The pandemic and ongoing economic uncertainty have altered how and where consumers purchase spirits with shifts taking place on-premise, off-premise, and via e-commerce. At Bar Convent Brooklyn, Marc de Kuyper, Founder and CEO of Overproof, discussed refining the approach to on-premise sales. He explained how menu data trends can be used to determine whether a particular establishment is the right fit for a brand.
“Post-pandemic, the entire industry went digital,” said de Kuyper. “Menus are found everywhere. There are QR codes now and there are all the e-commerce platforms that have data that you can use and find for your strategy to really understand where you should focus with your brand.”
Tim Angelillo, CEO of Sourced Craft Cocktails, followed Marc by introducing the concept of the ‘non-premise’: the legal distribution opportunity that mobile devices have created for spirits brands. He discussed the importance of utilizing e-commerce to connect with generations that primarily spend their shopping occasions in this channel. Angelillo also spoke on the importance of capturing consumer data and understanding different demographics.
“Gen Z is a little bit of a hybrid,” explained Angelillo. “They’re going to want an experience, but they are only going to want to invest their time and money in experiences associated to causes they support. So if you’re a bourbon brand and you support the replanting of oak trees so that you have a barrel 20 years from now, that’s something you want to communicate in an e-commerce format.”
Nick Buzzell, CEO of the Spirits Network, finished off the discussion by breaking down his key tenants of driving direct to consumer sales. Buzzell emphasized the potential that video commerce has to be a viable sales channel for the entire industry. Buzzell wants brands to understand the data behind consumer preferences so that it can translate to personalized storytelling opportunities that can increase influence in the demographics where it matters most.
Buzzell revealed, “I don’t come from the beverage alcohol space, but I can tell you as a consumer that the beverage alcohol space has so many fantastics stories and so many ways to engage customers that they are leaving on the table.”