant working with e-commerce and marketing data.

Other recent new hires include: Ryan Malik, Controller, Catherine Herzog, Retail Development Manager and Kelley McGann, Marketing and Communications Manager.

About Thirstie 

Thirstie, a New York based e-commerce company, is the leading e-commerce and data solutions provider for Beverage Alcohol brands, founded by Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin in 2014. Thirstie helps brands to power consumer on-line transactions within an industry three-tier system complaint platform through a robust API and expansive retail network. The Thirstie platform also provides brands with transparency into all data, consumer insights analytics and ROI to improve performance marketing.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://www.bevnet.com/news/supplier-news/2021/thirstie-onboards-industry-leaders-to-dominate-the-future-of-alcohol-e-commerce/)

Thirstie Onboards Industry Leaders To Dominate The Future Of Alcohol E-Commerce

NEW YORK, June 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirstie, the leading e-commerce and business intelligence provider for beverage alcohol brands, today announced strong business momentum resulting in new team additions and top advisors from the e-commerce space, including the former CEO of Magento and former President of SAP Hybris.
As accelerated adoption of Thirstie's e-commerce platform for retailers and alcohol brands continues, the company has generated substantial growth. In early 2020, there were less than a dozen brands using Thirstie; today there are 200 alcohol brand partners using the platform with more being added every day. Platform revenue quadrupled from 2019 to 2020, and Thirstie anticipates a 2X YoY growth in brand sign up rate in Q3 2021 as the company continues to expand despite post-pandemic consumer behavior, adding both retailer and brand partners on to the platform.

"In the past year, we've had tremendous momentum; this growth and enthusiasm is a testament to the need for a highly-compliant ecommerce-driven data solution for alcohol brands," stated Devaraj Southworth, Thirstie's CEO & Co-Founder. "Our goal is to help grow and scale these companies while changing the course of the alcohol industry. Making these strategic investments in our team and advisory board will allow us to continue to be great partners for both brands and retailers while shaping the future of the Beverage Alcohol space."

Joining a diverse group of advisors and investors, Thirstie has added two e-commerce all-stars as Strategic Advisors; Mark Lavelle, the former CEO of Magento and SVP of Commerce at Adobe and Carsten Thoma, former President of SAP Hybris.

Mark Lavelle, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder at Deep Lake Capital, joins Thirstie as a Strategic Advisor following his investment in the business. As the former CEO of Magento and SVP of Commerce at Adobe following Adobe's 2018 acquisition of Magento for $1.68 billion, Lavelle brings decades of e-commerce experience to the Thirstie team. "I am thrilled to serve as both an investor as well as advisor to Thirstie and look forward to providing strategic insights from my years of experience in this challenging space," stated Lavelle. "Thirstie is defining what B2B E-Commerce means within a highly regulated industry and I am confident they will continue to not only be innovators, but industry leaders."

Following his investment, Thirstie has also added Carsten Thoma to its Advisory board. Thoma is the former Co-Founder and Managing Director of Hybris and President of SAP Hybris, following SAP's acquisition of the company in 2006 for $1.1B. "There are many parallels between Thirstie's approach to e-commerce and how I have approached the space with my former company," stated Thoma. "E-Commerce and digital storefronts have the ability to change the trajectory for CPG brands. However, it's critical for businesses to find the right e-commerce partner. Devaraj and Max have figured out how to make this happen, through development of a highly compliant vertically integrated e-commerce solution built specifically for Beverage Alcohol."

In addition to strategic advisors, Thirstie announced Jason Dacaret as VP of People. In this position, Dacaret will guide and manage all human capital strategy, company culture, in-house processes for hiring talent, and employee onboarding processes. Prior to joining Thirstie, Dacaret was the Chief Human Resources Officer and Investment Committee Member at REAPRA, a venture builder and venture capital/investment management company in Southeast Asia. Prior to REAPRA, Dacaret spearheaded business development for North America for RGF International Recruitment, part of Recruit Group, the 4th largest HR services provider worldwide.

Thirstie has also onboarded John Briar as VP and General Manager. In this role, Briar will manage the day-to-day execution of the company's vision, as well as provide high-level guidance to departments that include Operations, Accounting, Customer Support, Retail and Brand Sales, Retail and Brand Account Management, and Partnerships. Prior to joining Thirstie, Briar served as Managing Director, Marketing Operations at Annalect, which he joined in 2019. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at Operative, where he held numerous roles including Chief Services Officer, and built a team from five to 300 employees over the course of his tenure.

In addition, Thirstie added Hannah Vogel as the Director of Analytics where she oversees Data Intelligence for Thirstie's Brand Partners. Vogel has a PhD in Mathematics, and has spent her career as a data scientist, analyst, and consultant working with e-commerce and marketing data.

Mark Lavelle, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder at Deep Lake Capital, joins Thirstie as a Strategic Advisor following his investment in the business. As the former CEO of Magento and SVP of Commerce at Adobe following Adobe's 2018 acquisition of Magento for $1.68 billion, Lavelle brings decades of e-commerce experience to the Thirstie team. "I am thrilled to serve as both an investor as well as advisor to Thirstie and look forward to providing strategic insights from my years of experience in this challenging space," stated Lavelle. "Thirstie is defining what B2B E-Commerce means within a highly regulated industry and I am confident they will continue to not only be innovators, but industry leaders."

Following his investment, Thirstie has also added Carsten Thoma to its Advisory board. Thoma is the former Co-Founder and Managing Director of Hybris and President of SAP Hybris, following SAP's acquisition of the company in 2006 for $1.1B. "There are many parallels between Thirstie's approach to e-commerce and how I have approached the space with my former company," stated Thoma. "E-Commerce and digital storefronts have the ability to change the trajectory for CPG brands. However, it's critical for businesses to find the right e-commerce partner. Devaraj and Max have figured out how to make this happen, through development of a highly compliant vertically integrated e-commerce solution built specifically for Beverage Alcohol."

In addition to strategic advisors, Thirstie announced Jason Dacaret as VP of People. In this position, Dacaret will guide and manage all human capital strategy, company culture, in-house processes for hiring talent, and employee onboarding processes. Prior to joining Thirstie, Dacaret was the Chief Human Resources Officer and Investment Committee Member at REAPRA, a venture builder and venture capital/investment management company in Southeast Asia. Prior to REAPRA, Dacaret spearheaded business development for North America for RGF International Recruitment, part of Recruit Group, the 4th largest HR services provider worldwide.

Thirstie has also onboarded John Briar as VP and General Manager. In this role, Briar will manage the day-to-day execution of the company's vision, as well as provide high-level guidance to departments that include Operations, Accounting, Customer Support, Retail and Brand Sales, Retail and Brand Account Management, and Partnerships. Prior to joining Thirstie, Briar served as Managing Director, Marketing Operations at Annalect, which he joined in 2019. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at Operative, where he held numerous roles including Chief Services Officer, and built a team from five to 300 employees over the course of his tenure.

In addition, Thirstie added Hannah Vogel as the Director of Analytics where she oversees Data Intelligence for Thirstie's Brand Partners. Vogel has a PhD in Mathematics, and has spent her career as a data scientist, analyst, and consultant working with e-commerce and marketing data.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/amidst-accelerated-demand-for-its-solution-thirstie-onboards-industry-leaders-to-dominate-the-future-of-alcohol-e-commerce-1030563382)

Amidst Accelerated Demand For Its Solution, Thirstie Onboards Industry Leaders To Dominate The Future Of Alcohol E-Commerce

Spirits brands are offering up plenty of ways to celebrate as the pandemic’s restrictions ease up and consumers reconnect with friends during the upcoming summer months. In this gallery, we highlight some new brand debuts, limited-releases from Wonderland Distilling and Dewar’s, spirits specifically crafted for an easy cocktail making from Cutwater, Brody’s, Bluecoat Gin, and much more.

[FULL ARTICLE]( https://www.bevnet.com/news/2021/spirits-gallery-new-brand-debuts-and-the-latest-from-dewars-cutwater-and-more#pic-4)

Spirits Gallery: New Brand Debuts And The Latest From Dewar’s, Cutwater And More

Agua Mágica, an ultra-premium spirits brand revealing the depths of Oaxacan culture through a transcendent sipping experience, launches their first mezcal. Founded by an all-Mexican team, Agua Mágica embraces Oaxaca’s rich, artisanal history while aiming to recontextualize mezcal consumption occasions and empower the mezcaleros and community behind the agave elixir.

“From my upbringing in Mexico, with close ties to Oaxaca, and through my career analyzing the Latin American spirits market, I noticed mezcal’s explosive growth was making the category increasingly commoditized and industrialized,” comments Rafael Shin, Founder of Agua Mágica. “My mission with Agua Mágica is to initiate conversations around redirecting mezcal’s current growth trajectory, through a premiumization and recontextualization of mezcal consumption occasions. To start, we prioritize quality, which is how we can encourage Agua Mágica to be sipped neat. To be able to sip mezcal is to take part in upholding artisanal production practices,” adds Shin.

