Increased Online Sales of Alcohol Here to Stay, Industry Experts Say

Increased online sales of alcohol, spurred by the pandemic, are here to stay, industry experts tell Marketplace.

IWSR, which analyzes data on the alcoholic beverage market, says online sales of alcohol are expected to grow 80% in the United States during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, most people were not aware they could purchase alcohol online, according to Brandy Rand, chief operating officer at IWSR. “So when we saw the pandemic hit, we saw the adoption rate really just skyrocket,” she said.

Ordering cocktails-to-go has become popular, according to Chris Swonger, CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council. “Over 33 states have adopted cocktails-to-go, and that’s been an economic lifeline for many of those establishments,” he said.

“Customers are going to be getting free alcohol delivery pretty regularly,” predicted Jordan Berke, founder of Tomorrow Retail Consulting.