OND (October, November, December) is the playoffs of the wine and spirits industry--40% of annual sales happen in just one quarter.
OND success is often dependent on what has been set up in JAS (July August September). Come October, restaurants, bars and retailers will not necessarily be looking for new product placements. Now is the time to sell and promote those holiday new specialty wines and liquors, as well as gift packs!
What are the most popular wines and spirits to offer Buyers?
Gifty-items like bourbons, flavored whiskies, champagne, sparkling wines, and speciality wines--that’s what buyers are looking for. Read to drink beverages (RTD’s) are also very popular this year. Three bottle box sets of smaller bottles, special gift packs and custom glassware are also big sellers during the holidays.
Kings County Whiskey & Bourbon Gift Sets
A great example of a spirits holiday gift pack comes from Kings County Distillery with quality packaging and a prohibition-era look and feel. Their Kings County Distillery Aged Gift Set includes 200ml bottles of their Bourbon, Peated Bourbon and Single Malt, packaged in a homemade wooden box. The box has a burned-in image of their paymaster building from the 1900s, adding an extra cool touch. Kings County also offers the same package design but includes either a 3-bottle set of Kings County Moonshine, Bourbon and Chocolate Whiskey, or a 5-bottle set of their Bourbon, Peated Bourbon, Chocolate, Single Malt, and Bottled In Bond whiskies.
Crooked Water Spirits is a woman-owned brand out of the Midwest and they offer a nicely packaged Holiday 3-Pack set that highlights their beautiful dark liquors.
The Crooked Water gift set includes a 200ml bottle of:
- Old Hell Roaring Bourbon, a 2yr Bourbon finished in a 2nd barrel that is multi-hour toasted and smoked, r
- esulting in a deep profile and silky smoky notes.
- Kings Point Bourbon - a 2yr Bourbon finished in Port casks imported from Portugal.
- Manley Old Fashioned, a 75-proof, RTD Bourbon Old Fashioned.
The Crooked Water packaging is simple, giving buyers 3 award-winning spirits in a nice, easy package.
Packaging is important, but there’s more to OND preparation!
What are some additional strategies for successful wine and spirits sales during OND? Makers can start off by communicating with buyers who haven’t purchased in awhile. Reach out to contacts. Check in and see if they are looking for holiday wines and liquors. Make the buying process as easy as possible. After all, it’s their busiest time of the year as well.
Stay on top of your orders. Ship products on time. Be organized. After all, Makers don’t want a big order coming through and you can’t fulfill it. So get it together and get ready.
For LibDib Makers, now is the time to update LibDib brand pages, product information, pricing, vintages, and packaging. Add new pictures, videos, POS, and any interesting content. Create and maintain a trade page on your web site and share it with buyers. Make sure accounts are all listed on your website for consumers to find them....that is work that absolutely must be done.
Believe it or not, the holiday season is right around the corner. Set yourself up for success.
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