A romance between exclusively sourced and harvested single-village agaves, espadín and tobalá, provides the backdrop to the brand’s ensamble stemming from the terrain of San Juan del Río. This mythical location is blessed with ideal natural elements for crafting the finest mezcal. The rich soil, sublime weather conditions, fresh river water and high-mountain altitude help the agaves retain less water, increasing their sugar concentration, in turn developing a complex and rich flavor. Agua Mágica’s smooth and flavorful notes lures con- sumers into enjoying it during moments of introspection, commemoration, and transcendence.

“Agua Mágica is a blend of Espadín and Tobalá that celebrates the traditional process of making mezcal from more than just one agave type. It shows a softer approach to a sipping mezcal with notes of cucumber, melon, and green chili on the palate. It warms as it moves through the body with an uplifting energy for the spirit,” explains Yana Volfson, Director of Beverages at Cosme and Beverage Consultant to Agua Mágica.

Agua Mágica strives to contemporize Mexican lore and prehistoric rituals, where mezcal is a celebratory spirit playing a crucial part in all festividades – from weddings to funerals to births. The brand embraces Oaxacan traditions, such as bestowing the responsibility of mayordomo on a fellow party-goer to keep the drinks flowing, through the lens of magical realism. “We want to show the world the beauty of the land as well as the roots and customs that accompany mezcal. In order to do so, we’ve partnered with locals to narrate the region’s cultural richness in an abstract film,” states Shin.

By investing in small batch producers, Agua Mágica honors them as entrepreneurs, not as manufacturers. Mezcaleros are often faced with increased pressures of delivering at scale, leading to overstimulation of land and industrialization at the expense of their traditional techniques and pricing. Agua Mágica has partnered with maestro mezcalero, Rogelio Juan Hernandez, providing additional resources to grow his palenque and family farm while increasing wages for his team. Additionally, Agua Mágica strives towards broadening opportuni- ties to mezcaleros in Oaxaca through the brand’s “Empowering Mezcaleros” program, by donating 5% of yearly profits to five family-run palenques, helping them with the certification process to sell their mezcal.

Agua Mágica’s inaugural ensamble will be limited to an exclusive 2,000 bottles to continue producing in small batches. The bottle retails for $65 USD and the set, including the bottle and illustrated box, retails for $95 USD. Agua Mágica is available for purchase online at aguamagica.com, select retailers, for delivery through Drizly and Thirstie and can be found on the cocktail menu at Cosme, Atla and Soho House. Investors of Agua Mágica include founders of leading direct-to-consumer brands and influential entrepreneurs in lifestyle and hospitality like Jeff Raider (Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Harry’s and Co-Founder of Warby Parker), Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal (Co-Founders & Co-CEOs of Warby Parker), Joey Zwillinger (Co-Founder of Allbirds), Karlie Kloss (Supermodel, Entrepreneur and Founder of Kode With Klossy, Babba Rivera (Founder & CEO of Ceremonia), Hannah Bronfman (Founder of HBFIT) and Penni Thow (Founder & CEO of Copper).

About Agua Mágica

Agua Mágica is an ultra-premium spirits brand stemming from the rich terrain of San Juan del Río that reveals the depths of mezcal and Oaxacan culture through a unique sipping experience. Founder Rafael Shin, a former food & beverage finance specialist within the Latin America market, felt compelled to redirect mezcal’s current growth trajectory by introducing a soulful brand that embraces Oaxaca’s rich artisanal history, recontextualizes the mezcal drinking experience and empowers the mezcaleros and community behind the agave elixir. In keeping with Oaxacan tradition, Agua Mágica is meant to be sipped neat during moments of introspection, commemoration and tran- scendence. Through a single-village partnership with Maestro Mezcalero Rogelio Juan Hernandez, Agua Mágica has created a mezcal that is smooth and flavorful offering herbal and fresh notes with touches of cooked maguey, banana, almond, mango and caramel. The layered depths of the taste can be served as an aperitif, paired with a meal or enjoyed throughout a long night of festivities.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://www.bevnet.com/spirits/2021/agua-magica-launches-its-first-mezcal)

Agua Mágica Launches Its First Mezcal

The 2021 Spirits Growth Brands Awards from Cheers magazine recognizes the fastest-growing and top-selling spirits brands from the past year. These products dominated consumer interest and tapped into the leading beverage alcohol trends.

As always, our lists include the most innovative new brands, emerging stars, comeback stories and tried-and-true staples.

Altogether, these superstar spirits paint a picture of what defined the beverage alcohol category in the last year. Next week, we will post the 2021 Wine Growth Brands Awards winners.

## Growth Brands Winners Adapt with Covid-19

All great brands must adapt at some point. Many of our winners successfully did so this last year in the face of the sudden Covid-19 crisis.

“We have adapted many existing programs to stay relevant during Covid-19,” says Lisa Hunter, U.S. brand director for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Established Growth Brand winner. “For instance, Neighborhood Flavors used to be all about festivals and events, and this year we are switching it up to be a local mural campaign that still celebrates neighborhoods, but in a safe, socially diblenderstanced way.”

Elsewhere in the Brown-Forman portfolio, Gentleman Jack also took home an Established Growth Brand award.

“Despite the Covid-19 related challenges of this last year, the brand has seen strong acceleration for a number of reasons,” says Mary Beth O’Mara, senior brand manager, Jack Daniel’s Craft & Luxury. “Consumers have turned to purchasing trusted premium brands and making cocktails at home.”

This was a common refrain: winning brands tapping into at-home mixology. As was a move towards other major pandemic trends — like ecommerce.

“In the off-premise, we know that browsing time has dropped dramatically,” says Chrissy Wallace, senior brand and integration manager of el Jimador, Established Growth Brand winner. “We made sure to communicate our value proposition clearly and consistently: el Jimador is a premium tequila, priced right for the everyday at-home occasion. Ecommerce has seen explosive growth during the pandemic. We look to leverage at all touchpoints through shoppable media and building the digital shelf.”

The use of alcohol ecommerce leapt ahead several years in a matter of months during the pandemic. Savvy brands adapted accordingly.

“The past year was certainly not the year we were anticipating, but our team did an exceptional job of rolling with the punches and pivoting into the virtual environment,” says from Charlie Nelson, co-founder of Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, maker of Rising Star brand Belle Meade. “We focused primarily in the digital space, working with partners like Drizly, Thirstie, etc., and ensuring we showed up on the digital shelves just like we hope we show up on the physical shelves in retail stores.”

An undeniable part of the ecommerce ecosystem is social media, and the personalities that dominate the space.

“Building our social presence has been a big focus for us, specifically partnering with influencers who genuinely love the brand,” says Erin King, director of brand marketing and on-premise for the Fast Track craft vodka Western Son. “More times than not, influencers are reaching out to us looking to collaborate. It’s a great position to be in — it’s critical that we stay true to our brand and not just partner with anyone. Ultimately, they are an extension of us.”

Promoting safety amidst the health crisis was another focus shared by many winners.

“We ran social promotions for curbside pick up; we featured cocktails that spoke to quarantining, social distancing, March thru May,” says Mary Rose DeMarco, creative and branding director for Recipe 21, which received a Fast Track award. “We had branded masks made and handed out to all our retailers and distributors”

Established Growth brand-winner Deep Eddy Vodka worked to support local Texas communities during the pandemic.

“When the Deep Eddy Vodka Tasting Room was first closed at the beginning of the pandemic, we dedicated operations to hand-production, hand-bottling and hand-labeling the sanitizer,” says Reid Hafer, group product director, Heaven Hill Brands. Altogether the brand produced many thousands of gallons and bottles of sanitizer, distributed to healthcare systems, first responders and at-risk communities.

When Austin lost power during the terrible winter storm in Texas last February, Deep Eddy collaborated with local businesses to raise more than $100,000 towards providing hot meals for residents affected by the outages.

## At-Home Mixology

Among consumer trends driven by Covid-19, the rise of at-home mixology was among the most influential. With bars and restaurants sadly shuttered across the country, more people made high-quality mixed drinks in the safety of their own homes.

“Within the first two weeks of lockdown, Bombay Sapphire introduced Create From Home, a multi-platform creative learning experience that offered free virtual classes, workshops and cocktail-making sessions led by creatives from diverse fields,” says Natasha Curtin, global vice president for Bombay Sapphire, which won an Established Growth Brand.

This trend benefited brands like the Fast Track winner D’Usse, owned by Bacardi.

“As occasions became more intimate, the popularity of cognac exploded, driven by new consumers entering the category and the move toward smaller, more relaxed group settings.,” says Jennifer Pisciotta, VP global marketing, acceleration brands, Bacardi Limited. “Additionally, as consumers focused more on their at-home bartending skills, alcohol sales — especially luxury spirits — rose, and D’usse was no exception. In fact, D’usse cognac has been surpassing spirits growth in 46 of the last 52 weeks, according to Nielsen. Consumers have had more time to formalize their skills, and improving the cocktail experience comes with an investment in more premium spirits.”

