Modern consumers have many shopping options at their disposal, from buying online to physically visiting a store. But for alcohol retailers, leveraging relevant technology, specifically in alcohol retail technology, is crucial to growing sales.
Alcohol beverage businesses can streamline their inventory management using bar data integrations that are GL-coded to match bookkeeping. This reduces reconciliation errors and saves time on manual reporting processes.
Big data and analytics
With the growing market of alcohol retail technology, accurate data and sophisticated analytics have become ever more crucial to alcohol producers’ ability to better understand their consumers and optimize marketing, sales, and distribution strategies.
Alcoholic beverage brands rely on big data and analytics to forecast demand, optimize production processes, maintain quality, identify market trends and create more tailored experiences for their consumers. The technology also allows them to offer customized experiences to each of them.
Software can automate and streamline payment processing while decreasing credit card fees and chargebacks, as well as the risk of fraudulent transactions. Furthermore, it can integrate seamlessly with POS systems within bars and restaurants, helping increase foot traffic and sales.
Tipple, an online sales platform for alcohol companies, allows brands to sell directly to consumers while handling taxes and logistics efficiently – making expansion easy into new markets. Furthermore, its artificial intelligence (AI) verification service uses artificial age verification technology to prevent underage purchases; customers can even integrate this feature into a mobile phone app for even easier shopping experiences.
Immersive retail and marketing
Internet and mobile application technology is revolutionizing how consumers purchase goods and services, including alcohol beverages. No longer must consumers visit local breweries and liquor stores to purchase drinks; now ecommerce enables instant purchases via click-of-a-button; on-demand services provide near instant gratification; smart packaging allows brands to connect with consumers through unique experiences; while Augmented Reality (AR) technology enables brands to communicate more directly.
DRINKS, an alcoholic beverage marketing and sales technology provider, allows beer, wine, and spirits companies to sell directly to customers through its digital platform, streamlining distribution while strengthening customer relationships and building loyalty with new buyers. Furthermore, this service also provides analytics into consumer shopping behavior allowing producers to cater their content directly towards specific audience preferences.
Current laws and regulations restrict online alcohol sales; however, as the coronavirus pandemic spreads and consumer demand for convenience grows, state laws could relax allowing home delivery services – creating significant sales growth opportunities for beer, wine and spirits companies.
Augmented reality (AR)
AR is a technology that uses digital data gathered from cloud storage or sensors connected to objects to create the illusion that these items exist in a user’s immediate environment. This virtual overlay may include text, images or 3D models which interact with their surroundings in real-time.
Augmented reality can help retailers enhance customer engagement and foster relationships in unique ways. By integrating this technology into their marketing strategies, alcohol brands can tell the stories behind their products while offering unique experiences to set themselves apart from competition.
Augmented reality technology helps brands connect with consumers on social media. For instance, Lucozade Energy uses AR to engage its customers by enabling them to use their smartphones to scan a can of its Lucozade X soda and watch it come alive on screen.
As competition in the beverage market is fierce, retailers must use innovative marketing strategies to attract consumers and drive sales growth. AR can be applied to virtually every product within this sector of beverage sales.
Blockchain-based payment systems
The alcoholic beverage industry is rapidly adopting technological innovations that streamline and automate workflows, offering businesses new tools to optimize inventory levels, lower costs, protect profits and provide unique experiences to consumers that increase engagement and brand loyalty.
Due to this pandemic, online alcohol sales are on the rise; according to a 2021 PYMNTS Intelligence study, 49% of U.S. adults reported purchasing more alcohol online for same-day delivery since it started.
Companies such as DRINKS are making it possible for grocery stores, restaurants and other merchants who do not typically carry beer wine and spirits eCommerce to offer these products online, expanding the overall market while supporting smaller producers and retailers. This trend helps expand beer wine and spirits sales while supporting small producers and retailers.
Farandole uses blockchain to establish an asset-backed non-fungible tokens (NFTs) marketplace containing rare and exclusive alcoholic beverages, with each NFT representing physical bottles that buyers can exchange later for them online. They’re secured using smart contracts for authenticity and ownership verification.
Point of sale (POS) extension
POS systems can be an invaluable asset to liquor store efficiency. By automating bookkeeping tasks and increasing customer loyalty, as well as making market changes easier to respond to quickly, POS systems allow owners to manage cash-on-delivery and term payment invoices efficiently, saving both retailers and distributors both time and money in both cases.
An all-in-one POS system for liquor stores allows stores to track sales and inventory across multiple locations easily, and access data remotely via cloud technology. Furthermore, integration with online retail platforms like WooCommerce expands reach and increases online sales; automatic discounts at the register can be set by fixed dollar amount or percentage and loyalty rewards programs can increase customer retention rates.
An essential feature of a good POS system for liquor stores is the ability to prevent underage sales by requiring proof of age verification – this may involve scanning IDs or asking customers to enter their birthday information into the system. Furthermore, this type of system can also alert managers if an underage purchase occurs.