Top 5 Digital Trends for Craft Beer in 2021

It’s hard to believe we’re already a year into the pandemic here in Canada (and longer in some areas of the world. Businesses have shifted, consumers are shopping in new ways, and a new digital dynamic has emerged, much of which we believe is here to stay.

To this end, I thought I would take a second and share The Top 5 Digital Consumer Trends in 2021, for the global marketplace.  It’s amazing to see some of these trends, but even cooler to see how companies are adapting, acutely in craft beer. Take a look at your craft beer mode and see how you can apply these 5 digital realities to your bar, distributor, wholesale, or retail beer business.

Trend No. 1: The Digital Balancing Act

Homebound consumers turned to digital for more activities during the pandemic, including commerce. Even those who were already shopping online pre-pandemic researched and purchased across more categories. The pandemic also widened the pool of digital consumers with more coming online for the first time. In 2021, companies will find themselves in a balancing act as they serve these two extremes.

Trend No. 2: Commerce Your Way

Commerce is about meeting consumers where they want to be, but the digital revolution has led to a more complicated and fragmented landscape. These shifts were challenging for retailers, consumer brands and hospitality operators to navigate with the crisis only further diversifying the ways they might reach a consumer.

Trend No. 3: Virtual Hits Mainstream

The pandemic has re-orientated the way that consumers shop, including how they discover and eventually purchase. During the crisis, more businesses experimented with virtual immersive experiences. Although this approach was used to drive engagement with consumers who were spending more time at home, virtual experiences will become more commonplace in the digital-first, post-pandemic era.

Trend No. 4: From Livestreaming to Live Selling

With the reduction of in-person shopping due to health concerns, livestreaming made inroads during the crisis as a shopping medium with the ability to create the emotional connection more associated with in-person shopping. Live selling has the potential to further disrupt an already-battered retail industry in 2021.

Trend No. 5: The Great Reset on Last Mile

Rising last-mile delivery costs and environmental concerns magnified by the crisis-inspired e-commerce boom are forcing retailers and foodservice operators to explore new delivery and collection methods. While companies struggle to build up logistics networks and re-imagine physical assets to handle this new level of demand, consumers will likely be forced to reset their last-mile expectations in 2021.