Brands helped consumers reproduce their favorite cocktails while also benefiting the on-premise trade.

“We launched a Bartender Takeover series to benefit on-premise partners impacted by Covid-related closures and featuring local bartenders to demonstrate how to make Ole Smoky cocktails at home,” says Will Ensign, VP of marketing for Ole Smoky, which qualified for several Rising Star awards.

Other brands were born with the idea of cocktails in mind, and benefited when at-home mixology took off in 2020. For instance, Rising Star Old Forester Rye whiskey.

“When we were developing this product, it was paramount to me that this hit on a few keys things: first that it be bottled at 100 proof, making it strong enough to stand up in a cocktail; and second, that it be affordable and lined priced with OF 100 proof,” says Old Forester Master Taster Jackie Zykan. “In addition to the unique flavor profile that’s both spicy and floral, these factors have made it an indisputable hit with consumers.”

## Top Trends and Movements

Many winning brands achieved success in the past year by recognizing consumer trends and cultural movements. This includes Woodford Reserve, which took home multiple Fast Track awards.

“The past year has presented challenges, but we prioritized our investment in brand building communication, and we followed our consumers and their emerging behaviors,” explains Tracey Johnson, VP, group brand director at Brown-Forman. “In 2020, this translated into a heavier focus on retail and the e-premise. We also had successful launches of limited-release products, like our Master’s Collection Very Fine Rare Bourbon and Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition. These expressions were popular with whiskey drinkers and collectors, and garnered significant media attention for the brand.”

Savvy use of social media was, again, a common avenue for growth in 2020. Rising Star Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey utilized the profile of its co-founder, MMA fighter Conor McGregor, along with a branded social media account designed for today’s consumer.

“Conor is quite the unicorn and he enjoys interacting with consumers via social media,” says Ken Austin, co-founder. “Our Instagram, @ProperWhiskey, continues to be one of the largest brands in the spirits space globally, and our fan engagement is off the charts. This is a real sign of brand health. The key is to do all we do the right way, the Proper way. We don’t force things, as we want to always be true to our consumers, as we have a delicious whiskey that is fun. We respect the consumer deeply and we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

One of the biggest developments of 2020 was the massive growth of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages, as more consumers wanted premium cocktails while sheltering at home. Established Growth Brand winner Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails benefited from this trend.

“Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails was already seeing growth coming into last year, but the rocket ship of RTDs has definitely helped accelerate that momentum,” says Dallas Cheatham, RTD portfolio director, USA and Canada, Brown-Forman. “New flavors, the addition of cans to our lineup and the trusted name of Jack Daniel’s positioned the brand perfectly to take advantage of additional consumers that were visiting the cooler section looking for a refreshing, single-serve option. It’s the perfect intersection between a great product and great timing.”

Social unrest across the country in 2020 shed light on lingering racial inequities in America. Hennessy, an Established Growth Brand winner, built on its legacy of championing cultural diversity and progress through several programs.

The company continued with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a $10-million fellowship meant to assist the next generation of diverse C-suite leaders. And in becoming the Official Spirit of the NBA, Hennessy in 2020 commemorated the progressive vision of the sports league with a new creative, “Lines,” which “paid tribute to players’ commitment to drive culture forward, on and off the court.”

## What Happens When On-premise Returns?

As vaccines roll out and the pandemic recedes, on-premise businesses will eventually reopen to levels similar to pre-Covid. As that happy day approaches, many brands are preparing for how they will return, in full force, to bars in restaurants.

“We do not have any new releases planned in 2021, but we do see some tremendous opportunities in the on-premise,” says Charlie Maas, CMO of RumChata, which won a Comeback award (and was recently purchased by Gallo). “We’re particularly excited about the new RumChata Cold Brew 1-L package, as it creates an easy way for bars and restaurants to serve cold brew coffee during the brunch occasion. Retailers can price and pour it like a bottle of wine, and instantly add a booming category to their menus as they reopen.”

RumChata is far from alone in positioning for the great reopening of America.

“With Covid restrictions hopefully lifting this year, Platinum 7X Vodka will continue to amplify its various campaigns which focus on unique moments throughout the year that bring people together,” says Tyler Smith, marketing manager, premium vodka, Sazerac. “The brand also will continue to grow behind its premium sister offering, Platinum 10X, which launched in 2019.”

This enthusiasm for the future is echoed around the industry.

“As the pandemic ends and the world opens back up, we will be ready to host tastings that allow consumers to sample this amazing liqueur,” says Hunter, of Rising Star Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple.


## Growth Brands: What’s Next?

Innovation remains at the heart of these winning brands. So it’s no surprise that numerous brands recognized in this issue have big plans for the year ahead.

Southwest Spirits & Wine received a Fast Track award for nue vodka, and a Rising Star for Henderson Blended Whiskey.

For nue, in 2021, “There will be a much heavier emphasis on marketing, particularly towards our targeted male/female younger demographic,” says Rosalind Lynam, brand development manager. “We plan to appeal to them through national accounts (both on and off premise) and social media, which will have a heavy emphasis on cocktail recipes. 2021 will also bring more packaging improvements and, of course, more distribution, which is already off to a great start, given the solid foundation of growth we’ve had the past few years.”

“Next up for Henderson Whiskey is improvements to the label and packaging,” she adds, “continued improvements to its digital footprint, and a new flavored whiskey scheduled to be launched before the end of 2021.”

[FULL ARTICLE](https://cheersonline.com/2021/05/18/the-2021-spirits-growth-brands-awards-celebrating-top-selling-brands/)


The 2021 Spirits Growth Brands Awards — Celebrating Top-Selling Brands | Cheers

Alcohol ecommerce is one of the top pandemic trends, benefiting digital delivery companies like Thirstie. Staying home, consumers discovered that they could order alcohol online, shipped expediently to their doorstep. Buying your favorite wine, spirits and beer suddenly seemed no different than ordering anything off of Amazon.

Alcohol ecommerce leapt ahead half a decade in a matter of months. Thirstie, by its own estimation, grew 600-700% since March 2020. This digital delivery company connects consumers with brands they love and retailers that carry those products. 

But as Covid cases plummet and vaccines roll out, what’s next for alcohol ecommerce? How much will consumers continue to order online, versus returning to on- and off-premise? For insight into this question, we recently spoke with Devaraj Southworth, founder and CEO of Thirstie.

## Beverage Dynamics: How much did Covid-19 affect alcohol ecommerce?

## Devaraj Southworth: 
Even before Covid, alcohol ecommerce was already trending. It was growing an estimated 22%, year-over-year, with a projected $7 to $15 billion in annual sales. Then Covid caused a huge jump in sales. In March and April of 2020, the industry saw 243% growth, according to Nielsen. Thirstie was even higher, at 600-700%. Covid-19 definitely changed the landscape.

## BD: 
What’s next for alcohol ecommerce as Covid-19 winds down?

## DS:
I think there’s been a shift that I don’t think is going to subside.

Obviously the off-premise vs. on-premise numbers will adjust more back towards 50-50, when for a moment there it was more like 99-1. But our industry has changed forever. Consumers now recognize and understand that alcohol ecommerce is a thing.

And again, alcohol ecommerce was a thing before Covid. The shut down of on-premise didn’t create alcohol ecommerce — it just accelerated it.

The reason that alcohol ecommerce hasn’t become more mainstream like overseas — in France it’s like 10% of the market, while here it’s more like 1-2% — is because of legal challenges.

We are pro-legislation. At the end of the day, we want to serve consumers in a regulatory compliant manner. And the regulatory bodies understand that there are changes that need to occur, and will likely occur.
It’s impossible to predict how exactly it will evolve, but I can predict that it will change. Going back to Prohibition, regulations continue to evolve, and that’s our stance: we’re pro-regulation.

## BD: 
What categories are trending now on alcohol ecommerce?

## DS: 
At the premium end, tequila and mezcal are still seeing growth. Consumer are spending $40 to $50 more per order on average for those categories.

RTDs are seeing the most loyal customers. People are 30% to 40% more likely to be repeat customers for RTD brands.

## BD: 
What’s the difference between Thirstie and Drizly?

## DS: 
Thirstie is the Shopify for alcoholic beverages. Drizly is the Amazon. For alcohol companies, Thirstie offers a branded portion, the ability to spin off a branded digital storefront. We can do that in a matter of days. And we still have a robust retail network, like Drizly, and can offer same-day delivery in most cases.

Do we need to be at 5,000-10,000 retailers? No. What about 1,000 specialty retailers? Yes.

There are 50,000 independent producers of alcohol products. That’s a massive market of small businesses. We believe that we can democratize the industry for them. Most of these producers don’t have the means to set up in record time; they don’t know what all of that entails. We give the small brands access to ease of compliance and opportunity that the larger companies already have.

## BD:
How much do you rely on data in this industry?

Shopping card data and other consumer analytics are a key part of the growth of digital delivery.

