Republic National Distributing Co has made a move into the e-commerce channel for alcohol, despite claiming US sales have softened this year.
The privately-owned group, which last month strengthened its presence in the west of the country, has bought a stake in New York-based online operator Thirstie. The transaction, further details of which were not disclosed, “brings together a traditional wholesaler and an alcohol e-commerce innovator to usher in a new era in the alcohol industry”, RNDC said last week.
According to the two companies, the data secured by the likes of Thirstie “presents novel and nuanced marketing opportunities for alcohol suppliers”.
While noting in the announcement that the pandemic has been a successful time for online sales of alcohol, RNDC said the combination of a returning on-premise and “Apple’s new privacy policies [which] slashed ad ROI by 38%] has resulted in a performance in the US that has “slowed in 2022”.
Founded eight years ago, Thirstie’s business model centres around branded digital storefronts “while remaining three-tier compliant”.
