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UK tops Europe in online alcohol purchases

Consumers in the UK buy more alcohol online than anywhere else in Europe, bolstered by the rise of supermarket home delivery and Amazon’s on-demand delivery service, according to a report.

21% of UK consumers have bought alcohol online, the highest proportion in Europe

The report, from e-commerce firm Profitero in partnership with Nielsen, shows that 21% of UK consumers have bought alcohol online – the highest proportion in Europe, and third only to China and Japan in the world.
Globally, only 8% of consumers (across the 60 countries surveyed) have bought alcohol online.

According to the report, this makes alcoholic beverages one of the least-shopped categories in e-commerce, but one with “tremendous” potential.

“No doubt about it, the demand for adult beverages online is increasing,” explains Profitero SVP of global strategy, Keith Anderson. “Already, there’s a large opportunity for brands and it’s growing at pace.

“Many signs point to a consumer clearly ready to shop for alcohol online and sales growth via the web is inevitable.”
The report claims that the growth in online sales is driven by six factors, with opportunities set to continue for alcohol brands.

Factors include the continued migration from in-store to online as well as the expansion of click and collect, home delivery and the ability to compare products and check prices. Convenience and consumer access to an “endless aisle” of products also contributed to shoppers favouring online buying.

Millennials were also listed as one of the factors due to their online savvy and “huge collective” spending power.

“Retailers, brands and technology companies are exploring and experimenting with a host of online platforms and delivery mechanisms to make buying alcohol online easier,” added Anderson. “Liquor brands have plenty of opportunity to influence shopper behaviour and engage with online retailers and technology platforms.”

In July last year, the head of Drizly predicted that the advent of on-demand alcohol delivery services in the US will contribute to the creation of an e-commerce industry worth up to US$15 billion a year.

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