FAQ
The essentials on compliant DTC for beverage alcohol. Have a question that is not here? Book a free demo or email [email protected].
The platform
LiquidRails is the complete commerce platform for beverage alcohol brands. We provide compliant direct to consumer ecommerce, national distribution through a licensed retailer network, payments, fulfillment, and full funnel marketing, all in one place, so wine, spirits, beer, and RTD brands can sell online without assembling compliance and logistics themselves.
In the US, alcohol generally flows through three tiers: producers, then distributors, then retailers, before reaching consumers. In most states only licensed retailers can sell to consumers, though some states let licensed distilleries, breweries, and wineries sell directly. LiquidRails lets you sell direct to consumer while staying three tier compliant, through our network of licensed distributors and retail fulfillment partners.
Yes. We offer specialized, beverage-alcohol-compliant digital marketing covering Google and Meta ads, Klaviyo and Mailchimp email, and SEO and GEO. See our Marketing Services page or book a demo to learn more.
Shipping & compliance
It depends on your product type and where you produce. Spirits are generally limited, wineries can ship to a broader set of states, and beer is usually in state only where permitted. For orders you cannot compliantly ship yourself, LiquidRails routes fulfillment through our network of licensed retail partners based on the consumer's shipping address. Book a demo for a recommendation specific to your products and states.
Our licensed retailer network covers approximately 46 states where regulations allow. A small number of states are typically non-ship. Book a demo to confirm coverage for your specific products.
Self-distribution may be possible in certain states. Schedule a demo and we will give you a personalized, compliant fulfillment recommendation to help optimize your margin structure for selling through the LiquidRails DTC channel.
Orders flow through the traditional three tier system. With LiquidRails, payouts are processed as soon as consumers receive their products, so you can usually get paid more quickly than the traditional net 30 or net 60 terms of the standard three tier model.
Getting started
You can use your existing website, though we recommend Shopify to optimize conversion and simplify your marketing tech stack. Our team can migrate your site from Wix, Squarespace, Square, or WordPress to Shopify, or rebuild your existing Shopify store on a higher converting theme we built specifically for beverage alcohol brands while keeping your existing design and brand elements.
Most clients go live within one to three weeks. We have onboarded and activated new clients as quickly as one business day.
After you sign the LiquidRails agreement and complete onboarding setup, we hold a kickoff call to align on fulfillment strategy and timeline. You are assigned a dedicated onboarding manager and a short weekly check-in. Once your store is live, you are assigned a client success account manager with a monthly strategy call.
We bring over a decade of beverage alcohol DTC ecommerce experience and an entirely US based team. We treat the relationship as a true partnership and operate a trusted network of licensed retail fulfillment partners so your products ship on time, accurately, and in compliance. Book a demo to see case studies and our brand portfolio.
Book a free demo or send us a note and our US based team will follow up.