E-Commerce & Click-and-Collect: Are BC Liquor Stores Falling Behind?

If you’re a BC liquor licensee running a private liquor store, you may not be getting the most out of your license if your store hasn’t implemented click-and-collect or online ordering and delivery. Retailers in other sectors quickly embraced e-commerce, while implementation by private liquor retailers is mixed.

The question is no longer whether e-commerce is allowed. Since 2016, private liquor stores in BC have been permitted to sell their products online and deliver them to customers.

What’s Happening in BC Right Now

Many private liquor stores largely rely on walk-in traffic in their bricks-and-mortar store.

With customer expectations being shaped by online retail in other industries, if your store doesn’t offer the convenience of online shopping and delivery, you are definitely fully meeting customer demand. Furthermore, you’re missing the opportunity to broaden sales channels and increase revenue.

What Customers Actually Want

Customers want convenience and options. Some customers only shop online and expect delivery, while others will still shop in-store, but occasionally order online on special occasions or when their lives are too busy.

Common use cases include:

• Reordering familiar products quickly
• Planning ahead for events or gatherings
• Avoiding lineups during peak times
• Browsing inventory before visiting

These conveniences influence a consumer’s decision to shop in person or online.

What Falling Behind Looks Like

Private liquor stores without an online shop, may experience:

• Loss of customers to competitors with click-and-collect or online shopping and delivery
• Reduced repeat purchases as your customers are lured to a competitor’s online store for the convenience it provides
• Less brand recognition as competitors’ online stores become more visible
• Fewer new customers and less loyalty from existing customers

What’s Getting in the Way

There are many valid reasons many BC liquor licensees have not yet adopted e-commerce:

• Age verification requirements at pickup or delivery
• Delivery logistics and staffing
• Inventory syncing challenges
• Upfront cost and uncertain return

Getting your liquor store’s inventory online, implementing a shopping system that can connect to your inventory management system, and setting up delivery, take planning, time, and money. You almost certainly will have to work with a liquor license consultant who understands what LCRB requires.

A Practical Starting Point

There are easier entry points than a full-on e-commerce store. Here are few low friction ways you can move the direction of e-comm without the high price tag or time commitment.

• Add an online product menu
• Allow customers to submit order requests
• Offer structured pickup times
• Track demand before investing further
• Engage a consultant such as Thrive Advisors to do research

Not every store needs full e-commerce. In smaller markets, in-store can still dominate, but not forever. It’s a fact of life that online shopping in Canada is still increasing, and as a result, consumer expectations of what shopping looks and feels like are changing.

At the very least, BC liquor licensees should research their options and guesstimate time and costs.

Questions About Click-and-Collect or Online Sales & Delivery?

If you have questions about what it takes to set up an online shop or click-and-collect system , contact a BC liquor license consultant at Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors. We can research and find answers to all of the questions you have about starting an online store.