policy,” Becker said.“ Have your employees trained to be able to see which IDs are fake. You should also check to see if your state allows you to accept mobile IDs as an age verification, since most states have deemed this to be acceptable.”
KEEPING TABS ON CONSUMER INTERESTS
The key to figuring out what consumers are drinking? Data. This was discussed in depth during the Data & Trends Presentation on Tuesday, June 17 with EPG Specialty Information CEO Marion Minor and Bacchus Wine & Spirits Proprietor Quinton Jay.
To collect consumer data, Jay said that Bacchus Wine & Spirits uses“ POS systems, sales reports, and distributor and consumer insights.”
“ We then break those down into key metrics, such as sales revenue and everything that can be exported from the POS,” he continued.“ I like looking at inventory turns, because even though we’ re not richer, we have millions of dollars’ worth of inventory. With this data, we can notice how much we have and if consumers buy it.” Data is key to keeping your store afloat during difficult times. Diving further into the power of data, Minor detailed a consumer study that EPG Specialty Information had conducted on 2,000 participants. Conducted each quarter, these studies help to discover what’ s going on in the minds of consumers, asking them questions such as what they like to read and their favorite hobbies.
“ Our latest survey, which was released two months ago, revealed consumer personas,” Minor said.“ There will always be outliers, but it provided generalized groups of consumers, which included Casual Drinkers( 48 %), Moderate Socializers( 23 %), Cocktail Explorers( 14 %), Aspirational Urbanites( 7 %), Comfortable Hobbyists( 5 %) and Urban Connoisseurs( 3 %).”
Minor pointed out that a large part of revenue and sales can be attributed to Casual Drinkers.“ We expect the other categories to grow as time goes on but think about the Casual Drinkers you have in your store now and how you might be able to serve them going forward,” she said.
Jay wrapped up the panel discussion by offering tips on how retailers can capitalize on their data and bring in additional buying opportunities. His biggest piece of advice? Instore experiences.
“ Experience is huge,” he said.“ As retailers, we need to use our space the best way that we can. We host a variety of events throughout the year, which always results in more buying opportunities and more products. At the end of the www. beveragedynamics. com 2025 Top 100 Issue • Beverage Dynamics 23