Cocktail Courier, the US e-commerce cocktail business, has snapped up Thirstie, a supplier of enterprise software.
ShakeStir, the company behind Cocktail Courier, said the deal can help the spirits brands with which it works.
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Thirstie, set up in 2014, works with brands on their e-commerce sales, providing them with software for their online storefronts and analytics on consumers. Two years ago, Thirstie attracted investment from US distribution major Republic National Distributing Company.
Drinkers can order cocktail kits and gift sets via Cocktail Culture’s site. The kits are centred around cocktails like a margarita or a cosmo and contain brands such as Campari’s Grand Marnier and Wild Turkey Bourbon.
Cocktail Courier says its business gives brands the ability “to grow revenue, build engagement, and harness valuable consumer insights”.
In a statement, ShakeStir, which does business as Cocktail Courier, said the deal would “enable new consumer experiences on liquor brand sites”. The transaction, it added, would allow brands to offer bottles and “online-exclusive products” like cocktail kits to consumers through their sites.
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By GlobalDataIn the wake of the deal, ShakeStir’s cocktailcourier.com site will use Thirstie’s technology.
According to the statement, the combined business “is expected to achieve profitability post-integration, with faster growth of both solutions”.
Scott Goldman, who set up Cocktail Courier in 2014 and is its CEO, said: “The Cocktail Courier/Thirstie combination positions us well to accelerate our growth and make more strategic acquisitions.”
Thirstie co-founder and CEO Maxim Razmakhin added: “Big tech has clearly won the alcohol delivery race but there is a limit to how fast or how cheap they can deliver a bottle of gin to your doorstep. The next area of growth will be in offering the end consumer new experiences.”
Last week, research published by Silicon Valley Bank suggested e-commerce sales of wine fell in the US last year.
In 2023, direct-to-consumer sales formed 72% of all wine sales in the US, compared to 68% in 2022, with 11% in the on-premise and 17% in the off-premise, according to the bank.
Of that 72%, e-commerce accounted for 8% of sales – its smallest share since 2016, and a two percentage-point fall on 2022.
