Many consumers like beer. And when they were stuck at home over the past year, simultaneously bored and stressed out due to COVID-19, many enjoyed imbibing a bit more than usual. With restaurants closed, however, consumers couldn’t belly up to the bar at their local watering hole, and many were even a bit leery to pop into a store for a six-pack. As a result, online alcohol sales boomed. For example, online wine, beer, spirits and accompanying accessories sales grew 74% March 11-April 21 2020, compared with March 1-March 10, 2020, just before many regions issued stay-at-home orders, according to Adobe Analytics.
All those same circumstances that came with coronavirus in the United States also created a great selling opportunity thousands of miles away for Australia-based craft beer subscription retailer Beer Cartel, says Richard Kelsey, director and co-founder for the merchant. Australian consumers wanted beer, they wanted it on a regular basis and they couldn’t (or didn’t want to) leave the house due to the coronavirus. “Last year, we had 35,000 sales online, up from 20,000 the year before—a 75% increase,” he says. “2020 was a huge year for online growth, driven in part by COVID and [consumers’] desire to purchase beer online.”
Beer Cartel launched in 2009 as a monthly beer subscription that sends a selection…
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