USA – US based ecommerce company, Thirstie has raised US$7 million in Series A funding and has partnered AB InBev-backed Drinkworks to boost alcohol delivery and logistics.
The company said the funds will be used in revamping its product portfolio, rolling out a new data sharing platform, and enhancements that will enable alcohol brands to offer “advanced payment methods, personalised products and customisable subscription plans”.
Thirstie’s platform allows shoppers to order alcohol from the websites of brands, while providing brands with consumer insights analytics and the ability to measure the return on investment of marketing expenditure.
It works with alcohol brands like Dom Perignon, Clos19 and Maker’s Mark to create e-commerce and delivery experiences.
With Thirstie, alcohol brands can build a direct relationship with consumers while remaining compliant with the three-tier alcohol distribution system.
Thirstie said it is now focused on building an enterprise business, rather than building a consumer app for alcohol delivery.
Currently, Thirstie said it supports on-demand delivery in more than 30 cities and can also ship to any location where shipping alcohol is legal.
“The most important component of our platform is the behavioural and transactional data we are able to provide to liquor brands, which have historically been lost through selling on third-party sites,” said Thirstie CEO Devaraj Southworth.
According to him, online alcohol sales are expected to reach 10% of total sales in the next five years.
The partnership with Drinkworks will help power the e-commerce experience for the cocktail-making machine created by Keurig and Anheuser-Busch.
Drinkworks is the joint venture between Keurig Dr Pepper and Anheuser-Busch, an imitation of Keurig’s well-known coffee maker intended to make cocktails.
Visitors to the Drinkworks website can now purchase alcohol directly without needing to redirect to a third-party point of sale.
“Drinkworks understands that the current dynamic of alcohol e-commerce limits them in providing the smoothest possible point of sale.
“The most important component of our platform is the behavioural and transactional data we are able to provide to liquor brands, which have historically been lost through selling on third-party sites,” said Southworth.
“With these additional funds, we’ll be able to make significant new strides to help companies like Drinkworks connect the dots behind these data points to drive smarter business decisions.”
Last November, Drinkworks released the Drinkworks Home Bar, an appliance that prepares cocktails, beers and ciders at the touch of a button.