## DS:
We have the ability to offer off-the-shelf data dashboards. Remember: We work for the suppliers. They want to know what ad campaigns are the most effective; they want to know behavioral analytics. They want what’s the Holy Grail for our industry: shopping cart analytics. 

Brands can reach out through Thirstie with targeted messaging for consumers based on what consumers are buying. We offer an end-to-end customer experience where consumers feel like they’re interacting closely with a brand that they love.

Before alcohol ecommerce became a thing, brands were losing out on years and years of consumer insights. Now that they have access to that, brands will continue to incorporate that into their intimate relations with their consumers.

## BD:
What do retailers gain from alcohol ecommerce and digital delivery?

## DS: 
E-solutions for alcohol provide additional sales for retailers, under a wider range of products and brands.

## BD:
What’s your longer-term outlook for alcohol ecommerce?

## DS:
The acceleration is evident. I think there will continue to be more sales channels digitally, and distributors will adjust accordingly. That likely means a broader inventory of products from more producers.  

For consumers, they’ll have deeper relationships with more brands.

There’s a lot of digital infrastructure in place. There’s a foundation for a ton of growth ahead.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://beveragedynamics.com/2021/05/24/thirstie-ceo-devaraj-southworth-alcohol-ecommerce/)

Interview: Thirstie CEO Devaraj Southworth on Alcohol Ecommerce Post-pandemic

The pandemic-led restrictions on the on-premise and Travel Retail channels have been taking a toll on revenues of companies in the Zacks Beverages – Alcohol industry. Also, escalated input and packaging costs along with higher advertising expenses have been headwinds.

Nonetheless, the companies stand to gain from the shifts to off-premise and e-commerce channels to make the most of increased at-home consumption occasions. Investments in product innovations to include non- or low-alcoholic beverage variations to its portfolio bode well for players like Anheuser-Busch InBev, Diageo Plc, Constellation Brands and Brown-Forman Corp.

## About the Industry
Companies producing, importing, exporting, marketing and selling alcoholic beverages like beer, craft beer, draft beer, ciders, wine, rum, whiskey, liqueurs, vodka, tequila, champagnes, brandy, amaretto, ready-to-drink cocktails and malt mainly constitute the Zacks Beverages – Alcohol industry. However, some of the industry players engage in the production and sale of non-alcoholic beverages like carbonated soft drinks, sparkling waters, bottled water, energy drinks, powdered and natural juices, and ready-to-drink teas.

The companies, mostly brewers (beer makers), sell products through a network of wholesalers as well as retailers like supermarkets, warehouse clubs, grocery stores, convenience stores, package stores, drug stores and other retail outlets. These also sell beer directly to consumers in cans and bottles at restaurants, pubs, bars and liquor stores. Additionally, some brewers operate brewpubs or taste rooms at breweries offering consumers the freshest beer.

## What’s Shaping the Future of Beverages – Alcohol Industry
Shut-down of On-Premise & Travel Retail: With the closure of restaurants, bars and cinemas due to the pandemic, on-premise sales, which form the majority of revenues of beverage companies, have taken a hit. The restrictions on the on-premise channel are likely to continue to take a toll on the top line of industry players as the pandemic-led uncertainties are expected to remain concerning in the near term.

While the on-premise channel has seen a partial recovery in some regions, renewed restrictions due to the second wave of the pandemic across certain countries like Europe have been hurting revenues. Moreover, travel restrictions dealt a huge blow to the Travel Retail business. While these channels are gradually opening, the trends are likely to remain soft for the next several months.

Higher Costs: Escalation in input costs and higher packaging costs due to a larger proportion of variety packs in the product mix have been major concerns for the industry. These along with higher advertising and promotional expenses as well as increased SG&A costs have been weighing on margins.

Notably, companies are witnessing lower fixed cost absorption and unfavorable impacts from the portfolio and channel mix shifts, which are hurting gross margin. The channel mix shift mainly resulted from the pandemic-led restrictions in the on-premise channel, while the portfolio mix shift is attributed to the significant rise in ready-to-drink product sales.

To top it all, the pandemic and its effects on the global economy are likely to elevate costs, which may hurt the margins of alcohol companies.

Shift in Trends to Off-Premise & E-commerce, At-Home Occasions: The alcohol industry has been witnessing a gradual shift in consumption trends from on-premise to off-premise. In this scenario, alcohol companies have been quickly shifting focus and resources to off-premise, including retail stores and other channels that are likely to stay in the near term.

Moreover, the idea of selling/buying alcoholic drinks online with doorstep deliveries has been gaining traction. Notably, e-commerce for alcoholic beverages has expanded significantly, increasing three to seven times in volume from the prior year. Also, companies have been entering partnerships with platforms, including Drizly, Instacart and Thirstie, which are selling alcohol online and providing delivery options, to offer a better consumer experience.

Increasing health consciousness among consumers has given a rise to the demand for drinks with low alcohol content. To capitalize on these trends, beverage companies have ventured out with some interesting product launches, putting the focus on the health of consumers.

Hard Seltzer Beverage Market Gains Prominence: The alcohol companies have been scrambling for opportunities to grab a share of the lucrative hard-seltzer market, which took the alcohol-drinking American population by storm. Product innovation and increased brand launches played a crucial role in the growing penetration of hard seltzer.

Further, hard seltzer is expected to continue gaining popularity, owing to its low alcohol content, preferred by millennials in developed economies like the United States, Canada and Australia. According to Grand View Research Inc., the global hard seltzer market size was $4.36 billion in 2019.

Moreover, the hard seltzer market is projected to touch $14.5 billion by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of 16.2%. The hard seltzer beverage industry is dominated by the privately held White Claw and The Boston Beer Company Inc.’s Truly brand. Per Bank of America, Truly and White Claw together held nearly 80% of the hard seltzer market share at the end of 2019. Bud Light Seltzer from Anheuser-Busch InBev, which was launched in 2020, is another prime stakeholder garnering market share in the hard seltzer category.

## Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bleak Prospects
The Zacks Beverages – Alcohol industry is a 15-stock group within the broader Zacks Consumer Staples sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #176. This rank places it at the bottom 31% of more than 250 Zacks industries.

The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates dull near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

The industry’s positioning in the bottom 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a negative earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually losing confidence in this group’s earnings growth potential. In the past year, the industry’s earnings estimates for the current year have declined 8.6%.

Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let’s take a look at the industry’s recent stock-market performance and valuation picture.

## Industry Lags S&P 500
The Zacks Beverages – Alcohol industry has underperformed the S&P 500 but surpassed its sector in the past year.

While the stocks in the industry have collectively gained 6.7%, the Zacks S&P 500 composite has rallied 30.4% and the Zacks Consumer Staples sector has grown 3.8%.

## Beverages – Alcohol Industry’s Valuation
On the basis of forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, which is commonly used for valuing Consumer Staples stocks, the industry is currently trading at 14.63X compared with the S&P 500’s 22.32X and the sector’s 18.17X.

Over the last five years, the industry traded as high as 27.51X, as low as 14.63X and at the median of 23.68X.

## 4 Alcohol Beverages Stocks to Keep a Close Eye On
None of the stocks in the Zacks Beverages – Alcohol universe currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) but we have one stock with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We also highlighted three stocks with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) from the same industry. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Let’s have a look at the companies.

Diageo Plc: The largest alcoholic beverage company, based in London, has been leaving no stone unturned to adapt to the shift in sales trends by reallocating resources to online channels to compensate for the closure of the on-trade channels. It has been using consumer insights and marketing effectiveness equipment to make prudent investments in the areas of innovation, e-commerce and new opportunities like at-home occasions, including wanting to enjoy bar-quality drinks at home.

The efforts to quickly respond to increased off-trade channel demand and changes in consumer occasions as well as investments in new opportunities have helped the company return to organic sales growth in the first half of fiscal 2021.

The company has inspired consumers with cocktail recipes, new serves and ways to enjoy its brands with food. It also rapidly responded to the increased demand for home delivery. In the United States and Latin America, it reached customers with new “cocktail to go” programs.

In East Africa, the company explored new ways to get products delivered to consumers’ homes through partnerships with motorbike delivery companies, known as boda-bodas. The Zacks Rank #2 company has rallied 11.1% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved north by 2% in the past 30 days.

Anheuser-Busch InBev.: The global brewing company has a Zacks Rank #3 at present. The company, with more than 500 iconic brands, has been investing in new capabilities for several years to better connect with customers and consumers by leveraging technology such as B2B sales and other e-commerce platforms.

Going forward, the company remains keen on making the most of investments in its portfolio over the years as well as rapidly growing its digital platform, including BEES and Ze Delivery. Further, it is on track with its premiumization strategy focused on growing the premium and super-premium brand portfolio. It is also poised to gain from revenue growth across its global markets, particularly North America and China.

