No one is ever going to complain about the recent normalization of getting food, groceries, and beverages delivered straight to their home. With the increase in food and beverage e-commerce, it’s never been easier to get amazing cocktails, unique foods, and full grocery trips expedited without ever leaving home. These developments are great for e-commerce businesses and consumers alike, but food and beverage fulfillment processes have their unique challenges.
In this article, we’ll explore perishable shipping solutions for food and beverage orders, as well as discuss how ShipCalm can help streamline food and beverage logistics to ensure consumers receive their goods the way the merchant intended.
Increase In Food and Beverage Ecommerce Sales
There has been a substantial increase in e-commerce food and beverage sales, and it appears as if this growth is only projected to increase further. Partially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been turning to online shipping options more than ever, and e-commerce businesses have happily adjusted to accommodate the recent popularity. Food subscription boxes have played a huge role in this growth, as consumers enjoy receiving favorite and new foods delivered straight to their door. Recent studies show that in 2020 alone, revenue from e-commerce food and beverage sales was 18.7 billion dollars, and by 2025 it’s estimated for that revenue to increase to 25.7 billion.
Grocery Subscription Box Increases
Similar to the increase in e-commerce grocery sales, there has been a predictable increase in non-alcoholic beverage e-commerce as well. As the pandemic made access to coffee shops limited, there has been a substantial increase in coffee and tea sales specifically. For perspective, studies show that the global market for non-alcoholic beverages is expected to grow from 923 billion to 1732 billion by 2028. While non-alcoholic beverages have a bit less complicated shipping logistics involved, it’s still important for e-commerce companies to ensure that drinks arrive at their consumers on time and in a state that will provide zero issues for the customer.
Online Alcohol Sales On The Rise
With the increase in grocery and non-alcoholic beverage sales online, alcoholic beverages have predictably followed. It’s very attractive for consumers to get alcohol shipped straight to their door, especially with the rise of cocktail and wine subscriptions and increased interest in having alcohol shipped from different areas of the country to consumers. As many bars and restaurants closed during the pandemic, alcohol ecommerce companies have been increasingly creative. This growth is so substantial that the US market is estimated to surpass China as the largest alcohol ecommerce market in the world by 2021.
Food and Beverage Fulfillment Services
Food and beverage fulfillment requires clean warehousing, accuracy within inventory management, and many other proper shipping logistics to guarantee a successful shipment. Ecommerce businesses understand that the moment an order is placed, there is a lot that goes into making sure it arrives on time with integrity. This is why many of these e-commerce businesses turn to third-party logistics companies such as ShipCalm to improve their food and beverage fulfillment capabilities. ShipCalm offers services like:
- Warehousing
- Inventory Management
- Packaging and assembly services
- Reverse logistics and return processing
- Customer service and support
Temperature Controlled Fulfillment
No one likes ordering groceries to open a package of spoiled food. Temperature-controlled fulfillment processes ensure that shipping perishables go smoothly, so these e-commerce companies must analyze and improve their cold chain logistics if they would like their business to be successful long-term. ShipCalm has strong cold chain capabilities, with extensive experience in making sure consumers receive their perishable goods fresh and in a digestible state.
Alcohol Shipping
Shipping alcohol poses its own issues, mainly because purchasing alcohol is never as simple as purchasing a coffee or groceries at the store. Not only does shipping alcohol feature unique legal logistics, but it also needs to be packaged and shipped in a way that allows the customers to not open their package to a boozy mess. ShipCalm has extensive experience in shipping alcohol and can help e-commerce businesses streamline their shipping processes.
Let ShipCalm Handle Your Food And Beverage Shipping Needs!
While the increase in online food and beverage sales is a welcomed benefit of changing times, shipping these items requires a bit more mindfulness in their shipping processes. Ecommerce businesses need to have accurate and ethical perishable shipping solutions in compliance with the FDA, not only to continue operating as a company but to ensure consumers keep coming back. As a reputable and experienced 3PL, ShipCalm is excited to handle your food and beverage shipping needs. Explore ShipCalm’s pricing page to learn more!