Off-trade ecommerce alcohol sales have skyrocketed — and they’re set to continue rising.
Following their recent study, IWSR predicts that in 2025, total alcohol ecommerce sales across key global markets will grow by +66% to reach more than US$42 billion.
This means that in 2025, ecommerce is set to represent about 6% of all off-trade alcohol sales (alcohol purchases outside of bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, etc), compared to less than 2% in 2018.
This growth can be attributed to an increase in accessibility to shop for alcohol online and cheaper delivery fees. Not to mention, the pandemic shifted our shopping habits, causing a spike in desire to shop online more frequently for items we used to regularly purchase in-store.
Social commerce catches customers mid-scroll
We can’t talk about this growth without mentioning social commerce. Social commerce makes it easier and faster than ever for alcohol brands to target customers mid-scroll and drive them to action. While social media has long been the place to go to explore and research brands, it’s becoming the place we shop with them too.
For brands looking to harness the power of social commerce, content creators are the perfect partners. With their loyal followings and engaging content, they have already proved highly effective at capturing the attention of audiences and driving awareness – and now at driving traffic to ecommerce sites.
Even if the conversion doesn’t happen via their channel, these talented content creators can still provide brands with the kind of thumb-stopping content that can be turned into targeted ads.
Johnnie Walker Malaysia’s solution
One brand who was keen to tap into the selling power of creator content was Johnnie Walker Malaysia. When we executed a creator marketing and paid media campaign for the alcohol brand, we achieved a benchmark-beating cost per click (CPC) rate and engagement rate. Here’s how we did it.
Objectives
Johnnie Walker Malaysia partnered with Vamp to build top-of-mind brand recall among key audiences and drive traffic to Shopee; A popular ecommerce site in Malaysia where Johnnie Walker products can be purchased.
Strategy
Vamp connected Johnnie Walker with 11 high-quality Malaysian creators who aligned with the brand’s aesthetic and have a passion for cocktail making.
Phase 1
Our creators were briefed to create engaging Instagram in-feed posts, Reels, and Stories that showcased how to use Johnnie Walker Gold to create your own delicious whisky highball at home. The content portrayed creators enjoying their homemade cocktails in a highly energetic, stylish, and vibrant social setting.
Phase 2
With the data we have from previous campaigns we’ve executed for Johnnie Walker Malaysia, Vamp had a clear understanding of the type of boosted content that would resonate most effectively with the brand’s target audience.
So Vamp boosted a handful of the best performing video content to drive traffic to Shopee’s ecommerce site. This allowed the brand to push their content to a targeted group, ensuring they engaged the right consumers to build meaningful consideration and purchase intent.
Toolkit
- Managed campaign
- Influencer marketing
- Boosting
Results
Vamp’s creators beautifully showcased Johnnie Walker Gold Label in their own unique and creative way. The campaign also successfully generated positive word-of-mouth advertising among our target audience and produced beautiful influencer content that was highly reshareable.
Wilee Tee, Assistant Brand Manager, Moët Hennessy Diageo Malaysia
High-quality video content, combined with a targeted paid media strategy, proved highly effective in engaging social users and driving them to action.
The boosting strategy achieved a 20.4% engagement rate, 25x higher than the Instagram average for alcohol brands (0.8%). We also achieved a cost-effective CPC of USD$0.45, 3.8x cheaper than the platform benchmark ($1.72).
Further results:
- 879,971 total impressions, generating excellent brand awareness.
- 625,165 total number of potential customers reached.
- 3.2k link clicks, building consideration and purchase intent.
- 119.5k potential customers were engaged to retarget in future boosting activity.
Ready to harness the power of creator content? Get in touch with our team.
