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Southern Glazer’s e-commerce arm reaches US$3 billion milestone
US distributor Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits passed the US$3 billion revenue mark in 2022 for its online business, while controversial lawsuit rumbles on in the background.
Southern Glazer’s saw more than 82,000 hospitality customers place orders through their online arm last year. Launched in 2019, SGProof.com delivered more than 17 million cases of wine and spirits in 2022, and established 70,000 new points of distribution, revealed its chief commercial officer this week.
It’s extraordinary online success has played out beneath the storm cloud of an ongoing law suit between Southern Glazer’s and Chicago start-up Provi over allegations of foul play on Glazer’s part. Provi alleges that Glazer’s blocked orders to the smaller firm’s online booze shop, redirecting customers automatically to its own e-commerce platform, Proof, instead.
The US giant attributes the success of its e-commerce platform last year to various tech improvements that have “made it easier to do business with Southern Glazer’s”. Among these, the company cites a new barcode scanning facility which allows for swift ordering via mobile phone, ‘smart recommendations’ which suggest alternative products if a customer’s favourite drink is out of stock and enhanced search filters which make it easier to search for more niche products such as low-alcohol options.
“We will continue to invest in industry-leading functionality to enhance the Proof platform as we aim to strengthen the bond between Southern Glazer’s, our customers and suppliers in 2023 and beyond,” said John Wittig, chief commercial officer, Southern Glazer’s.
A further reason for the platform’s elevated sales may be the ‘customer advocacy’ element of the site, which provides advanced data analytics and insights so Southern Glazer’s can respond faster and deliver better results for customers and suppliers.
The news that the platform has reached the US$3 billion mark will come as a welcome antidote to last year’s headlines when local media reported that the IRS raided the company’s California office in November.
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has operations in 44 US states, as well as in the District of Columbia, and Canada.
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