by Meredith Galante | Jan 21, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
The days of the milkman may be long gone…but the alcohol delivery days are just getting started.
Customers don’t even need to talk to someone to order their favorite Malbec or gin. On-demand apps, such as the booming Drizly, enable consumers to order alcohol delivered to their front door as quickly as within an hour in some major cities. With 80% of all drinking taking place off-premises, according to LEK Insights, getting alcohol from an app is a convenient and easy way to drink at home.
Drizly, which has made $67 million to date, reported a 700% year-over-year sales increase, so if liquor stores and brands are not on the app, they’re missing a huge revenue opportunity. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Dec 23, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
A staggering 402 new gin brands have entered the spirits market since May 2016, 367 of which are premium brands.
Gin sales produced about $2.89 million in the United States in 2019, according to Statisa. Gin consumption in 2018 grew faster than any other spirit or alcoholic beverage, according to Fortune. The market is expected to continue to grow another 1.5% by 2023.
“Focusing on the craft and quality aspect of gin will encourage consumers to trade-up to buy better quality gin as a special treat for themselves,” William Grant & Sons predicted in a statement. William Grant sells Hendrick’s Gin.
While the thirst for premium gin is high, brands are still working to ensure their brand stands out. They’re experimenting with everything from flavors to colors to ensure it does.
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by Meredith Galante | Dec 17, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
If you’re at a bar and look around at the patrons, you might be surprised to find most of them holding an orange drink in their hand. At bachelorette parties, smiling women stare at the camera, holding skinny silver cans.
The cocktail bar patrons are drinking Aperol Spritzes and the bachelorette attendees are sipping spiked seltzers. Both groups are gravitating toward carbonated alcoholic beverages and sales in this category are spiking. Aperol sales are up 25% and the spiked seltzer market is valued at $550 million.
It’s hard to ignore that for consumers, bubbles are no longer just for champagne.
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by Meredith Galante | Dec 10, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
As the New Year begins, many consumers will be drinking less. Terms such as “Dry January,” meaning a month of no alcohol, have gained popularity for people looking to swear off alcohol after too many holiday parties.
But this shift toward drinking less is not reserved just to January. As Millenials continue to make up a larger segment of alcohol consumers, this health-focused group is reaching for low- or no-alcohol wines in a trend called “mindful drinking.”
This is a rising trend that smart distributors won’t ignore. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Dec 5, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
The new “roaring ’20s” are nearly upon us, and this time they will look very different than they did last century, especially for the wine and spirits industry in the United States.
When 1920 started, so did Prohibition. But as 2020 starts, the wine and spirits industry is booming more than ever. So what will the next decade hold? So far the themes appear to be classic wine, canned cocktails, and technology.
We’ve compiled your guide to the top-10 trends to look forward to in 2020 and beyond as we enter this new decade. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Nov 27, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
When ordering a cocktail at a bar, customers are used to the main ingredient being a liquor such as gin, vodka, or tequila.
But more and more often, wine is being used to create a new drink of choice for customers, lower the alcohol content of cocktails, and enable bartenders to cut back on pouring too much straight liquor.
“When used in cocktails, wines reduce the need to add excessive amounts of alcohol (that can make a drink too boozy) and can add a softer sweetness than syrups,” said a report by Southern Glazer, the US’ largest distributor of drinks.
According to Forbes, 23% of bartenders said they’d use rosé in their cocktails. With rosé sales up 48% from last year, capitalizing on the popularity of the popularity of it and other wines makes sense for brands and bartenders.
Wine is getting new life as a cocktail ingredient – and no, we don’t just mean just spritzes. Let’s look at why. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Nov 19, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
The Millennial drinker loves experimenting and trying new things. But there’s often another motivation for them ordering flashy, rainbow-colored cocktails: their Instagram feeds.
For liquor brands, suggesting cocktails that can make a customer’s Instagram feed pop can benefit your sales and referral business. Instagram is a new way to reach, and market, to a larger audience.
After all, when young people post about alcohol they do so in a positive, social context 97% of the time, according to a study conducted by the Journal of Medical Internet Research. In these posts, people are holding drinks 67.2% of the time.
The pretty cocktails help give the evolving consumer both a good-tasting drink and a great experience. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Nov 12, 2019 | All, Wine & Spirits
Baby boomers may view Ready To Drink (RTD) beverages as the sugary bottom-shelf options that are pale imitations of ‘real’ cocktails.
But thanks to the craft trend, RTD’s are making a resurgence. Believe it or not they taste good, and millennials are happy buying cans to drink on-the-go.
RTD beverages have risen 574%, according to Nielsen. This segment of the market is expected to keep growing to $4.6 billion by 2024, according to Market Research Future. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Oct 22, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
Ordering a glass of Rose is not so simple anymore. Now there’s rose cider, CBD-infused cocktails, spiked seltzers, and more.
Drinks have gone hybrid. Pairing two types of drinks has created new sectors in the market and resulted in booming sales on products like rose cider and spiked seltzers. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Oct 8, 2019 | Wine & Spirits
Millennials love trying new things, and restaurants are catering to their desires.
If you’re grabbing dinner at Italian eatery Aunt Jake’s in New York City, you’ll see a wheel on your menu. It prompts you to choose a spirit, then choose between sweet or spicy, and finally, a garnish, produce, or syrup. The restaurant asks customers to trust them with the rest. Out comes a fancy, never-before tasted cocktail custom-made for the patron.
Restaurants are pulling out all the stops with their menus to attract new customers by impressing their taste buds with specialty cocktails and expert-curated wine menus. This is providing a big opportunity for wine and spirits producers. Here’s how you can capitalize on this trend. (more…)
