Mobile apps benefit retailers, distributors, consumers

Convenience and transparency made easy for beverage companies, consumers

December 15, 2015

As of July, the Google Play store and the Apple App Store each offered more than 1.5 million apps for download, according to Statista. There’s pretty much an app to make just about anything easier and more convenient.

This year at the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Tradeshow in Las Vegas, I listened as Nick Rellas, co-founder of the alcohol-delivery app Drizly, discussed the future of distribution through eCommerce and how the Drizly app could play a role in that future.

Rellas noted that the app works to benefit retailers and distributors. Because Drizly is connected to the retailer’s inventory, a company can compare products that are succeeding to those that are failing within similar retailers. The app also suggests products that a retailer might want to consider. Additionally, it gives consumers convenient access to their favorite alcohol brands as well as suggestions for brands they might like based off of previous purchases.

Although Drizly offers consumers the convenience of delivery, other apps are offering consumers a different kind of service — knowledge. For example, ipiit is an app that makes finding products that fit dietary preferences or restrictions easier by just scanning the barcode. According to the company, users select from a list of common food allergens, preservatives and additives, and also can select their profile to be tailored to non-GMO and free of MSG and corn syrup/high-fructose corn syrup. When the consumer scans the product, an icon indicates whether the product is OK to consume based on the profile settings. If the product contains an ingredient that does not match the users’ preferences, it will suggest alternative products.

With more on-the-go consumers and increasing demands for transparency, mobile apps are an opportunity for consumer packaged goods companies and retailers to innovate across the board.

Amanda Del Buono, former associate editor of Beverage Industry, wrote and edited for the magazine’s print and online components. She also represented the magazine at trade shows and events. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from The University of Missouri - Columbia.

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