Thursday, October 23, 2014

Bringing Beer to Your Doorstep

I can't tell you how many times we've joked around about how nice it would be to have a service that delivers beer to your door. Forgot to plan for that party? Running out of cocktails and want to impress your friends? Delivery would be perfect in these situations. We were (mostly) kidding when we said these things, but apparently there's a company that can actually do it.
 
Drizly has recently announced that Indianapolis will be the next city where it will offer delivery service through a partnership with Big Red Liquors. Interested consumers can place their order via Drizly's app and in 20-40 minutes, beer arrives at your door. You can read the IBJ article here for more details about the partnership and the services offered.
 
I'm a big fan of convenience and this certainly fits the bill. But something about this feels a bit off to me. Is this really a good idea? The drivers have the option to refuse delivery if they deem that the consumer is already too drunk and needs to be cut off. That helps, but I'm not sure if it's enough.
 
We drink frequently, but we're always responsible about it. The Big Guy and I have an advantage in being a team for the different events we attend and the bottle shares we go to with friends. The advantage is that one of us stays sober enough to safely drive home, or worst-case scenario we get a cab. Even if that cab is $100 because we're just that far out in the burbs. Still worth it.
 
Does this app promote binge drinking and people being unsafe and taking unnecessary risks? Maybe I'm cynical and don't have enough faith in people. Either way, I'll certainly be watching this partnership to see what happens next, and I'm not going to completely rule out using it at some point.
 
Would you use this service? If you did, what kind of situation do you think it would best in?
 
For even more details, here's the press release we received this morning.


RESPONSIBLE ALCOHOL DELIVERY COMES TO INDIANAPOLIS AS DRIZLY ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH BIG RED LIQUORS, THE AREA'S LARGEST PACKAGE LIQUOR RETAILER
Leveraging Drizly’s proprietary ID verification technology, Big Red can responsibly provide unparalleled convenience to Indianapolis consumers for the same price they pay for products in store
 
INDIANAPOLIS, IN. – October 23, 2014 – Drizly, the technology company powering fast, convenient beer, wine and liquor delivery across the United States, and Big Red Liquors, the largest Indianapolis-area package liquor retailer, today have announced a strategic partnership to bring responsible alcohol delivery to consumers in the Indianapolis area.
 
Indianapolis becomes the 8th major metropolitan market served by Drizly, joining Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. Areas in Indianapolis where Drizly is now available to consumers include Broad Ripple, Brownsburg, Downtown, Fishers, Fletcher Place, Fountain Square, Geist, Irvington and Meridian-Kessler. Additional areas will be announced as they become available.
 
With a proprietary Forensic ID Verification technology, Drizly will offer Indianapolis consumers of legal drinking age Big Red’s extensive inventory of products right from the Drizly smartphone app or Drizly.com, all delivered conveniently to your door.
 
So whether you are watching the big game with friends, hosting a dinner party, or planning office happy hour, Drizly takes the trip to the store out of the equation with a convenient, safe and reliable solution for ordering beer, wine and liquor.
 
“Leading retailers across the U.S., like Big Red, are embracing cutting edge technologies to answer their customer’s desire for convenient alcohol delivery, if it can be done responsibly,” said Nick Rellas, co-founder and CEO of Drizly. “Big Red is particularly focused on doing delivery the right and responsible way, and with Drizly’s proprietary ID verification technology we were uniquely positioned to help them provide added convenience to their loyal customers.

DRIZLY: AS CONVENIENT AS ORDERING PIZZA
To use Drizly, consumers simply download the free app to their smartphone (iPhone and Android) or log on to www.Drizly.com, confirm they are of legal drinking age, and are then given access to thousands of products from Big Red’s inventory, all at the same price as in the store. With a few taps of the finger, the consumer’s beverages of choice are selected, paid for via credit card, and delivered conveniently to your door.
 
Before products are handed to the consumer, the Big Red delivery driver confirms the age of those accepting the order using Drizly’s propriety ID verification technology. If the consumer is not of age, or appears inebriated, the delivery driver does not complete the purchase.
 
“Adding the convenience of smartphone and Web ordering, and fast delivery, to the Big Red experience is something we are thrilled to offer to our loyal customers,” said Don Rix, President of Big Red Liquors. “But more importantly, Drizly’s proprietary technology enables us to meet growing consumer demand in a way that is safe and responsible.”
 
As a special welcome to new users in Indianapolis, Drizly is offering free delivery on all orders for the next 30 days. The free delivery, a $5 value, will be automatically applied at checkout. For these type of promotions and more, residents of Indianapolis are encouraged to follow @DrizlyIndy on Twitter.

ABOUT DRIZLY
Drizly is a technology company powering fast, convenient delivery of beer, wine and liquor to consumers across the United States. With a free mobile lifestyle app for iOS and Android, and an e-commerce Web site, consumers of legal drinking age simply log in, and with a few clicks, their favorite beer, wine or liquor is on its way. Delivery drivers authenticate and validate IDs upon arrival using proprietary Drizly technology. Backed by a world-class group of angel and institutional investors, the company has raised $4.8 million to become the premier alcohol delivery service in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, Washington D.C., and other cities across the United States. For more info, please visit www.drizly.com.
 
AVAILABLE ON iPHONE, ANDROID AND WEB
 
HOW DRIZLY WORKS
  1. Download Drizly to your iPhone or Android phone, or log on to Drizly.com.
  2. Sign up and add your favorite beer, wine and liquor to your cart.
  3. Check out, enter discount codes, pay and tip your driver, all right from Drizly.
  4. In less than one hour, your alcohol will be delivered.
 
CONTACT:
Kerry McGovern, Sr. Director of Communications & Media, Drizly Inc.347.853.6009, Kerry@drizly.com
Matt Bell, on behalf of Big Red Liquors 317.910.7572, Matt.Bell@catalystpag.com


Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on the web at Drizly.com.

# # #
 

No comments:

Post a Comment