On-demand online liquor store enters SA’s e-commerce industry

Liquor.co.za, an online alcohol shopping website, was launched with the goal of disrupting the growing market for SA’s online delivery services.

According to its founders, the e-merchant was born out of the need for an e-commerce portal that could meet both direct-to-customer (B2C) and high-volume business-to-business (B2B) requirements, thanks to to a collaboration of the expertise and online experience of the founding team in the liquor industry.

Cape Town-based Liquor.co.za, which went live yesterday, is part of the bar and beverage company Cascade Holdings, the brainchild of entrepreneurs Adam Chaskalson, Tyrone Lasarow, Shaun Duwe and Allen Jaffe.

Chaskalson and Lasarow previously owned one of Cape Town’s largest mobile bar companies and have experience in product development and logistics, while Duwe has a deep understanding of how the alcohol landscape and of SA’s entertainment revolves.

Jaffe is part of a team that runs eComplete, an ecommerce solutions company that helps local retailers and small businesses build and manage an online store.

The new liquor portal comes as SA’s e-commerce sales hit a tipping point last year, increasing 66% to total online retail sales of $ 30.2 billion. rand, according to research firm World Wide Worx.

Chaskalson believes that there is still a void in the South African online shopping market for this type of offering, as the food and drink trade still mostly orders using a frustrating, archaic mechanism. and archaic, which still includes fax.

“Since COVID-19, the world has moved to online platforms when it comes to meetings, shopping and anything that gives people a sense of security in terms of not being in a crowd or having to drive somewhere. Alcohol, in particular, is something that should be easy to order from the comfort of your home, ”he comments.

The team of entrepreneurs have created two separate websites under the Liquor.co.za domain.

“The B2C interface is exciting, but the B2B side maybe even more so. Our platform will allow companies to order using a self-service approach with easy-to-use features, which was not available in the past, ”says Duwe.

Food and beverage managers can log into the main portal, select their own products and volumes, or reorder their last order.

According to Duwe, Liquor.co.za is not run by traditional liquor retailers who are trying to e-commerce for the first time, nor by digital specialists who are simply entering the skinless liquor market in the game.

“This is a fully online offering for the local liquor market, managed by professionals experienced in the liquor business as well as the digital landscape. Essentially, technology is part of the puzzle, but sourcing, merchandising and customer support are also crucial, ”says Duwe.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced the lifting of the alcohol ban – a huge relief for industry players, after the ban on alcohol sales several weeks ago, as part of the regulations COVID-19.

In 2019, the alcohol sector accounted for 3.4% (173 billion rand) of South Africa’s nominal GDP, according to the South African Liquor Brand Owners’ Association.