The Leuven, Belgium-based company’s leading position in the majority of its markets and a strong global footprint lend the advantage of economies of scale and growing its multi-country brands globally. Its strategy is based on efforts to develop a brand portfolio that caters to extensive consumer needs within the market, in terms of the price range, flavor profiles and brand meaning. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 earnings have moved down 4.3% in the past seven days. The stock has risen 6.5% in the past year.

Constellation Brands Inc: The consensus estimate for fiscal 2021 EPS for the Victor, NY-based company, which is the third-largest beer company and a leading, high-end wine company in the United States, has been unchanged in the past 30 days. Constellation Brands’ constant focus on brand building and initiatives to include new products bode well. It is anticipated to have benefited from growth in the hard seltzer category as it recently launched the Corona hard seltzer.

Also, it has been benefiting from consumers’ shift to e-commerce for buying alcoholic beverages. The digital business has been gaining share through platforms like Instacart, Drizly and other retailer online sites as consumers look for the convenience offered by these channels, which is likely to continue. The company has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 7.4%. The stock has gained 18.2% in the past year. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

Brown-Forman Corp.: The stock of this Louisville, KY-based leading alcoholic beverages company has risen 12.8% in the past year. The company is capitalizing on the shift in consumption to at-home occasions, with increased investments in the off-premise and e-premise channels as well as accelerated growth in spirits and ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails.

The on-premise shutdown has boosted the sale of spirits in the off-premise and convenience formats, which is likely to continue. Moreover, there has been an increase in the demand for the company’s RTD cocktails during the pandemic.

This has led to increased sales for its Jack Daniels RTDs globally as well as the tequila-based New Mix RTDs in Mexico. The accelerated demand trends are likely to be key growth drivers for the company in the coming months.

Also, the company is poised to gain from strong volumetric gains for premium bourbons, including Woodford Reserve and Old Forester, as well as underlying sales growth for Herradura and el Jimador in the United States. The company’s consensus estimate for fiscal 2021 EPS has been unchanged in the past 30 days. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

## The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/zacks-industry-outlook-highlights%3A-anheuser-busch-inbev-diageo-constellation-brands-brown)

Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights: Anheuser-Busch InBev, Diageo, Constellation Brands, Brown-Forman Corp and Boston Beer Co

While e-commerce sales remain small, two of the world’s biggest beer makers say they have taken off during the pandemic.

Homebound drinkers bought more beer online and at supermarkets, cushioning two of the world’s biggest brewers amid Covid-19 restrictions that have cut into sales at bars and restaurants.

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, the world’s biggest brewer, said online sales are still a small slice of its revenue but are growing fast amid the pandemic. The company is expanding platforms to sell online in several markets, including in Brazil and Europe. That helped it boost adjusted sales, beating analysts’ expectations.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://www.wsj.com/articles/online-beer-sales-drinking-at-home-boosts-budweiser-brewer-11603968729)



Online Beer Sales Soar at Brewers of Budweiser, Miller Lite

The Macallan scotch whiskey brand usually leverages experiential tactics to introduce new products to consumers, be it through immersive theater or mixed reality. With the Covid-19 pandemic limiting physical innovation, however, the U.K.-based alcoholic beverage brand was forced to get creative digitally for the public-facing launch of its newest edition.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/the-macallans-first-virtual-experience-takes-fans-behind-the-scenes-of-whiskey-making/)

The Macallan’s First Virtual Experience Takes Fans Behind the Scenes of Whiskey Making

Single malt scotch fans, rejoice! The Macallan has just launched its first ever E-Boutique. It will enable consumers across the US to purchase bottles directly from the brand’s website. This includes difficult to find labels, including Sherry Oak 25 Years Old, Reflexion and even the M release—which can run upwards of $7500 in certain markets. Throughout the month, shipping is included for free. And 30% of all sales will be donated to the James Beard Foundation’s Open for Good campaign, helping independent restaurants survive financial hardship brought on by COVID-19.

Shipping direct to consumers is tricky business in a country that effectively operates 51 separate sets of laws depending on the state (or District) you call home. As a workaround, The Macallan became the first major scotch brand to partner with Thirstie Inc. The technology instantly connects shoppers with local retailers, providing access to the inventory of their nearby bottle shops and allowing for prompt shipping—and even same-day delivery where available.

"With the launch of The Macallan E-Boutique, we have created an online destination for consumers to explore the world of The Macallan like never before,” said Samantha Leotta, the brand’s director for American markets. “ Thirstie Inc. allows The E-Boutique to provide educational touchpoints, immersive technology and an accessible and shoppable experience all in a singular place."

Earlier this year a trio of brands—including Conor McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Ten To One Rum and Ramona Organic Wine Spritzes—became the first in the adult beverage space to adopt the innovative online model. But this week’s announcement from The Macallan marks the first time that a luxury spirits brand has hopped on board the trend. It’s as clear a sign as any that digital marketing continues to supplant traditional hand-sales in the ‘new normal’ associated with the coronavirus era.

The so-called ‘super premium’ sector—bottles priced above $40—traditionally benefit from the consumer being able to touch and feel the product, particularly as so many of them incorporate intricate bottle design and packaging. The Macallan consumers, however, very much know what they’re after at this point. The Speyside scotch producer dominates the high-end and is overall the second best selling single malt in the US, behind only The Glenlivet.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradjaphe/2020/06/17/the-macallan-is-now-selling-rare-scotch-online-for-the-first-time/?sh=54bec76b780c)

The Macallan Is Now Selling Rare Scotch Online For The First Time


Thirstie announced today that it has raised $7 million in Series A funding, and that it’s partnering with Drinkworks to power the e-commerce experience for the cocktail-making machine created by Keurig and Anheuser-Busch.

Co-founder and CEO Devaraj Southworth suggested that this is emblematic of the company’s current direction — rather than building a consumer app for alcohol delivery (which is what Thirstie focused on initially), the company now works with alcohol brands like Dom Perignon, Clos19 and Maker’s Mark to create e-commerce and delivery experiences.

Southworth said this is appealing to brands because “there’s a whole new generation of digital-first, mobile-first consumers and there’s an opportunity to increase revenue.” More important, he said, is “the data opportunity — the data belongs to our brand partners, the data doesn’t belong to a marketplace.”

And while Thirstie is now focused on building an enterprise business, it’s still taking advantage of the network of alcohol retailers that the company created for its consumer app.

Southworth explained said that while Thirstie allows you to order a bottle directly from the Dom Perignon website, it’s actually routing orders “through the network,” so they’re fulfilled by licensed retailers. This means alcohol brands can build a direct relationship with consumers while remaining compliant with the three-tier alcohol distribution system.

And from the Thirstie perspective, this also means building a substantial business without having to invest millions of dollars into marketing a consumer app.

Currently, Thirstie said it supports on-demand delivery in more than 30 cities, and can also ship to any location where shipping alcohol is legal.

Looking ahead, Southworth plans to continue developing Thirstie’s data technology — not just creating dashboards where brands can view their own customer data, but also doing more to aggregate that data to give brands an anonymized, industry-wide view.

“Down the road, there are some very interesting products we can build that can — if the brands are interested — be shared,” he said. “It will be more of a shared marketplace, so all of the brands are going to benefit.”

Thirstie has now raised a total of $12 million, with the new funding coming from Queens Court Capital.

“While some companies have taken capital from industry players to rapidly accelerate the growth of their business, Thirstie realized this could create bias if done too early,” said former Citibank CEO Joe Plumeri (who invested through Queens Court) in a statement. “We admire that Thirstie decided it was more important to scale at a pace that is manageable and allows them to remain independent, and we’re excited to help them achieve their goals.”

[FULL ARTICLE](https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/19/thirstie-series-a/)

Alcohol e-commerce startup Thirstie raises $7M

Bacardi-owned Plume & Petal has entered the spirits-based RTD world with three new vodka-based cocktails. The 4.5% abv spritzes are made with infused vodka and sparkling water and come in peach, cucumber, and lemon flavors. Plume & Petal’s cocktails are available nationwide in 355-ml. cans in 4-packs of individual flavors for around $13 and variety 6-packs for around $18.

•Ste Michelle Wine Estates saw net revenue increase 14.4% to $317 million in its fiscal first half ended in June, with adjusted operating income up 64% to $46 million. The company said the sales increase was primarily driven by higher shipment volume, improved mix, and higher pricing. Ste Michelle, which recently rolled out new packaging on its namesake brand, is in the process of being sold by corporate parent Altria to Sycamore Partners in a deal worth $1.2 billion.

•Uncle Val’s Gin is expanding its lineup with new release Zested. It’s a citrus flavored gin, distilled five times and infused with Bergamot orange, coriander, barley malt, and juniper. Zested joins Botanical, Restorative, and Peppered in the Uncle Val’s portfolio, which is part of 3 Badge Beverage Corp., developed by 3 Badge president August Sebastiani as an homage to his Italian uncle Valerio Cecchetti. Zested is at 45% abv and will launch in early September for a suggested $40 a 750-ml.

