Each year at Salience we release a report that looks at how companies in various markets are doing online. The first market report released in January was the Alcohol Retailers Report. From this report, we identified which retailers have a rare vintage of an SEO strategy, and those who’s strategy is corked.

What’s Happened Online With Alcohol Retailers?

One of the most important factors we look at in the report is visibility. Doing this, we compare brands across a number of keywords in the alcohol niche. Competitive keywords and opportunities are looked at. Finding each brand’s visibility score allows us to rank them in order of who is most visible in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Over the past year, the alcohol market has stayed pretty stable overall, with an overall visibility loss of -0.07%.  However, within the market, there has been some massive movements, and possibly a big mistake by Naked Wines.

Topping our chart is Majestic Wines, who have gained this spot from third place last year, thanks to a visibility increase of 38%. However, at the end of last year, Naked Wines announced that they have sold Majestic Wines (stores and brand) to focus on the online retailer Naked Wines (who have suffered a four-place drop last year, seeing their visibility declined by -48%). Seeing as Naked Wines was all the way down at position nineteen, only time will tell if this move was a good idea, or if they should’ve kept with Majestic. If their team can do with Naked what was done with Majestic, they may be able to climb, but like a fine wine, a good SEO strategy takes time to mature.

There has been a bit of a jiggle around the top twenty, but the biggest movements are seen much further down. The Bottle Club, for example, has seen their visibility grow by an impressive 788%, which has seen them climb by eight places. If they keep doing well they could see themselves maturing to be an online giant for alcohol.

On the other hand, Wine Direct has had a leaky barrel of an SEO strategy. Losing -92% of their visibility has seen them drop down a massive twenty-one places.

One To Watch

The coming year is likely to see a number of updates disturb the market, and so everything could change quickly, for better or worse. One to watch though has to be Virgin Wines.

Virgin has increased it’s range late last year, so that they now sell craft beer and over three hundred spirits. They are moving from being a wine-only retailer, with plans to become a one stop online shop for drinks.

And so far, they are doing well. They have seen growth in their visibility of 86%, taking them from position twelve to position six. Expanding their range has allowed them to increase their target keywords, making them a competitor for many more alcohol brands online.

Trends In The Market

The past five years has been quite steady with the top five brands in the Alcohol Market. However, from the graph below, you can see that Majestic Wine and Fortnum & Mason are clear leaders:

However, as Fortnum & Mason sells more than just alcohol, this interest is likely to not be just on drinks. It is also only during peak (mid to late December) that they overtake Majestic Wines in the trends.

Master Of Malt have seen a slight increase each year, especially at peak. So it looks like this company is on the rise.

Majestic Wines have also had increasing interest year on year. With each peak being better than the last. So, have Naked Wines made a huge mistake?

The above graph shows that., actually, selling Majestic Wines might not have been as big of a mistake as it seems at first glance. Overall, interest in Naked Wines has outcompeted interest in Majestic Wine. So, Naked are potentially a bigger household name. People go to them direct and don’t necessarily have to come across them when searching for a wine-related keyword.

If you would like to find out how your company is faring online, head over to Salience to request a report.

“We’ve been looking for innovative companies that represent products with a clear understanding of current and future consumer trends” says Ms. Orsolya Palotás, MD of BTD in Hungary.

“More people over here are looking for alternatives to alcoholic drinks that still supply some kind of a “natural kick”. Caliente, with its spiciness of chili is not just really tasty but also one of its kind. We believe it’s a perfect fit for the Hungarian market, especially for the young generation who like to go out but do not really want to consume alcohol….”

BTD has been active in Europe for over a decade, and as a part of their global expansion has just recently opened their US branch. With a special love for Scandinavian brands, and a clear focus on environmentally friendly and organic products, Caliente is a natural addition to BTD’s portfolio.

Caliente launched their non-alcoholic drink for grown-up drinking occasions in 2015. And although a bit ahead of time, global trends speak clearly in their favor. Worldwide, and especially in urban hubs and among millennials, alcohol consumption is on the decline: As much as three out of four millennial drinkers say they limit how much they drink most of the time they go out and 38% say they moderate their alcohol intake every single time (Forbes 2016). At the same time, Caliente meets the preference for a less sweet and all natural, yet full flavored, experience.

“We have found the perfect partner and are super excited about the collaboration”, says Thomas Adner, Caliente’s founder.

Source: Caliente

– We have gotten positive feedback from potential customers says founder Hanyu Yang. And with no other similar products on that market, we have a very good feeling about the launch!

She leads HugHug AB – a Swedish based innovative trading company performing commercial activities between Scandinavia and Asia, and with a special focus on brands that are organic, environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Caliente Beverages, the drink start-up from Malmö, has the vision is to make it easier to choose non-alcoholic. They do it by replacing the alcohol with extracted chili heat, imitating the taste and somewhat also the feeling you get from alcoholic drinks. Obviously doing it the “Swedish way”, with full transparency and quality in every step. This has resulted in Caliente – an organic still drink for grown-ups, which comes in four exciting flavors and two heat levels.

After having received much interest from East Asian importers, Caliente’s founder Thomas Adner is very pleased to have finally found a trustworthy partner with much on-the-ground and cultural experience.

– Hong Kong is one of those urban hubs where people easily take on new food and drink trends from around the world. And with no other similar products on that market, we have a very good feeling about the launch!

The first Caliente bottles will be on the shelves of premium bars, restaurants and cafes in Hong Kong early 2018.

Source: Caliente