Online sales do not pull spirits shoppers away from stores. In the 2026 Sovos ShipCompliant report, 94% of regular craft spirits drinkers who are likely to buy online said they would look for a brand in a store after enjoying a bottle shipped to them. On ReserveBar the two channels are already linked: every online order is sold by a licensed retailer that bought the bottle from a distributor.
What did the survey find?
The report was produced by Sovos ShipCompliant with The Harris Poll and the American Craft Spirits Association. The Harris Poll surveyed 2,001 US adults 21 and older in August 2026, including 741 who drink craft spirits at least once a month. Among those regular drinkers who are likely to buy online:
Would look for the brand in a store after enjoying it shipped to them: 94%
Very likely to look for it in a store: 49%
Would buy more often from a distillery that offers online ordering: 83%
Would recommend that distillery to friends or family: 83%
More likely to try a new craft spirit if they could buy it online: 81%
The store-visit number is steady. It was 92% in both 2024 and 2025 before reaching 94% this year.
One caution: these are answers about what people say they would do, not tracked purchases. Still, the direction has held for several years. Online is often where someone tries a bottle first, and the store is where they keep buying it.
Why does this matter more in 2026?
Distribution is harder to win and to keep. In its section of the report, the American Craft Spirits Association points to consolidation among wholesalers, including the bankruptcy of Republic National Distributing Company, and to wholesalers carrying fewer products while focusing on bigger brands.
For a smaller brand, proof that people want the bottle is what earns a distributor's time and a retailer's shelf. Online demand is one of the clearest forms of that proof, because each order is a real purchase at a real price.
How does a ReserveBar order count at retail?
ReserveBar does not hold inventory or sell bottles itself. When a shopper checks out, the order goes to a licensed retail partner that serves the shopper's address. That retailer bought the bottle through its distributor, sells it to the shopper and ships or delivers it.
The sale is a retail sale. It runs through the same distributor and retailer as a bottle sold over the counter.
Retailers restock what sells online. When a retailer sells through its stock on ReserveBar orders, it reorders from the distributor like any other product.
Retailers set the price. The brand sets wholesale and a suggested retail price, and the retailer sets the final retail price, online and in store.
That is also why ReserveBar shows different bottles at different addresses. Shoppers see what the retailers serving them can sell.
What can brands do with this?
Make sure online shoppers can find you. Spirits, wine and craft beer brands can ask about a ReserveBar listing at [email protected]. See brand partnerships for advertising and custom programs.
Line up online and retail stock. The retailers filling ReserveBar orders in a state buy from your distributor there. Bring online demand into your distributor conversations.
Bring retail partners in. Retailers can add online orders through ReserveBar with shipping and same-day delivery. Licensed retailers can reach us through retail partners.
Sell from your own site the same way. Our sister company AccelPay runs checkout on brand websites with orders filled by licensed retailers, and tracks depletions at each retailer to flag reorders.
If you sell spirits to Californians, read our post on California's spirits shipping change.
Frequently asked questions
Do online spirits sales take sales away from liquor stores?
The survey data says no. In the 2026 Sovos ShipCompliant report, 94% of regular craft spirits drinkers who are likely to buy online said they would look for the brand in a store afterward. It was 92% in both 2024 and 2025.
Is a ReserveBar order a retail sale?
Yes. Every ReserveBar order is sold and fulfilled by a licensed retailer that bought the bottle through its distributor, the same way it buys stock for its shelves.
Why does online demand matter for distribution?
The American Craft Spirits Association says wholesalers are consolidating and carrying fewer products. Real online orders show distributors and retailers that shoppers want a brand.
Who sets the price of a bottle sold on ReserveBar?
The licensed retailer that fills the order sets the final retail price. The brand sets wholesale and a suggested retail price.
Where does the survey data come from?
The 2026 Direct-to-Consumer Spirits Shipping Report from Sovos ShipCompliant, The Harris Poll and the American Craft Spirits Association. The Harris Poll surveyed 2,001 US adults 21 and older in August 2026, including 741 monthly craft spirits drinkers.
Sources
How are online alcohol orders fulfilled?, ReserveBar Help Center (fetched Oct 30, 2026)
On-Site Pricing Changes and Errors, ReserveBar Help Center (fetched Oct 30, 2026)