•Beverage alcohol e-commerce player Thirstie has announced two-hour delivery service in major markets and retail expansion throughout the country. The company is launching the new courier service supporting on-demand delivery with DoorDash, as well as with Postmates, an Uber company. Two-hour delivery is available in key markets throughout New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Arizona, and Texas. The e-commerce company now offers reach to 100 million adult consumers through hundreds of strategic retail partnerships in over 40 geographies nationwide, including new markets in Arizona, Ohio, and Georgia.

•Texas-based Southern Champion has added a new Chili Mango to its BuzzBallz cocktail brand. The 15% abv RTD is made with vodka, Tequila, and natural flavors, and is available in 200-ml. ball-shaped containers. The new release is now available in California and Texas ahead of a planned national launch. The brand’s national vice president of sales, Blair Casey, says the company plans to test the new release in chains like QuikTrip, H-E-B, and Buc-ee’s while developing the market for Chili Mango. Both Buzzballz and wine-based offshoot Buzzballz Chillers earned Impact “Hot Brand” awards for their 2020 performances.

•Beringer Vineyards has appointed Ryan Rech as chief winemaker. Previously senior winemaker and general manager, Rech joined Beringer’s winemaking team in 2016. As chief winemaker, he’ll look to continue the winemaking legacies of Ed Sbragia, Myron Nightingale, Laurie Hook, and Mark Beringer at the Napa Valley-based winery, which has had only nine top winemakers since its founding in 1876. Beringer is part of the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://www.shankennewsdaily.com/index.php/2021/07/29/29121/news-briefs-for-july-29-2021/)

News Briefs for July 29, 2021

Thirstie recently announced two-hour delivery service in major markets and retail expansion throughout the country.

Thirstie launched its new courier service supporting on-demand delivery with DoorDash and soon to be Postmates, an Uber company. Two-hour delivery is available in key markets in New York, California, Illinois, Florida, Arizona and Texas. The e-commerce company now offers brands expansive reach to 100 million adult consumers through hundreds of strategic retail partnerships in over 40 geographies nationwide, with new markets in Arizona, Ohio and Georgia.

The company was the first to market with a branded e-commerce platform built specifically for alcohol beverage suppliers. Founded in 2014, Thirstie offered its first white label solution in 2017 and most recently launched its turnkey platform, Thirstie Access, in 2020. Since its inception the company has made a strong commitment to compliance and has met with several regulators in key states to make this first of a kind, branded direct-to-consumer type experience possible.

“Thirstie’s success has been fueled by our heavy investment in our retail strategy,” stated Thirstie’s CEO & co-founder, Devaraj Southworth, in a press release. “Our approach is extremely unique in the industry as we have a hybrid model compared to that of other e-commerce players. While some partner with a single retailer and rely heavily on them, others bring on thousands at a rapid pace. At Thirstie, we work with hundreds of highly curated retail partners, and now courier services, to ensure the best customer experience possible.”

Alcohol brands and retailers can learn more about partnering with Thirstie at thirstie.com.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://craftspiritsmag.com/2021/08/05/thirstie-announces-new-courier-service-offerings-and-retail-network-expansion/)

Thirstie Announces New Courier Service Offerings and Retail Network Expansion

In March of 2020, the Covid-19 lockdowns and stay at home orders made online beverage alcohol sales soar 240%, and the growth continued through the year. The sudden shift in consumer behavior and regulators loosening restrictions shifted the whole beverage alcohol eCommerce landscape, leaving some producers and retailers scrambling to catch up.

Devaraj Southworth, CEO of Thirstie says that they had projected these levels of alcohol eCommerce adoption, just not this soon. “The pandemic has definitely moved alcohol beverage and the viability of eCommerce, probably accelerated it by at least five, maybe ten years,” says Southworth in a WIN Insider interview (full video interview above). Since the reopening began, “The numbers have come down slightly, not much. I think that the shift is here to stay.”

This shifting landscape presents a compliance and competitive challenge, especially for small brands to serve consumers in the way they are becoming accustomed to, but it also offers new opportunities for brands to forge a deeper connection and understanding of their customers with eCommerce solutions.

“The democratization of the industry is important for me and to ensure that these smaller brands have the ability to be able to have compliance to sell their product in a highly compliant way,” says Southworth, and he points to examples of brands having success using Thirstie’s data solution to get a clearer picture of their consumers and using that knowledge to target them with offers that appeals to them.

“Some of the most successful programs we’ve seen have been using the 2-hour delivery window, and offering limited edition, limited time offers to consumers they potentially can’t get anywhere else,” says Southworth.

“We had a brand recently, they had the data to understand what their consumers looked like, they put geo targeted ads in Miami, New York City, and essentially the message was ‘start Memorial Day right,’ get your favorite tequila in two hours before the long weekend. They had the highest conversion rates ever on ads on their checkouts.”

The challenge is to connect with consumers through the wholesale channel in a compliant way, and to achieve that, Thirstie contains the entire shopping experience within the brand domain, so that the brand can control the shopping experience, leverage storytelling, and own the shopping cart data that is invaluable for understanding consumer behavior. The solution also benefits the consumer, who gets the convenience of eCommerce and local retailer fulfillment, as well as interacting with the brand that they know and love.

Watch the video above for the full interview with Devaraj Southworth on the challenges and opportunities of the shifting beverage alcohol eCommerce landscape.

[FULL ARTICLE](https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2021/06/15/forefront-pandemic-shift-beverage-alcohol-ecommerce)

Staying on the Forefront of the Pandemic Shift in Beverage Alcohol eCommerce

## The Top Beverage Alcohol Tech Trends in 2022

Technology shapes the present and the future, creating an ever-evolving landscape of change. As we all turn to our devices that keep us connected in an increasingly hectic world, business continues to advance alongside us. This is no different for the beverage alcohol industry. But trends come and go, certainly at an accelerated rate these days, and only time will tell which will become mainstays.

Which trends can you trust? We at Beverage Dynamics know that retailers are eager to try out the newest advancements. So we spoke to some of the galvanizing forces behind all these advancements to see how the industry is changing, and what the future for beverage alcohol retail technology may hold.

## Emerging Trends

The move to mobile has crossed all industry lines. Thirstie is one company we spoke to that is taking full advantage of this migration.

“Consumers are central to driving trends within tech,” says Devaraj Southworth, CEO and cofounder of Thirstie. “Now, on the heels of a two-and-a-half-year pandemic, they are more mobile than ever. With that, consumers are purchasing almost everything Ôon the go’ through their mobile devices. This has fueled the need for an improved and optimized checkout flow.”

While the move towards mobile has been years in the making, like many other modern trends, it has been hypercharged by the Covid-19 crisis.

“The pandemic accelerated the modernization of a historically old-school, sleepy industry, resulting in retailers more willing to adopt new technologies to help them solve age-old retail problems,” says Cort Ouzts, president of POS Nation, a company dedicated to point-of-sales solutions for small businesses. “One trend we’ve seen is an increasing desire for retail owners to connect with their customers. The small retailers that survived the pandemic were able to effectively communicate with their customers and humanize their business.”

“It’s the exact same mentality as the shop local movement that we’ve seen for the past several years,” Ouzts adds. “Retailers are embracing technology and new mediums to expand their presence and voice.”

Technology has facilitated the rise of mobile purchasing, with even sales at bars and restaurants now utilizing digitization.

“Digital payment has become a baseline expectation in hospitality,” says Nancy Trigg, president of the POS provider Arryved. “Whether via QR codes, a mobile payment app or a virtual wallet like Apple Pay, today’s guests expect their on-premise experience to be tech-enabled. Bonus if they can order to their table, bar seat or lounge area via their own devices. Folks who didn’t sell online or to-go now do, and as some businesses closed their doors, others seized the opportunity to purchase turnkey businesses to expand.”

Digital payment doesn’t just apply to the customer experience. As B2B purchasing grows within the industry, new digital solutions are cropping up to address potential pitfalls.

Igor Ostrovsky founder and CEO of Koverly, highlights some of the trends he’s seen. “B2B commerce for beverage alcohol has started to take root. Progress  is being led by technology companies that simplify operations to allow businesses to work faster and buy smarter. Conversely, there is also a trend among beverage alcohol businesses to create their own proprietary or ‘offÐthe-shelf’ B2B ecommerce and payment solutions, and this is taking efficiency backwards.”

## Modern Challenges

These days, it feels like all we can talk about is the pandemic when it comes to discussing novel challenges. Obviously, the pandemic itself has been the largest hardship the world has had to confront in recent years. But the health crisis has also created many smaller hurdles in the alcohol industry.

“Two of our biggest challenges have been supply-chain obstacles and market awareness,” says Ouzts. “Like seemingly everyone else in the world, we have, at times, been simply unable to deliver our product to our customers as quickly as we’d like.”

“The second challenge we’re facing is market awareness of our product,” Ouzts adds. “There are a few extremely large point-of-sale companies in the industry that possess significant brand awareness in a variety of markets. These solutions tend to be more generic so they can serve a wide range of industries — rather than specializing in specific business types and understanding those customers’ specific needs.”

