Webshop for liquor stores

Online wine shopping - a growing market

Danes are buying more and more wine online. The convenience of ordering a case of wine directly to your door, combined with the ability to read thorough product descriptions and reviews, has made online wine shopping a rapidly growing market. For you as a wine merchant, it's a great opportunity to expand your business beyond the four walls of the physical store.

In a physical store, you are limited by geography. Your customers are those who live nearby or just happen to pass by. With a webshop, you can reach wine connoisseurs across the country. That customer in North Jutland looking for a specific Barolo producer can find your store via Google and order instantly.

Online wine shopping also has the advantage that you can tell the story behind the wine in a completely different way than in a physical store. You have space for detailed descriptions, pictures from the vineyard and personal recommendations. The knowledge you have as a wine merchant becomes an asset that differentiates you from the supermarkets and large online retailers.

Product descriptions that sell wine

Wine is a product where the product description really makes a difference. The customer can't taste the wine online, so your words have to do the work. A good product description is the difference between a sale and a customer clicking through.

An effective product description for wine should include:

• Grape variety - e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Riesling
• Region and country - e.g. Tuscany, Burgundy, Mendoza
• Vintage - year of harvest
• Flavor description - aroma, body, finish
• Food recommendations - what the wine goes with
• Serving temperature - practical information the customer appreciates
• Alcohol percentage - required by law for online sales

The better your product descriptions are, the better you'll rank in Google. Shoporama's AI Assistant can help you formulate product descriptions based on basic information.

Varieties and filtering - find the right wine

Wine merchants typically have a large assortment and customers need to be able to navigate it efficiently. No one wants to scroll through 500 wines to find a white Burgundy.

With Shoporama, you can organize your wines so customers can filter by the parameters that matter: grape variety, country, region, price range, color (red, white, rosé, sparkling) and other relevant characteristics.

Product variants are also relevant. Many sell wine both as single bottles and in cases of 6 or 12 - often with case discounts. With variants, you can set it up on a single product so the customer chooses the quantity that suits them.

Legal requirements for online alcohol sales

Selling alcohol online is subject to specific legal requirements in Denmark. Here are the most important points:

Alcohol licensing and registration

To sell alcohol online, you must have an alcohol license or be registered with SKAT as an alcohol trader. Contact SKAT to make sure you have the necessary permits.

Age verification with ePay and MitID

In Denmark, there are two age limits for alcohol: 16 years for the purchase of drinks under 16.5% alcohol (beer and wine) and 18 years for spirits over 16.5%. When selling online, you must ensure that the buyer is old enough.

Shoporama has built-in age verification at the product level. You set the age requirement directly on each product in the admin - either 16 years or 18 years. When the customer goes to checkout, Shoporama automatically sends the age requirement to ePay, which verifies the customer's age via MitID before payment is completed. If the customer has both wine (16 years old) and spirits (18 years old) in the basket, the higher age limit is automatically used.

This means that you as a wine merchant comply with the law without any manual work. You set the age requirement once per product and the system does the rest. No checkbox with "I confirm that I am over 18" - but real verification via MyID.

Labeling requirements

Your product pages must state alcohol percentage, content and origin.

Taxes and SKAT

The sale of alcohol is subject to excise duties in Denmark. Shoporama integrates with e-conomic, Dinero and Billy, making it easier to keep track of VAT and taxes.

It is recommended to consult an accountant with experience in the alcohol industry to ensure you comply with all regulations.

Shipping wine - what do you need to consider?

Wine is heavy and fragile. This places special demands on your shipping strategy.

Packaging

Wine bottles require specialized packaging to avoid breakage during transport. Invest in quality packaging with inserts for the bottles.

Weight and shipping price

A case of 6 bottles of wine weighs around 8-9 kg and 12 bottles are around 16-18 kg. Many liquor stores offer free shipping over a certain amount to motivate customers to buy more at a time.

With Shoporama you can choose between PostNord, GLS, DAO, Bring and Shipmondo as shipping providers.

Temperature and season

Wine is sensitive to high temperatures. In summer, the temperature in a parcel van can reach over 40 degrees. Many wine merchants advise against shipping expensive wines during the hottest weeks. Communicate this clearly on your webshop.

Physical store and online shop with POS

Most liquor stores have a physical store. With Shoporama's integrated point of sale (POS) system, you control both channels from one system. When you sell a bottle over the counter, the stock is automatically updated in the webshop.

The POS system supports MobilePay, Stripe, QuickPay, ePay, PayPal, Klarna and ViaBill.

Example: A customer tastes an Amarone in the store and wants a case to take home. You scan it in the POS system - and the 6 bottles are pulled from the webshop's stock immediately. No risk of an online customer ordering bottles you've just sold.

Example: Peter buys 2-3 bottles of wine a week - alternating between in-store and online. With the loyalty program, he earns points in both places. Every three months he has enough points for a free bottle. This keeps him loyal and he chooses you over the supermarket wine section.

Newsletters - your most important online sales channel

For wine merchants, newsletters are worth their weight in gold. Your customers want to discover new wines, hear about seasonal recommendations and be notified of great offers. A good newsletter doesn't just sell wine - it builds relationships and keeps you top-of-mind.

The newsletter feature costs just £1 per 100 emails. Use them for:

• New wines in the range - "Three new Italians from Piedmont - taste them before they sell out"
• Seasonal recommendations - "5 wines for summer barbecues" or "Winter's best red wines"
• Wine evenings and tastings - Fill the seats for your next wine tasting
• Box offer - "Order 6 bottles and save 15% this weekend"

Example: You send out a newsletter about a new Barolo you just got home. You tell the story of the winery, recommend it for long-term aging and offer a box discount. 20 customers order within 3 days - most of them order a whole box to save on shipping. Revenue: 15,000 DKK from one email.

What does a webshop cost for a liquor store?

Optional add-ons: server-side tracking (89 kr/mo), newsletter (1 kr per 100 emails), extra users (49 kr/mo). Read more about pricing and plans.

Get started with your online wine shop

You can try Shoporama for free for 30 days - no credit card and no strings attached. With the Page Designer, you can build your pages visually with drag-and-drop, and with a load time of 250 ms, your customers will have a fast experience.

Shoporama has automatic cookie consent with Consent Mode v2, so you're GDPR compliant from day one.

Your wine knowledge is your strength. A webshop gives you the platform to share that knowledge with the whole of Denmark. The big supermarket chains can compete on price, but they can't compete on passion, expertise and personal service.

Start your free trial and bring your wine business online.