Sovos/Brewers Association Survey: 86% of Regular Craft Beer Drinkers Support Increased Access to DtC Shipping

Direct-to-Consumer Beer Shipping Report Finds Continued Demand for Craft Beer Purchases via DtC

Sovos ShipCompliant and the Brewers Association today announced the results of the fourth annual Direct-to-Consumer Beer Shipping Report. Among the findings were nearly nine in 10 (86%) regular craft beer drinkers believe that current laws in the U.S. should be updated to make it legal to ship beer direct-to-consumer in more than the 12 U.S. locales where it is currently allowed. What’s more, this desire extends beyond regular craft beer drinkers to all legal drinking age Americans, with more than two in three Americans ages 21+ (68%) saying laws should be updated.

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Sovos ShipCompliant commissioned The Harris Poll to conduct an online survey among 1,970 U.S. adults ages 21+, among whom 615 drink craft beer at least once per month. The consumer survey highlights that when it comes to products regular craft beer drinkers would like to be able to purchase and have shipped directly to their homes via a third-party carrier, the desire for purchasing craft beer in this manner has remained steady at 61% this year.

“What’s notable is the DtC shipping market is of strong interest not only to regular craft beer drinkers, but among a majority of American adults,” said Alice Katwan, president, revenue, Sovos. “Americans value not only convenience, but fairness—and the disparity between 48 locales permitting direct-to-consumer shipping of wine and only 12 allowing for DtC beer shipping seems inequitable to brewers.”

"While wholesales are looking to scale back craft purchasing, the country's 9,500+ independent craft brewers are looking for opportunities to bridge the gap between consumer demand and the realities of the distributed market. Direct-to-consumer shipping is one such opportunity, and a potentially powerful one as demonstrated by the consumer interest documented year-over-year in this report," said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association.

Other notable findings around consumer preferences and intent from the 2024 Direct-to-Consumer Beer Shipping Report include:

• Missed revenue opportunities: 83% of regular craft beer drinkers would be likely to purchase more frequently from a brewery that offered the option to purchase beer via DtC shipping and 69% of those that would like to purchase beer via DtC shipping say they would spend $50 or more per month if they could; 43% say they would spend $100 or more per month if DtC shipping were available. These sales could generate significant tax revenue for the states regulating them.
• Cross-country interest in DtC: 85% of regular craft beer drinkers say the ability to purchase beer via DtC shipping would make them more likely to try beer from out-of-state breweries. And 79% of regular craft beer drinkers say they have tried a beer while traveling that they wish they could purchase but it is not available near their home. Among all Americans ages 21+, three in five (60%) say the ability to purchase beer via DtC shipping would make them more likely to try beer from out-of-state breweries, and more than half (52%) have tried a beer while traveling that they wish they could purchase, but it is not available near their home.
• Additional consumer engagement: 86% of regular craft beer drinkers say they would be likely to think more positively of a brewery that offers a DtC shipping option. Additionally, 86% would be likely to recommend that brewery to family and friends, and 70% would be likely to share/post about that brewery on social media. Craft brewers could gain loyal buyers through beer clubs—68% of regular craft beer drinkers would be likely to subscribe to a subscription beer club if a brewery offered DtC beer shipping.

To download the full Direct-to-Consumer Beer Shipping Report, visit dtcbeerreport.com. To stay up-to-date on the regulation of DtC shipping of beer, visit our state-by-state rules page.

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. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact helloship@sovos.com.

About Sovos

Sovos is a global provider of tax, compliance and trust solutions and services that enable businesses to navigate an increasingly regulated world with true confidence. Purpose-built for always-on compliance capabilities, our scalable IT-driven solutions meet the demands of an evolving and complex global regulatory landscape. Sovos’ cloud-based software platform provides an unparalleled level of integration with business applications and government compliance processes.

More than 100,000 customers in 100+ countries – including half the Fortune 500 – trust Sovos for their compliance needs. Sovos annually processes more than three billion transactions across 19,000 global tax jurisdictions. Bolstered by a robust partner program more than 400 strong, Sovos brings to bear an unrivaled global network for companies across industries and geographies. Founded in 1979, Sovos has operations across the Americas and Europe, and is owned by Hg and TA Associates. For more information, visit http://www.sovos.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Sovos ShipCompliant has been the leader in automated alcohol beverage compliance tools for more than 15 years, providing a full suite of cloud-based solutions to wineries, breweries, distilleries, importers, distributors and retailers to ensure they meet all federal and state regulations for direct-to-consumer and three-tier distribution. ShipCompliant’s solutions reduce risk, lessen the burden of compliance, accelerate bringing products to market and enable revenue growth. With 60 partner integrations, Sovos ShipCompliant leads a robust ecosystem of technology partnerships, enabling powerful complementary solutions. For more information, visit https://www.sovos.com/shipcompliant/ and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 5,000-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. For more information, visit BrewersAssociation.org.

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