Market awareness is perhaps a bit more unique to the digital solutions and ecommerce side of the alcohol industry. Businesses understand how to launch and advertise a new spirit, wine or beer option. But companies such as Thirstie need first to educate the industry before marketing their product.

Southworth acknowledges this, commenting, “The challenges we have faced stem from a lack of industry knowledge around what ecommerce is and how it can best be utilized to grow a brand. For a long time, there has been a notion around e-commerce in beverage alcohol that ‘if you build it, they will come.’ However, as any marketer will tell you, there is a level of effort that is required from brands to drive consumers to their webstores.”

## New Solutions

All the companies we interviewed are working to solve problems that retailers face on a daily basis. These include a host of issues, such as building a digital presence, measuring consumer data in real time, optimizing stocking levels and enhancing customer service.

Point-of-sale companies POS Nation and Arryved have carved out niches for themselves within the industry.

“POS companies have earned a reputation for manipulative sales tactics, disappointing support and costly, slow-to-innovate technology. They put their own bottom-line ahead of the best interest of merchants and guests,” says Trigg. “Arryved set out to reset expectations on what a POS partner could be. We’re community builders who prioritize relationships over transactions. We build features designed to improve the guest and staff experience — eliminating admin tasks for staff that give them more time to get to know their guests. Our pricing model is designed to support customers in building the best possible business.”

“The issues POS Nation is solving are directly related to the trends we’re seeing in the industry,” says Ouzts. “We’re automating many of the old, manual processes of running a beverage retail store. Our software integrates with most beverage distributors and automatically updates stock levels when products are delivered. Our software also uses artificial intelligence to optimize stock levels. It will automatically identify the increase in sales volume and suggest ordering more. The common theme in all these process improvements is that we are eliminating the need for extra staff through automation.”

This automation is in service of facilitating communication, according to Ouzts. “We’re helping business owners communicate with their customers. Our software has a built-in loyalty program and allows businesses to tailor the text messages they send an individual customer based on that customer’s buying behavior. This personalization of highly customized messages helps small businesses humanize themselves.”

Thirstie works to help retailers expand their online presence and get products into the hands of eager customers, even in the era of social distancing and shutdowns.

“Thirstie’s network of licensed retailers are fully integrated through our proprietary technology, and our platform helps increase revenue for retailers without having to perform any marketing services for their stores,” says Southworth.

Thirstie also provides valuable insights to retailers. “Consumer data is at the forefront of what Thirstie offers. Historically, given the three-tiered system, brands did not have access to data. We provide brands with user data (who is purchasing, what they are purchasing, how they are purchasing) attribution data (where consumers are coming from) and behavioral data (how consumers are interacting with products and the overall digital experience).”

“Thirstie also provides our brand partners with persona-level data, essentially creating profiles for each consumer type and breaking down where they live, how much money they make and what type of shopping experience they prefer,” he adds. “This allows brands to not only more effectively reach new consumers, but the right type of customers and the opportunity to re-target consumers with new offerings and products.”

City Hive is another company making full use of customer data. They provide full package ecommerce solutions to businesses. “In many cases, beverage retail owners do not have the time or expertise around implementing ecommerce and marketing experiences into their day-to-day workflow,” says Monika Figura, Director of Customers Success. “City Hive has been able to solve this problem by offering website and app builds, automated weekly marketing programs that highlight the stores best sellers and an easy way to implement online promotions and loyalty programs with minimal effort. In the near future, professional design, marketing and advertising services executed by experts of our platforms will be available to add on as a feature of the platform.”

Koverly targets necessary B2B transactions within the industry. “Koverly saves businesses time managing bills and increases profits and cash flow with more time to pay,” Ostrovsky says. “[The company] also reduces the time businesses spend paying bills with streamlined accounting automation.”

## What’s Next?

We have only touched on the beginning of what technology is poised to change within the industry in the years ahead. So, what’s next?

According to Southworth, “The demand for branded ecommerce webstores will certainly continue to increase. While online marketplaces will always have a place in our industry, brands will more heavily invest in their own digital storefronts and experiences.”

Nothing will ever replace the in-person experience of going to your local beverage retailer to talk about different flavor profiles or hard-to-find bottles of whiskey. That experience is as much why local retailers exist as anything. But that doesn’t mean beverage retailers can ignore the changing landscape in front of them, cautions Ouzts. “The common denominator for successful solutions is that they must be easy to use for consumers,” he says.

Trigg puts it succinctly: “We see the future of ecommerce as being deeply connected to the onsite experience for merchants of all shapes and sizes.”

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://beveragedynamics.com/2022/08/18/the-top-beverage-alcohol-tech-trends-in-2022/)





Top Beverage Alcohol Trends in 2022

*Devaraj Southworth is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thirstie, an enterprise software company for beverage alcohol brands.*

Business leaders are constantly problem-solving. We have to solve "big picture" industry issues such as consumer awareness and adoption. There are also specific business objectives around execution and development that we face. Then, there are challenges that sit at the intersection of the two: industry-wide and specific business problems. As leaders, we are continually determining where and how our companies fit into an ever-evolving global economy.

However, the fundamental approach remains: Change your perspective and look at each challenge as an opportunity.

**Big-Picture Challenge: Innovation Outpacing Consumer Behavior**

It's one thing to provide customers with what they want. Sometimes, however, companies face unexpected challenges when introducing new products or services.

In the technology space, many of these challenges stem from innovation outpacing consumer behavior. For example, quick response (QR) codes have been around since the mid-1990s. Tech companies more or less ignored QR codes until the pandemic accentuated the need for alternate modes of communication with customers. In 2020, nearly 11 million American households used a QR code, according to a survey by Statista. Consumer-facing businesses, especially in food and beverage, adopted QR codes as a way to process contactless payments and share menus or drive their customers to their websites.

In many instances, being ahead of the curve means companies have to wait for customers to catch up. From another perspective, innovation can be an opportunity to educate consumers on how to view the world in a fresh way. Take Apple, for example, a company that has reached a $3 trillion market cap. When Apple first launched the Macintosh in 1984, the company knew it would change the trajectory of personal computing forever. However, because the interface and product were so new, widespread consumer adoption didn't occur until many years later.

Given today's tech-savvy consumers, companies may not face the same adoption challenges that Steve Jobs did back in 1984. While today's consumers are more open to embracing new technology, there are still certain industries where consumer adoption of digital products lags.

We discovered that one of those industries was beverage alcohol. For an entrepreneur like myself, this challenge around consumer behavior excites me. I embarked on a journey into beverage alcohol, knowing the problems an outdated industry presented and decided to flip the switch. I took these challenges head-on and looked at them as opportunities.

This continued mindset has given me and our e-commerce business longevity in an industry that's historically pushed back on change. Despite this, since our initial launch in 2014, we have continued to innovate and push the boundaries.

When I first launched my company, we lived in a world where purchasing alcohol online was as novel a concept as paying strangers to pick you up in a car (i.e., Uber). Both felt unfamiliar, but consumers have now integrated these conveniences into their lives.

Look at a difficult situation as an opportunity to create a better solution and continue to propel your industry forward.

**Company Challenge: Balancing Growth Vs. Maintaining Operations**

The pursuit of substantial growth for your company has its own unique set of challenges. When expanding, it becomes a balancing act between prioritizing growth while, at the same time, driving execution for current operations. Leaders often are pulled in multiple directions at once, and many times, it can become easy to lose focus on initiatives that generate true impact for your business.

My advice is to work within a framework that outlines your key objectives as a leader. In other words, develop a roadmap with directions that will take your company to its next destination. Use a framework to remain focused but also flexible to manage unforeseen challenges as they arise—and believe me; they will.

Though Covid-19 likely turned your company's strategic vision upside down, the opportunity also emerged to reset and refocus your business. Ask yourself: "What did I learn about myself, my company and my industry?" Once you have reflected on how the pandemic has impacted not only your business but your industry, use those insights to recalibrate your growth strategy and day-to-day business objectives.

The need for senior executives to balance strategy and execution is more important than ever. A recent Harvard Business Review article discussed how CEOs can accomplish this balance, stating: "The solution is to have a framework that provides a clear view of key phases of transition activity and the associated imperatives." The authors outlined the framework consisting of three distinct phases for CEOs to tackle both the expansion and the maintenance of their businesses.

Develop a framework that ensures focus on both growth and operations. Keep the framework flexible yet agile to help you balance growth and maintain operations.

**Big-Picture and Company Challenges: When Shifts In Consumer Behavior Impact Your Business**

Companies and leaders that can lean into change are able to set the tone for the new era of running a successful business and driving innovation.

Take a look at companies like Meta and Square. Driven by consumer shopping behaviors, these companies underwent significant rebranding exercises. Meta and Square restructured their organization to meet the needs of their digitally savvy customers.

