REUSABLE BOXES FOR A $3.7B DtC WINE-SHIPPING BOOM
On any given night of the week, a bottle of wine coupled with a homecooked meal has become de rigueur for millions of Americans left only to reminisce about regularly scheduled visits to their favorite wineries and restaurants.
DtC wine sales during the pandemic have skyrocketed as a result.
“In 2020, wineries shipped 8.39 million cases of wine to consumers, representing a remarkable 27% increase over 2019 as individuals were no longer able to connect in person at tasting rooms around the country for much of the year,” notes the 2021 Direct to Consumer Wine Shipping Report from SOVOS ShipCompliant and Wines Vines Analytics.
“The increase in the volume of wine shipped from wineries to consumers in 2020 both masks and is a reaction to a significant overall decrease in visitation to wineries, tasting rooms and restaurants,” the report continues.
The climb is holding steady, for now, and industry-watchers speculate that the reopening of stateside wine meccas will continue to positively effect DtC wine shipping, because most bottles sold through the tasting room experience are packaged and sent directly to consumers’ doors. This golden era of convenience is bolstered by the fact that wineries are now able to ship to 46 out of 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.
But with all this convenience comes potential consequences.
Across the globe, sustainability pros agree. Last-mile delivery accounts for much of the pollution associated with online shopping — that final carbon-hungry stretch from warehouse to front stoop. Along for the ride, single-use cardboard and styrofoam waste add to the environmental concern.
According to The Washington Post, corrugated box shipments spiked 9% early in the pandemic “as Americans stocked up on household paper, cleaning supplies and food.” These shipments remain elevated today. Scalable, reusable packaging options provide a more sustainable path forward.
In the wine shipping sphere, award-winning Liviri Vino helps alleviate the strain with reusable boxes that environmentally outperform standard cardboard and styrofoam alternatives across a range of environmental-impact factors.
In addition, Liviri wine shipping containers add a high-performance layer of much-desired thermal protection to the shipping equation — safely eliminating hot and cold weather holds for wineries and wine distributors and, of course, their consumers.
As DtC wine shipping continues growing, there’s no better time to explore alternative packing options that keep pace with the changing times.
