When picking a fulfilment provider for your alcohol brand, it’s important to choose a provider who specialises in that market. Huboo has worked with numerous alcohol brands, and is perfectly placed to support you in growing your alcohol brand.
D2C-based alcohol selling now sits alongside the online marketplace model as a mainstay for fast-growth alcohol brands.
The convenience of D2C is massively appealing to alcohol customers, particularly those with consistent consumption habits who know exactly how they like their cabinet stocked. This has led to a rise in subscription-based sales, as well as curated product bundles that bring an element of discovery to the customer experience.
Of course, brands cannot rely on every customer to keep up with their purchasing frequency in these testing economic times.
We’ve seen more and more agile alcohol producers packaging up eye-catching incentives to keep customers loyal in recent months, through discounts, bulk buys and other promotions – something that’s far easier to achieve via D2C where brands aren’t forced to pay any commission to third-party marketplaces.
People are switching between beverage options with increased frequency, as well as showing greater willingness to try completely new types of drinks – from hard seltzers to craft beers and canned cocktails. There’s a growing appetite for experimentation and unconventional new taste sensations, and brands are meeting this demand with new product lines.
With loyalty no longer such a safe bet, brands need to step up their innovation credentials to retain their place in such a jostling and vibrant category. Logistically, however, this means many more SKUs to manage and keep track of, more potential for confusion and delays to creep into the picking and packing process, and of course, the possibility of frustrating customers if problems occur once the order has been placed.
Capable warehouse management systems are essential if these issues are to be avoided. It’s not about haphazardly piling products up to the rafters in vast warehouses, but more about using smaller, self-contained hubs to easily store and manage multiple SKUs, all belonging to one brand, all in one accessible space.
People may be watching their wallets, but this doesn’t mean they are immune to special occasions or to treating themselves. The premium alcohol category has performed strongly over the past few years, echoing similar lifts in wellbeing and health-focused products, where discerning consumers have shown a willingness to pay extra for better quality goods.
Consumers have limited resources to spend on non-essentials, so outside of these luxury consumption moments, they’re proving perfectly content to purchase discount brands for everyday indulgence – creating opportunities for more affordable market entrants and challenging everyone priced in the middle of the category to do more to differentiate their offering.
Whatever the price of your product, and whether you’re selling premium spirits or low-alcohol sparkling wine, your fulfilment needs to be treated with the same care, accuracy and attention, ensuring that every customer is left satisfied with the online purchasing experience, as well as the drink in their glass.
Low and no alcohol products are no longer just for designated drivers – they’re increasingly favoured by millions of sober-curious drinkers. Perhaps the most notable shift is the rising consumption of these products within the home.
Tapping into no-alcohol occasions, advanced science and technology are also enabling drinks brands to launch products that offer mood-enhancing or functional benefits, for example, drinks containing ingredients such as CBD or health-focused fermented drinks.
An omnichannel fulfilment strategy – in which products are fulfilled from the same warehouse regardless of the sales channel – is a great starting point for gathering vital data on how your products are performing. It allows you to trial different products and sales strategies via different channels with ease, to see which ones achieve cut-through and conversion.
picking accuracy rate
warehouses in the UK, Netherlands and Spain
sales channel integrations
Consumers are increasingly looking for drinks companies to show a clear commitment to sustainable production and business practices.
For example, many buyers want to see products packaged in recyclable materials, and drinks made from natural, sustainable, locally-sourced ingredients and are even willing to wait slightly longer for delivery if it reduces the carbon footprint involved.
All of this makes life more complicated for alcohol brands as they think through the lifecycle of each and every product from production to arrival at their customers’ doors.
A key factor to consider is the fulfilment process: a plastic-free approach to packing, a paperless approach to picking. It’s important to remember that the sustainability ethos extends to people working in fulfilment too. This is why brands need to choose fulfilment partners that treat their people well, for example by taking health and safety seriously, operating flexible hours and encouraging regular breaks.
We’ve partnered with numerous alcohol brands to streamline their fulfilment processes. Our in-depth understanding of the alcohol industry ensures your products are stored, picked, packed, and dispatched efficiently, adhering to all regulatory requirements.
We can adapt to the speed and scale your business demand while staying loyal to your brand’s ethos, values and heritage. We build and manage our own technology and we own our warehouses, it gives us full control over all the details of the fulfilment process.
With fulfilment centres across the UK, Spain and the Netherlands, Huboo is ideally positioned to support your global expansion. Our strategically located warehouses enable faster, cost-effective shipping, helping you reach customers worldwide with ease.
From £1,000 a month, you can get started with Huboo.
