This March, Sovos ShipCompliant released the fourth annual Direct-to-Consumer Beer Shipping Report in partnership with the Brewers Association. The DtC beer shipping report features exclusive insights on the regulatory state of the direct-to-consumer (DtC) channel, Brewers Association’s perspective and key data from a consumer preferences survey.
Let’s take a deeper dive into some of the findings from the report.
The regulatory state of 2024 DtC beer shipping
Despite several states introducing bills to expand DtC beer shipping in 2023, none of them were adopted.
As of the report’s publication, brewers may DtC ship beer across state lines to the 11 states plus D.C. that permit it. As with most things compliance, each state maintains their own rules governing the practice. Currently, Alaska, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia and the District of Columbia provide clear, statutory authority for brewers to legally solicit and fulfill sales remotely and across state borders. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island permit some form of DtC shipping, but their laws vary.
Strong consumer interest in 2024 DtC beer shipping
The 2024 consumer survey in the report highlights a persistent enthusiasm for purchasing craft beer through DtC shipping, showcasing continued support for the convenience and expanded choice the market brings. Additionally, future purchasing intent for beer via DtC shipping remains high.
We found a high level of support and interest in DtC beer shipping by both regular craft beer consumers and Americans 21 and older. The collective interest demonstrated by both regular craft beer consumers and all Americans of legal drinking age suggests that existing restrictive DtC beer shipping regulations hinder potential purchasers seeking access to brands unavailable locally. In fact, 78% of regular craft beer drinkers are likely to purchase via DtC shipping in the future, with 33% saying they are very likely.
Consumers rely on DtC shipping for a variety of consumer goods, and 61% of regular craft beer drinkers would like to add their favorites brews to the list of products shipped to their home via a third-party carrier. This segment favors beer delivery over food (60%) and cleaning products (58%).
Benefits for breweries
Expanded DtC beer shipping wouldn’t just positively impact consumers, but breweries too. A strong majority of regular craft beer drinkers say, if a brewery had the option for customers to purchase beer via DtC shipping, they would be likely to recommend that brewery to family and friends, think more positively of that brewery or try a new beer from a brewery (86% each). More than 4 in 5 (83%) would be likely to purchase more frequently from a brewery that had the option for customers to purchase beer via DtC shipping. About 7 in 10 regular craft beer drinkers say they would be likely to share/post about that brewery on social media (70%) or sign up for a beer subscription club (68%).
Consumer Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Sovos ShipCompliant between January 2-4, 2024, among 1,970 U.S. adults ages 21+, among whom 615 drink craft beer at least once per month. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.6 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.
Take Action
For additional takeaways and analysis into the DtC beer channel, download the 2024 Direct-to-Consumer Beer Shipping Report.