Published in the Summer 2026 issue of Artisan Spirit Magazine.
It’s no secret that sales in the alcohol beverage industry are down – Just Drinks estimates that sales dollars were down 2.8% in 2025
While sales may be down, this is not a time to panic. This is a time for self-reflection and re-evaluation to create a new path forward for your brand. Here are some strategies to focus on (and strategies to avoid) to help stage your brand for success during trying times.
What to Focus On:
- Offer a more personalized experience. Make your customers feel special. If you have a physical location with a tasting experience, make sure that all your materials feel personal. For your tasting menu, consider pre-cut, professionally printed cards with your logo and luxury touches like gold foil or embossing – the kind you can run through your office printer and customize with your customer’s name. It’s an affordable way to instantly elevate an experience. Offering a welcome taste or a sneak peek of a new product that isn’t on the menu are simple ways to make someone feel like a VIP. If you don’t have a physical location, make sure that your product shipments feel like an exciting unboxing experience. Simply adding a beautifully printed card or a hand-written note from the distiller goes a long way in connecting with your customers.
- Offer upgrades/specialty items. Keep your core products and experiences at an attainable price point but also create opportunities for your customers to upgrade if they want to. This could be a tasting of a broader range of products, a private distillery tour, or special, limited-edition items that can be added to a shipment.
- Re-focus your positioning. Now is a great time to take a critical look at your brand positioning. Is it optimized to connect with your target customer? Are you consistent with your messaging across all your communications (in-person, website, social media, email marketing)? If you have a customer database, consider sending out a survey to gauge how people are perceiving your brand. This can be eye-opening and either confirm you are on the right path or provide guidance on how your positioning needs to shift.
- Evaluate your portfolio. Do you have too many products? Or maybe a gap in your portfolio? Now is the time to evaluate sales across your lineup and consider cutting products that aren’t performing. Compare your offerings to your competitors and listen to customer feedback – it can help you identify a potentially profitable product that might be missing from your portfolio.
What to Avoid:
- Blanket discounts. While general discounts can lead to a temporary bump in sales, they can also train customers to hold off on purchases until the next sale comes around. Instead, consider setting a spending minimum and rewarding customers with a discount or free shipping once they hit that minimum. If you set the minimum to just above your average order value, it’s also a great way to naturally nudge your average order price higher.
- Unwarranted price increases. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index went up 3.3% between March 2025 & 2026. Every consumer and business is feeling the pressure, and while raising your prices may be necessary, it’s important to not go up too high, too quickly. Customers are much more understanding about price increases when they feel like they are getting something in return – whether that’s an improvement in product quality, more premium packaging, or a more elevated experience overall. If customers feel like your price increases aren’t justified, you risk losing them for good.
- Marketing freeze. During tough economic times, it can be tempting to pull back on marketing spend – especially since it often takes time and patience to see a return, and the ROI isn’t always easy to track. But marketing is critical to keeping your brand top of mind when customers are ready to make a purchasing decision. Cutting corners on marketing in the short term could end up costing you real revenue down the road.
- Downgrading your packaging. Downgrading your packaging puts you at a competitive disadvantage and, worse, can signal to customers that the quality of what’s inside the bottle has gone down too. Exceptional packaging encourages trial of your brand over others in the marketplace, reinforces the quality of your product in the consumer’s mind, and assists recall of your brand when they are ready to buy again.
Now is the time to strategize, re-center your brand, and focus on fostering connections with your customer. If you can do this effectively, you will weather the storm of economic uncertainty and come out the other side with even more loyal customers.
Photo by: Nicolas Hoizey from Unsplash
David Schuemann is the Owner & Creative Director of CF Napa Brand Design™ | Author: 99 Bottles of Wine | Speaker | Brand Strategist and Consultant for Wine, Spirits, and Beer.
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