DoorDash to start delivering beer, booze

This felt inevitable, and the day is finally here: DoorDash will start delivering beer, wine, and spirits via the DoorDash Marketplace, across 20 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada and Australia, reaching over 100 million customers worldwide. Customers in select markets, where legally permissible, can toggle to the Alcohol tab of the DoorDash app to browse and safely order from a wide selection of drinks from restaurants, grocery stores, local retailers, and convenience stores. This news follows a multi-year journey of fulfilling alcohol on-demand delivery for many national and local merchants via their own channels with DoorDash Drive, DoorDash’s white-label fulfillment service. 

“Over the past year, many cities where we operate evolved their legislation in order to permit the delivery of alcohol to residents’ homes. Over that time, we worked tirelessly to build a trusted alcohol ordering and delivery experience for merchants, customers and Dashers,” said Caitlin Macnamara, Director, Alcohol Strategy & Operations at DoorDash. “We’re committed to providing new earning opportunities for merchants and Dashers, a safe, high quality experience for customers, and being a responsible leader in compliant alcohol delivery.”  

DoorDash has built an alcohol catalogue including 30,000 SKUs available for purchase across thousands of retailers and restaurants nationally, whether it’s to-go drinks from a favorite local restaurant or a celebratory champagne from a nearby local store. Additionally, with the recent roll out of DoubleDash, customers in select markets can now bundle alcohol with their restaurant meal on certain orders.

Good idea?

“It is clear that online grocery shopping is here to stay, and DoorDash’s entry into the alcoholic beverages is the logical next step for any delivery aggregator,” says Carmen Bryan, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. “It will prove a promising venture for all involved because such strategies don’t aim to replace current brick and motor or foodservice channels, but rather target the rapidly growing desire for on-demand groceries.

“As of August this year, 36% of US consumers noted they had been buying groceries online more often. Further, more consumers have been drinking alcoholic beverages at home – while the pubs were shut – and this habit won’t be easily shaken. With this uptick in demand, brands and restaurants will only benefit from taking advantage of this new channel. Conversely, however, the market will only get more and more competitive, as consumers start to compare alcohol products’ flavors, ABV and price instantly on their phones.“