impact ,” he adds . “ We want to be a platform for positive change .”
The Good Pour was founded on the belief that what unites people is the common desire to help others . This permeates the brand .
50 % of people , overall , do not enjoy the experience of being asked to donate at checkout . They feel bad when they choose not to give that dollar .”
“ I thought , ‘ What if we built a platform that doesn ’ t dip into their pockets but dips into ours ?” he adds . Accordingly , The Good Pour donates a portion of profi ts from every transaction . But it ’ s not just a single , rotating , pre-selected charity , as is the traditional standard . Instead , giving people a level of choice , customers can decide where this money goes , picking from more than 100 participating organizations spread across seven main causes .
“ These come from charities that we vet ,” Horal says . “ We made sure that these charities are actually putting our donations towards something good .”
This benevolent setup has attracted attention from causes in need .
“ We received 53 new charities requests this week , which we will vet and then add to the platform ,” Horal says .
“ For us , it ’ s about having a positive
MODERN BRANDS , CLASSIC SERVICE
Giving consumers a stress-free donation experience is the backbone of The Good Pour . But the business also excels in other ways , emblematic of modern alcohol retail and its changing customer base .
“ Today ’ s customer is different ,” Horal says . “ When considering brands , they want the story . They want to support companies that take care of their employees and help the community . And they want more than just shopping . Today ’ s customers want experiences .”
“ At The Good Pour , we love bringing brands to life ,” he adds . “ Twenty years ago , the saying was , ‘ Stack ‘ em high and let ‘ em fly !’ Today , more consumers are looking for craft brands , smaller brands . They love that mom-and-pop winery in Mendicino , or that little distillery in the hills of Kentucky .”
Horal says the proof of this consumer sentiment shift is in the sales . “ Every day , we ’ re seeing the trends , we ’ re seeing category leaders not leading , while smaller , esoteric brands are doing very well ,” he explains .
Connecting consumers with these lesser-known brands and unique stories requires a lot of staff with extensive knowledge .
“ Staff training is huge for us ,” Horal says . “ We have an online training platform .” The marketing team regularly hosts educational meetings and one-on-ones with employees . Tastings are typical , giving the staff the knowledge needed to connect SKUs with customers .
“ We have a lot of staff in our store on the products , getting liquid to lips ,” Horal says . With stores that range in size from 3,000 to 9,000 square feet , The Good Pour employees from 12 to 20 people at each location .
“ We invest more in feet on the floor than you would normally see ” in a beverage alcohol retailer ," Horal says . “ We have anywhere from six to ten people on the floor at any given time .”
For a store with a modern focus , this high degree of customer service might seem like a strategy more indicative of past decades .
“ A big piece for us , in a world that ’ s moving more towards AI and self-checkout , we ’ re going the other way ,” Horal says . “ We call ourselves ‘ The host ’ and every customer is a ‘ guest ’. We treat every guest with a warm smile and polite service .”
RETAIL SOCIAL MEDIA DONE RIGHT
For the most part , beverage alcohol retailers are not known for a high degree of success or even fluency with social media . Many stores fall into the trap of simply posting products and prices , highlighting limited deals and seasonal offerings . Unsurprisingly , this kind of vanilla marketing content does not generate many follows or views .
The Good Pour goes in a different direction . Their social media (@ goodpourgives ) looks more like what you would expect from a successful influencer . Short , informative videos that show how to make a cocktail or pair certain drinks with food . Content that shares an interesting experience , takes viewers on a short tour , or highlights an achievement .
“ We ’ re less about how much something costs , and more about ‘ edutainment ’,” says VP of marketing Carly Hollowell . “ Something like bourbon and cheese pairings , or how to make a cocktail using a specific product .”
One common mistake made on social media by beverage alcohol retail chains is having too many accounts . Here , less is more .
“ We take the approach of everything going into one account instead of every store having its own account ,” Hollowell says . “ We make sure that the message is clean and getting across .”
“ We do a lot of video content ,” she adds . “ We try to optimize our content , like always filming vertically . We focus mainly on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok , with Pinterest starting to come on .”
26 Beverage Dynamics • Summer 2024 www . beveragedynamics . com