US Online Alcohol Sales Reach USD 2.6bn: The 2020 Alcohol E-Commerce Playbook

“Alcohol brands are losing billions of dollars in online sales opportunities every year, and they are missing a critical opportunity build digital relationships with millions of omni-channel consumers,” according to Bourcard Nesin, Beverage Analyst with Rabobank. “If alcohol companies are not able to effectively participate in the online ecosystem, e-commerce could become a wedge that separates alcohol brands from their consumers.”

Rabobank has produced robust estimates for the total value of the US online alcohol market, but we must offer them with a warning: companies cannot base their investment in e-commerce solely on the value of online sales today. A brand’s online presence plays a critical role in driving sales in more traditional channels. Beverage companies must consider digitally-influenced sales, the future size of the alcohol e-commerce market, and the annual value of lost sales opportunities when deciding how much to invest in their e-commerce operations. Actual sales are only the tip of the iceberg.