Warren and Josh Hammond , managers and / or owners of independent stores , sat down to discuss current challenges and best practices during the retailer panel .
“ Now that products have come back in , there is a lot of panic buying ,” Hammond said . “ The supply chain issue is a big deal . It ’ s all about sourcing the products your customers are asking for , and it ’ s about inventory management .”
Holland offered advice to other retailers , reminding everyone to “ get back to the basics : impart knowledge to your staff . Take the time to talk to your staff and tell those stories .”
“ What ’ s next for us is consistently incorporating business — events , big companies , company sponsored happy hours ,” Warren said , sharing some of his strategies for the future .
One strategy that more and more retailers have tapped into is private labels and barrel picks . Single barrels have become popular with whiskey enthusiasts . “ Our guests trust our store picks ,” said Alex Poreda , director of sales for ABC Fine Wine & Spirits . “ With this
trust , the buying comes easier and easier .”
Social media is a great way to promote these barrels , something that Harsha Bethi , owner of Beverage King in Norfolk , CT , takes full advantage of . “ We use social media as a tool . Consumers want to go out and get that social media clout by showing off rare bottles . One way they can get that is by talking about store picks ,” he stated .
Social media is just one facet of technology that retailers seize upon . City Hive , a popular ecommerce platform for the beverage alcohol industry , continues to up the ante with their consumer innovations . “ As of Q3 , we can say with certainty which clients visited the website and then visited the store ,” said Founder Roi Kliper . City Hive is also working on adding a new , integrated payment system that will track customers via card payments , without the need to sign up for a loyalty program .
Behind these tech innovations are employees , real human beings , working to drive the industry forward . One area that has seen an uptick in attention is diversity , equity and inclusion . More
22 Beverage Dynamics • June 2022 www . beveragedynamics . com