BY KYLE SWARTZ

All parts of a business can benefit from better tech . This includes inventory management , point of sales ( POS ) systems , alcohol delivery apps , customer loyalty programs , email marketing , consumer analytics and more .

So what does the future of retail technology look like as we progress deeper into 2023 , and further away from the pandemic ?

“ Leveraging modern technology is the only way retailers are going to survive in the long run ,” says Paul Kavanagh , Founder and CEO of BevSuite , which provides email marketing tools for wine and spirits businesses . “ Consumer behavior is shifting , especially among younger buyers , and those shifts accelerated during the pandemic . Beverage alcohol retailers need to adapt to that behavior , just as they adapt their inventory to shifting demand .”

“ But retailers will also want to be selective and prioritize technology that helps them amplify what ’ s special about their businesses : their brand , personality and empathy for consumers navigating a sea of options ,” Kavanagh adds .

Those options are also forever changing . Using the right technology , therefore , allows a retailer to adapt quicker . For instance : cannabis products .

“ We ’ re focused right now on being a POS provider that ’ s THC-compliant ,” says Gary Noble , Retail Technology Sales Executive for the POS provider RITE . “ As THC products become legal for liquor stores to sell , that opens up new profit opportunities . But because THC remains a cash-only transaction , you need POS that can force cash-only on certain

A big part of the push behind this comes from producers themselves . Many alcohol brands , especially larger ones , now feature the option to purchase products directly on their website .

“ Brands really value having control of their own site — pushing sales out to retailers to fulfil , of course — so that [ the brands ] can capture and save their own data ,” Gerstner explains . “ It allows brands to get full scale on their data . When you control your own data , you can make better decisions . You can get instant feedback versus waiting on a third-party vendor , which can take weeks .”

Agreeing with him is Noble . “ Technology allows smart businesspeople to make even better choices ,” he says .

And , critically , technology allows retailers to manage their time even more efficiently . Enter : AI .

“ We have a prototype in the works that will automatically match products to the right consumers and then launch AI-generated marketing materials from the retailer to those consumers with a single click ,” says Kavanagh . “ The net result will be increased sales for the retailer with virtually no additional effort .”

Timesaving is a key goal for BevSuite .

“ Leveraging modern technology is the only way retailers are going to survive in the long run .”

– Paul Kavanagh , Founder and CEO of BevSuite products . Our POS can do that .” This was particularly important in RITE ’ s home state of Minnesota , where in 2022 the government broadly expanded the legal scope of cannabis beverages , virtually overnight . “ Tech allowed retailers to seamlessly adapt to that without missing a beat ,” Noble says .

“ Tech allows retailers to stay one step ahead .”

Regarding ecommerce in general , Noble says , “ Obviously you want purchasing options that fit within the widening customer experience . Walk-in stores will continue to dominate , but you can ’ t let ‘ X ’ percent of the customer base to walk away because you don ’ t have the full buying experience available to them . Is ecommerce going to dominate beverage alcohol retail sales ? No . But is it an important part ? Yes .”

Ecommerce has grown to include shipping and direct-to-consumer options , which flourished during the pandemic-forced lockdowns . Consumer expectation for this level of convenience seems here to stay , even as Covid-19 fades into the past .

“ We ’ re working on shipping ,” says Corey Gerstner , Chief Operations Officer of the ecommerce provider Bottlecaps . “ Shipping is an underserved area of fulfilment . Some states are becoming more open to the idea .”

“ Instead of struggling with generic software , [ retailers ] will save time and get better results through features like a built-in wine and spirits database and an AI writing assistant that ’ s tuned for wine and spirits ,” says Kavanagh . “ Retailers can create and send high-performing marketing campaigns in a fraction of the time .”

Perhaps that ' s the imminent shift in our future , as we continue into 2023 and beyond . As ecommerce becomes commonplace , AI and Chat GPT emerge as new digital frontiers . What will that mean for our industry ? Stay tuned to Beverage Dynamics as we continue to cover the latest in beverage alcohol retail technology . BD

20 Beverage Dynamics • July 2023 www . beveragedynamics . com