How to Maximize Success During OND: An E-Commerce Checklist for Beverage Alcohol Brands

By Sommer Burbank

The fourth quarter of the year, also known as OND (October, November, December), is a crucial period for beverage alcohol brands. During this time, consumers are actively searching for the perfect beverages to celebrate holidays and special occasions. With festivities like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, consumer demand for beverages is at its peak. Leveraging e-commerce during OND is essential to capitalize on the heightened market activity and can significantly boost sales and brand visibility. To help you make the most of this opportunity, we've created the ultimate e-commerce checklist with recommended implementations and strategies tailored specifically for beverage alcohol brands.

Optimize Your Website

• Legal Compliance: Ensure your e-commerce operations comply with all relevant laws and regulations related to the sale and delivery of alcoholic beverages. Ensure compliance with all e-commerce and alcohol sales regulations, including age verification and shipping restrictions.
• User Experience (UX): Ensure your website is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and loads quickly. User-friendly interfaces improve the chances of conversions.
• Speed and Performance: Optimize website speed and performance to prevent potential customers from leaving due to slow loading times.

• Mobile Optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of consumers shop via smartphones. Streamline the buying process, making it easy to browse products and complete purchases.
• User-Friendly Design: Implement an intuitive and appealing design to enhance the user experience, ensuring navigation is effortless and product information is easily accessible.
• Product Pages: Create enticing product pages with high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and user reviews to build trust and encourage purchases.
• Keyword Optimization: Optimize product listings and website content with relevant keywords to improve search engine rankings and visibility.
• Social Proof: Showcase any awards, certifications, or recognition your brand has received to build trust and credibility.

• Customer Reviews and Ratings: Encourage customers to leave reviews and ratings on your website.
• Search Functionality: Implement an efficient search bar to help customers find products easily.
• Live Chat and Chatbots: Implement live chat and AI-powered chatbots to provide real-time customer support and assistance with product selection and purchases.
• Security: Prioritize the security of your customers' personal and payment information. Use SSL certificates and secure payment gateways.

Lean Into Content Marketing

• Informative Content: Develop engaging and informative content, such as blogs, videos, and infographics, to educate consumers about your products and their unique selling points.
  • Start a blog on your website to share cocktail recipes, food pairings, and informative articles related to your beverages.

• Social Media Marketing: Leverage social media platforms, i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, to engage with your audience, showcase products, and run targeted ad campaigns to drive traffic to your e-commerce site.

• Promote your blog content on social media platforms to engage your audience and drive traffic to your website.
• Email Marketing: Craft personalized email campaigns offering discounts, exclusive deals, and holiday promotions to entice past and potential customers.
• Segmentation: Analyze customer data to create distinct segments based on preferences, purchase history, and demographics, then segment your email list to send personalized recommendations and offers to different customer groups.
• Abandoned Cart Emails: Implement automated abandoned cart emails with incentives to recover potential lost sales.
• Holiday Promotions: Send out emails with special OND promotions and exclusive offers.

• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing: Invest in strategic PPC campaigns to ensure your products appear prominently in search results during the OND season.

Efficiently Manage Inventory

• Stock Planning: Keep track of your inventory in real-time, and anticipate higher demand during the OND period and optimize inventory levels to avoid stockouts and/or overstocking.
• Offer Limited-Time Products: Create a sense of urgency by introducing limited-time, seasonal products.
• Limited Editions and Bundles: Create limited-edition offerings or attractive bundles to stimulate sales and encourage bulk purchases.

Plan for Holiday Promotions

• Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Prepare exclusive deals and discounts for these major shopping events to drive significant traffic and boost sales.
• Shipping and Delivery: Clearly communicate shipping options, delivery times, and costs during the checkout process.
• Complimentary Shipping: Consider offering complimentary shipping for orders over a certain amount to encourage larger purchase

• Use verbiage that does not include the word “free,” i.e. “Shipping Included,” “Shipping’s On Us,” “Complimentary Shipping,” etc.
• Holiday Gift Guides: Create holiday-themed gift guides to simplify the shopping process for consumers, making it easier for them to choose your products as gifts.

Form Partnerships and Collaborations

• Influencer Collaborations: Partner with influencers to promote your products, increasing brand visibility and credibility within the target audience.
• Cross-Promotions: Collaborate with other relevant brands for cross-promotions, expanding your reach and attracting a wider customer base.

Utilize Data & Analytics

• Conversion Tracking: Use the necessary apps, sales channels, etc. to implement analytics tags and tools on your e-commerce store in order to track website traffic, sales, and customer behavior, especially if you are leveraging search engine and/or social media marketing.
  • Install:
    • Google Analytics 4
    • Google Ads Conversion Tracking
    • Facebook Pixel + Conversions API
    • Microsoft UET
    • Pinterest Tag
  • Verify placement of your tags in Google Chrome using free Helper Extensions.
• Predictive Analytics: Utilize predictive analytics to forecast consumer behavior, helping in inventory management and marketing planning.
• A/B Testing: Experiment with different strategies, such as pricing, product placements, and ad campaigns, to determine what works best. Adjust your strategies based on data insights.

Enhance the Post-Purchase Experience

• Customer Feedback: Gather and analyze customer feedback to make necessary improvements and enhance overall customer satisfaction.
• Send post-purchase emails to gather feedback and reviews, encouraging repeat business and brand loyalty.

• Respond to Reviews: Engage with your customers by responding to their reviews, both positive and negative.
• Customer Support: Provide excellent customer support through multiple channels, such as live chat and email, to assist customers with inquiries and issues.
• Loyalty Program: Reward repeat customers and incentivize them to choose your brand for future purchases with a points-based loyalty program that offers discounts or exclusive access to new products.
• Referral Program: Encourage customers to refer friends and family by offering discounts or rewards for successful referrals.

Leveraging e-commerce during OND can be a game-changer for beverage alcohol brands. By following this comprehensive checklist, you'll be well-prepared to maximize your online presence, engage with customers effectively, and drive sales during this crucial period. Stay agile, adapt to customer preferences, and continuously optimize your e-commerce strategies to ensure long-term success for your brand in the ever-evolving landscapes of DTC and beverage alcohol.