Infrastructure Change Geared to Increase Revenue Potential, Efficiency, and Scale for Wine Insiders and Serve as Roadmap for Other Businesses Interested in Selling Alcohol Online
LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2023 — DRINKS, the operating system for alcohol e-commerce, today announced that its Wine Insiders brand, the 40-Year Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) wine pioneer, has migrated to the Shopify Plus commerce infrastructure. The move is made possible by DRINKS’ real-time alcohol tax and compliance technology, recently embedded in the Shopify cart and check-out via the DRINKS App, enabling a large e-commerce marketplace within the beverage alcohol industry to migrate efficiently from its proprietary platform to Shopify.
The move to Shopify’s best-in-class commerce platform allows Wine Insiders to better serve customers by using Shopify’s industry-leading and personalized checkout experience and robust ecosystem of apps to help fuel business growth, while complying with ever-changing laws and regulations. It also shows how DRINKS’ integration has given Shopify the new ability to support high-volume beverage alcohol e-commerce with full regulatory compliance.
“The addition of DRINKS’ groundbreaking real-time regulatory technology has made Shopify the best way to sell alcohol online directly to consumers,” said Zac Brandenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of DRINKS. “Wine Insiders has demonstrated DTC leadership over four decades, and its re-platforming to Shopify illustrates where the future of alcohol is heading: a simpler, more streamlined and sophisticated way to sell alcohol online.”
“The migration of Wine Insiders to Shopify marks a milestone for the alcohol industry, which is undergoing an accelerated digital transformation,” said Pete Jones, Head of Wine and Spirits at Shopify. “Bringing a leader with more than 40 years of alcohol marketplace experience onto Shopify will no doubt inspire other beverage alcohol businesses to follow suit. DRINKS technology coupled with Shopify’s best-converting checkout demonstrates how wineries and retailers can innovate, grow online, and better serve their customers through this thriving new partnership.”
Award-winning Shopify Plus agency, Electriq, which DRINKS recently acquired, implemented the platform migration. Electriq is expert in scaling DTC businesses on Shopify and deployed the most effective technology solutions available in the marketplace for Wine Insiders.
“Our mission is to empower Wine Insiders with the best tools to supercharge its growth. With DRINKS technology integrated into Shopify, that is now well within reach,” said Electriq Founder and President Brandon Amoroso. “Migrating an e-commerce powerhouse like Wine Insiders is a lightning bolt moment for the alcohol industry, highlighting that Shopify is safe, easy, and scalable for large, sophisticated and regulated merchants.”
Since its founding in 1982, Wine Insiders has delivered over 50 million bottles to two million households across 38,000 zip codes. The brand is the Internet’s leading destination for premium wine at everyday low prices and Wine Enthusiast’s 2021 Top 5 Best Value Retailer. Selections offered by Wine Insiders earned over 2,200 awards since 2014, with 188 new awards in 2022, including 9 Platinum and 7 Best in Class medals.
About Wine Insiders
Wine Insiders, with over 40 years of heritage and home delivery to two million households nationwide, is the nation’s Direct to Consumer wine leader. Wine Insiders offers customers a curated selection of award-winning premium wines in 41 states plus DC. Wine Insiders’ offerings include individual bottles, packs of six or twelve, and a no-obligation wine club for a hassle-free way to explore the world of wine. Customers receive fast, no-cost shipping on orders of more than six bottles and a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee with each purchase.
About DRINKS
DRINKS (drinks.com) powers digital commerce for the $250 billion US alcohol market. The company enables alcohol e-commerce for leading retailers, online marketplaces, and alcohol companies, eliminating a century of red tape with simple-to-use enterprise-grade technology. Via the DRINKS App for Shopify, DRINKS exclusively provides Shopify merchants of all sizes with an embedded, real-time alcohol tax and regulatory solution. The patented DRINKS PAIR platform leverages AI, Machine Learning, and Computer Vision to provide personalized shopping experiences and data-driven insights. Electriq, DRINKS’ Shopify Plus Certified professional services team, extends the company’s unparalleled beverage alcohol and e-commerce experience to create best-in-class customer journeys. DRINKS was named a Top Place to Work by Built In LA for five years, one of America’s Best Startup Employers by Forbes for two consecutive years, and the Most Innovative Retail Model by Modern Retail in 2020.
