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Wine knows it. Coffee knows it. Even razor companies know it: Sales models that encourage regular, repeat online purchases can be lucrative. Yet beer has historically lagged behind in the subscription realm because of a host of factors, including the high costs of shipping and the limited number of states—currently 13—that allow direct-to-consumer beer (DTC) shipments.
Spurred by the pandemic, several breweries of various sizes began betting big on recurring DTC shipments. It’s already worked for wine: In total, U.S. wineries shipped more than $3.7 billion worth of wine directly to consumers in 2020, a 27 percent increase over 2019, according to a report from Sovos ShipCompliant and Wines Vines Analytics.