✓ eCom helps Molson Coors attract new 21+ consumers, support our distributors and premiumize our portfolio
✓ The channel also over-indexes with young Millennials, allowing Molson Coors to attract the next generation of consumers in new ways
Behind the Brew is a new column where Molson Coors employees explain in their own words what’s new in their department and how it’s driving the company forward. First up is Sara Goucher, senior director of eCommerce.
Working in eCommerce (eCom) at Molson Coors means I’m used to a lot of questions. What is it that we do? How does eCom help a beverage company that primarily sells beer to distributors?
While it may seem complex, our goal is straightforward: enhance the beverage buying experience for distributors, retailers and consumers.
As we enter the busy summer selling season, our biggest brands are getting in on the action. Coors Light recently partnered with Instacart, a major grocery delivery company, to launch its music program, “Chill on Shuffle.” In eligible states, when 21+ consumers searched Instacart for “Coors Light on Shuffle,” they could enter for a chance to win musical experiences, including gift card prizes that can be used to see some of the biggest artists today.
Why does a program like this work? It creates consumer excitement around the brand during a key moment, includes a strong call-to-action for 21+ consumers, and connects Coors Light with a leading eCom platform that delivers our product to their door.
Campaigns like this are crucial, because every year eCom is becoming more important to our success. Why, you ask? Because eCom continues to grow at a remarkable pace.
Molson Coors’ compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for business-to-consumer (B2C) eCom has grown by 21% from 2021 to 2024. That’s better than the whole category, which is still growing at an impressive 18%. Business-to-business (B2B) eCom is also on the rise, as outlets and distributors using eCom are growing by double digits, according to our internal data for the last 13 weeks ending June 1.
This is an immensely important channel for any company, which is why I’m so proud that Molson Coors has been recognized along the way – in last year’s Tamarron survey, we were voted the No. 1 supplier for B2B and B2C by our distributor network.
With this impressive growth, Molson Coors has expanded its focus on eCom as a tool to attract new legal drinking-age consumers, support our distributors’ B2B goals, premiumize our portfolio and expand beyond beer.
Convenience, Personalization and Premiumization
eCom has some obvious advantages. Consumers love the convenience of 24/7 ordering. Distributors and retailers enjoy how the eCom software allows them to personalize the user experience for each customer. It also enhances omni-channel selling, which means we have a seamless brand experience across multiple platforms, from a desktop website to social media.
While eCom helps us continue to reach our core consumers, it also appeals to new 21+ consumers we want to bring into the fold. In fact, younger Millennial beer buyers over index online to offline (121 index), according to NIQ Q2 2024.
eCom is critical to helping us achieve our premiumization aspirations, too. Online, our above premium mix is 1.6X what it is offline, according to our internal eCom Dashboard for the weeks 1/1/25 through 5/21/25. Plus, by leveraging eCom platforms we are able to expand our non-alc business by working directly with wholesalers to broaden the audience.
In short, we’re meeting new 21+ consumers, bringing them greater convenience and better access to our products, and building a portfolio of products online that meets any occasion.
Working behind the scenes
When it comes to working with our distributors, our goal is to help them increase their eCom capabilities by delivering tech advisory, providing best in class marketing, and creating solutions to support their digital transformation.
It’s working. Not only are we seeing an increase in distributors leveraging eCom capabilities, but consumers are noticing, too, as online beer awareness continues to accelerate, growing from 47% in 2021 to 71% in 2024, according to a Shopper Pulse survey conducted by Molson Coors.
We also work with third-party platforms, like Door Dash, UberEats and Instacart, helping them drive online beer awareness and providing solutions to help with the customer experience. These efforts are paying off, as Coors Light was the No. 1 searched beer on Door Dash in 2024.
eCom is just one example of how we’re helping everyday consumers celebrate everyday moments, making our beverages more available and more accessible than ever. And as the channel continues to grow, we remain hyper focused on creating best-in-class customer experiences and distributor relationships so that we are prepared for the next generation of legal drinking-age consumers.