Alcohol e-commerce – statistics & facts
The alcoholic beverages industry never had much of a heyday on digital purchasing channels, partially because of the various legal regulations restricting the sale and delivery of alcohol online. However, things drastically changed with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. While the e-commerce share of beer, wine, and spirits (BWS) sales was less than one percent before the pandemic in the U.S., it neared the three percent mark by 2022. Even though brick-and-mortar sales continue to overshadow the online channel, the alcohol e-commerce market is forecast to continue its steady growth, with global revenues reaching an estimated 67 billion U.S. dollars by 2029.
In terms of leading distribution channels for alcoholic beverages, just under a third of global shoppers said they were browsing in-store, and some 19 percent reported using online marketplaces such as Amazon and Mercado Libre for product search and pre-purchase browsing in 2024.
Another prominent player in the wine e-commerce market is Naked Wines, a UK-based company boasting 290 million British pounds in global revenues in 2024. Naked Wines plc is an online-only wine retailer headquartered in Norwich, United Kingdom, that also operates in the United States and Australia.
Coming down from the pandemic high
In 2024, the United States was the leading market for alcoholic beverages e-commerce worldwide. Japan, the UK, China, and South Korea rounded up the top five. That year, growth in U.S. alcohol e-commerce sales was estimated at 8.4 percent, a figure that pales in comparison to the meteoric growth of 146 percent experienced in 2020. This indicates that the market for alcohol online is stabilizing post-pandemic.In terms of leading distribution channels for alcoholic beverages, just under a third of global shoppers said they were browsing in-store, and some 19 percent reported using online marketplaces such as Amazon and Mercado Libre for product search and pre-purchase browsing in 2024.
Established players versus newcomers
In 2023, the Chinese alcohol e-tailer jiuxian.com was the leading wine and liquor online store globally, garnering an estimated 750 million U.S. dollars in e-commerce net sales. Danish online marketplace for wine, Vivino.com, followed in second place, generating around 489 million U.S. dollars in e-commerce sales that year.Another prominent player in the wine e-commerce market is Naked Wines, a UK-based company boasting 290 million British pounds in global revenues in 2024. Naked Wines plc is an online-only wine retailer headquartered in Norwich, United Kingdom, that also operates in the United States and Australia.
