Packaging

Thirstie brings alcohol gift cards to market

For the first time, consumers can now purchase liquor-branded gift cards. Thirstie, a leading technology company that connects beverage alcohol brands with consumers, today announced the launch of gift cards specifically for alcohol brands, the first and only gift card solution of its kind in the US. This year, the company is launching its gift card solution with major spirits and celebrity backed brands.

A recent Thirstie survey of over 2,000 adult Americans found there is an overwhelming interest in liquor branded gift cards. Given the choice, nearly two times as many consumers would give a gift card for alcohol over a bottle, the survey found. Additionally, high-income consumers' demand for a top-selling vodka brand gift card is 84.4%, exceeding the demand for leading retail gift cards such as Apple at 76.9% and Starbucks at 76.5%. The survey also showed that 77% of consumers prefer premium and value-branded gift cards, criteria that many liquor portfolio companies represent.

Digital behaviors around gifting in both industries continue to accelerate. Across all Thirstie powered storefronts, 12% of all e-commerce orders were gifts from October 2020-October 2021; that number jumped to 22% in December 2020.

These gift cards will enable liquor brands to connect with their consumers through a full omnichannel approach. Brands now have the ability to offer gift cards through both their online storefront and in-store while driving traffic to their digital stores, as cards can only be redeemed through their Thirstie- powered sites.

Much like branded e-commerce sites, gift cards give brands the ability to connect directly with their customers, while increasing consumer adoption to purchasing bottles online. Thirstie's new gift card solution will arm companies with data insights and significantly increase their ROI, as seen from leading brands across other industries.