DRINKS and Shopify Partner to Power the Next Era of Ecommerce For Wineries

LOS ANGELES, August 11, 2022 – DRINKS, the leader in ecommerce alcohol, today announced a partnership with Shopify, a provider of essential internet infrastructure for commerce, to introduce a regulatory solution that allows wineries and retailers in the United States – for the first time – to have real-time tax and compliance fully embedded within a native Shopify checkout experience.

Available to Shopify Plus merchants at launch, DRINKS’ app provides a wine-specific real-time tax and compliance solution integrated directly within Shopify checkout, providing wineries and retailers with the same platform trusted by Fortune 20 retailers, leading brands, and ecommerce marketplaces. DRINKS’ app empowers wineries and retailers to dramatically expand their Direct to Consumer (DTC) footprint and take full advantage of the powerful Shopify ecosystem to create, customize, scale, and monetize.

“The days of substandard technology stifling DTC growth for our industry are over,“ said Zac Brandenberg, Co-Founder and CEO at DRINKS. “DRINKS’ partnership with Shopify is a massive leap forward for tens of thousands of wineries and retailers who can now leverage DRINKS’ regulatory technology seamlessly within the world-class Shopify ecosystem.”

DRINKS makes alcohol tax and compliance simple on Shopify. By installing the DRINKS app, wineries and retailers gain proven tools to help manage complex DTC rules, eliminating the burden of keeping up with constantly changing taxes and regulations. Wineries and retailers can get up and running quickly with hundreds of pre-configured compliance rules – all fully adjustable and automatically updated as tax rates and rules change.

The DRINKS app enables accurate tax and compliance that just works:

• Real-time tax and compliance seamlessly integrated into Shopify checkout
• Hundreds of pre-configured compliance rules that can be managed natively in Shopify to reflect each winery and retailer’s unique situation, automatically updated as tax rates and rules change
• Dynamic store customizations that prompt shoppers for their age and date of birth, restrict non-compliant wines from being added to the shopping cart in real-time or held for manual review, display state-specific messaging, and apply volume limits per order and per customer
• Detailed report generation for state tax filings, including aggregate volume by state and state summary reports including sales, credits, and returns

“The wine industry is undergoing a digital transformation where customers expect a streamlined experience no matter how they engage with brands. For many wineries in the United States, it’s been difficult to innovate and grow online because of complex compliance and tax requirements for selling directly to consumers,” said Pete Jones, Market Development Lead for Wine and Spirits at Shopify. “With DRINKS joining the Shopify Plus Partner Program, and launching their app for Shopify Plus merchants, they’re removing barriers to entry for wine producers and retailers.”

Further, DRINKS’ in-house retention and growth agency, Electriq, is poised to help wineries start, run, and grow DTC sales. As a trusted Shopify Plus certified agency, Electriq provides Shopify design and development, tech stack optimization, expert integrations, and growth marketing services. Electriq’s unique approach to DTC focuses on thoughtfully-crafted customer experiences that lower customer acquisition costs and increase lifetime value.

Wineries and retailers now have access to a full suite of world-class technology and services to support DTC sales growth – from the leading commerce platform to trusted real-time regulatory technology to expert professional services.

DRINKS is now available for Shopify Plus merchants servicing the US market. For more information, please visit https://apps.shopify.com/drinks.

About DRINKS

DRINKS powers digital commerce for the $250 billion alcohol market. The company enables alcohol ecommerce for leading retailers, brands, marketplaces and wineries, eliminating a century of red tape with simple-to-use enterprise-grade technology. Electriq, DRINKS’ digital growth marketing agency, extends the company’s unparalleled beverage alcohol and ecommerce experience to create best-in-class customer experiences in the wine industry and beyond. Patented DRINKS IQ technology leverages Artificial Intelligence to better understand the science of selling. DRINKS was named a Top Place to Work by Built In LA for the last four years, one of America’s Best Startup Employers by Forbes for two consecutive years, Most Innovative Retail Model by Modern Retail in 2020, and its Wine Insiders brand was named one of America's Best Value Retailers by Wine Enthusiast in 2021.

Media contact:

Mark Havenner
mark@havenner.com
(310) 469-4371