According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the decision for these companies to rebrand was based on the idea that challenges present opportunities, stating that "the world will keep changing, and those who jump on the opportunity to capture new customers, audiences and markets will stay top of mind, while others risk getting left behind."

Change in consumer behavior is inevitable. Instead of resisting, embrace change to capitalize on new opportunities.

In the end, all of these takeaways share one common lesson to be learned. As an entrepreneur, you will face all types of challenges. However, if you reframe those challenges as opportunities, growth and innovation can transpire.

[LINK TO ARTICLE ](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/07/19/flipping-the-switch-turning-challenges-into-opportunities/?sh=6f84fc2972c6)

Flipping The Switch: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities

**16 Resources Tech Leaders Rely On To Boost Their Leadership Skills**

With changes to work arrangements, staffing shortages and more, it’s a challenging time to hold a leadership role. Brushing up and refining leadership strategies and skills is more important than ever.

While there are thousands of general leadership books, magazines and resources out there, the unique challenges of a tech leader’s job make some more useful than others. Here, 16 members of Forbes Technology Council share their favorite resources for helping them boost their leadership skills.

**1. Brave New Work**

Recently, I’ve been enjoying the podcast Brave New Work, hosted by Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans and based on Dignan’s book of the same name. Focused on rethinking outdated operating systems, it puts humans—and all their complexity—at the center of the modern workplace. - Lewis Wynne-Jones, ThinkData Works.

**2. An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management**

One of my key deliverables as a technology leader is not the technical work itself—it is the team that does the work. As such, creating and maintaining a high-functioning engineering team is critical. The book An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management, by Will Larson, is full of practical, technology-oriented advice and illustrations that are especially useful for modern software as a service environments. - Tishampati Dhar, Aerometrex LTD.

**3. Extreme Ownership**

Extreme Ownership, by retired U.S. Navy Seal Jocko Willink, is a great resource for tech leaders. In a modern, digital organization, the technology function really is the product, and I believe that sense of ownership is key to being a successful builder. - Scott Brown, Experian.

**4. The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts**

I can’t stop talking about The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts by Rhiannon Beaubien and Shane Parrish. It has taught me how to uplevel my thinking with powerful mental tools. It has improved my decision making, productivity and understanding of how the world works to solve even the toughest challenges. I wish I’d discovered this book 40 years ago—its lessons can be applied to all aspects of life and business. - Tooey Courtemanche, Procore Technologies.

**5. GrowthHackers.com**

The website GrowthHackers.com lets tech leaders plan KPIs, design experiments, track statuses and share results across the board. There are resources for email marketing, content marketing, SEO, design and product, and more. The site often hosts AMAs with industry leaders, and there’s a section dedicated to growth studies and ideas. Thus, leaders from every industry can find something fruitful and applicable. - Roman Taranov, Ruby Labs.

**6. How To Win Friends & Influence People**

I’d recommend a classic: How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. Leadership is all about influencing without having the authority. This leadership book is about making people feel like they’re part of the decision and sharing leadership tasks. - Ayman Shoukry, Specright Inc.

**7. Just Listen**

Just Listen, by Mark Goulston, is one of my favorite leadership books. It teaches you how to use listening and persuasion methods to get your message across to just about anyone—even the people who may seem unreachable. - Kison Patel, DealRoom.

**8. LinkedIn**

While books, podcasts and magazines are all beneficial, LinkedIn is an incredible source for tech leaders. Following my peers in the space and learning about their perspectives, accomplishments and challenges is invaluable. Often, there are extreme parallels between my industry colleagues’ insights and my experiences as a leader. - Devaraj Southworth, Thirstie.

**9. Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams**

My favorite book is Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister. Although it was published over 20 years ago, it contains timeless lessons about the constant factor in all technical projects: the individuals making up the team. Here’s one of my favorite quotes: “The manager’s function is not to make people work, but to make it possible for people to work.” - Dave Todaro, Ascendle.

**10. The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, And Helping Your Business Win**

One of my favorite leadership books is The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win. It focuses on how to take a strategic initiative that is well over budget and overdue and get it back on track to deliver the required business solution. - Mark Schlesinger, Broadridge Financial Solutions.

**11. Start With Why**

Start With Why, by Simon Sinek, has had a tremendous impact on my business philosophy and how I try to lead and inspire innovation. This book does an excellent job of getting you thinking about the “why” behind your organization and how to better inspire those around you to innovate and believe in the company’s purpose. - Josh Dunham, Reveel

**12. “The Theory Of Business”**

“The Theory of Business,” an article published in the Harvard Business Review in 1994 by Peter F. Drucker, helps tech leaders operate in a constantly evolving environment. Many businesses that start as superstars end up stagnating because “the assumptions on which the organization has been built and is being run no longer fit reality.” Drucker provides an indispensable framework to periodically test and adjust assumptions to maximize longevity. - Kevin Philpott, Pie Insurance.

**13. Traction**

Traction, by Gino Wickman, introduces the Entrepreneur Operating System, or EOS, which is a model for operating a company that’s focused on strengthening the six key components of a business. The goal is giving the leadership team more focus, more growth and more enjoyment. Tech leaders can learn from this process and apply it within their teams for the benefit of all. - Jay Marshall, EyeLock LLC.

**14. Peer Conversations**

Peer conversations—both virtual and in-person—are my secret weapon. Chances are that other tech leaders have dealt with similar business, tech, social, interpersonal and other issues. You can always learn from your peers—increasingly virtually, anytime, anywhere. - Olga V. Mack, Parley Pro.

**15. Tech Organizations’ Social Channels**

While there are numerous books, magazines and podcasts that offer insights into the challenges tech leaders face, I have found the social media channels of tech organizations to be invaluable in this regard. Besides discovering diverse perspectives on a wide variety of situations, learning from one’s peers helps provide a healthy push toward developing and positively applying leadership skills. - Sayandeb Banerjee, TheMathCompany.

**16. Feedback From The Team**

For me, one of the most important leadership resources is feedback from my team. The insights you get from your employees will help you become more self-aware and understand what you need to do to improve your performance. Such feedback also gives you the opportunity to learn from your mistakes and create a culture of transparency. - Vasily Voropaev, Smartbrain.io

Thirstie in the news! Check out Thirstie's CEO & Co-Founder Devaraj Southworth in Forbes on one of his top resources in helping him boost his leadership skills.

NEW YORK, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirstie, the leading e-commerce provider for beverage alcohol brands, today announced that former Republic Beverage and National Distributing Company (RNDC) President and CEO, Tom Cole, has joined the company as an advisory board member and investor. Within Cole's role, he will provide ongoing counsel to Thirstie's leadership team, assist in shaping key partnerships and provide strategic support to the company's roadmap.

Cole brings with him decades of experience in the beverage alcohol industry and played an essential role in the creation and success of RNDC, the second-largest wine & spirits wholesaler in the U.S. During his tenure at RNDC, Cole served as the company's President and CEO and led the company from $600 million in sales across three states to $13 billion across 38 states. In addition to his new role at Thirstie, today, Cole is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America and serves as a Senior Advisor to the Board for RNDC.

"Throughout my career, I have been at the forefront of establishing institutional change for the beverage alcohol industry," stated Cole. "Thirstie's core mission of transforming this sector is in alignment with what I set out to do when entering this space nearly four decades ago. I am excited to play an integral role in Thirstie's mission and help the company continue to bring true innovation to this industry."

Thirstie has been an e-commerce pioneer within beverage alcohol since its launch in 2014. The company was first-to-market with an enterprise e-commerce solution for alcohol suppliers. Thirstie's proprietary technology enables integration of the company's robust network of retailers to meet the industry's compliance standards and scalable needs for brands. Most recently, Thirstie launched the first alcohol branded gift-card solution, focused on driving consumer adoption of Thirstie-powered digital storefronts. 

"We are thrilled to onboard seasoned veteran, Tom Cole, to our Advisory Board and as a key investor," stated Devaraj Southworth, CEO & C0-Founder of Thirstie. "His knowledge, expertise, and experience within the beverage alcohol industry are going to accelerate Thirstie's full vision."

**About Thirstie**

Thirstie is the leading e-commerce solution for beverage alcohol brands. Established in 2014 by Co-Founders, Devaraj Southworth and Maxim Razmakhin, Thirstie's patented technology increases online consumer interactions for the world's most iconic alcohol companies. Thirstie delivers a compliant end-to-end full customer experience with its e-commerce, retailer, data, and gift card solutions. Thirstie's national network of licensed retailers seamlessly fulfills online orders funneled through a branded webstore that are routed to them through the company's proprietary algorithm. Thirstie's suite of best-in-class data capabilities helps brands better understand and target their customers. In 2021, the company launched the industry-first alcohol branded gift card solution, enabling brands to further drive online retail revenue. For more information about Thirstie, please visit www.thirstie.com.

[LINK TO ARTICLE](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/beverage-alcohol-industry-veteran-tom-cole-joins-e-commerce-leader-thirstie-as-advisory-board-member-and-investor-301560121.html)

