Blog Post

The State of US Alcohol Sampling and Promos

By Shared SpiritsOn

In-Store Sampling & Tasting Market Overview; the state of US alcohol sampling and promos.

Market Size and Annual Spending on Sampling Events

Product sampling and in-store tasting is a significant marketing channel in the U.S., especially for alcohol brands. Globally, experiential marketing (which includes sampling events) was estimated at $128.3 billion in 2024 (Global experiential marketing spending 2019-2024 – Statista), and the U.S. is a major contributor to that total. Within the U.S., tens of millions of dollars are spent annually on in-store demos and sampling promotions.

For example, one benchmark analysis of nearly 30,000 U.S. wine tasting events recorded over $13.5 million in total spending on those events (Wine Event Sampling – Experiential Marketing Benchmarks – PortMA). This implies an average of ~$450 per in-store tasting event for wine brands (Wine Event Sampling – Experiential Marketing Benchmarks – PortMA).

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And that’s just wine – additional reports cover spirits and beer activations, indicating the overall U.S. sampling market likely exceeds several tens of millions of dollars each year when all categories are included. In fact, an industry database of experiential marketing campaigns (across categories) tracked over $87.4 million spent across 74,990 event days in the U.S. (Wine Event Sampling – Experiential Marketing Benchmarks – PortMA). Clearly, in-store product demos represent a sizable market in promotional spending.

Budget Allocation by Spirits and Wine Brands

Alcohol brands typically dedicate a notable share of their marketing budget to in-store tastings and activations. Industry experts consider “in-store tasting should always be a line item in your marketing budget” for wine/spirits brands aiming to boost sales (In-Store Tasting should be your No#1 marketing and promotion strategy).

Many companies have been increasing their experiential marketing spend in recent years. A 2024 study found that 80% of companies upped experiential marketing to account for 10–30% of their total marketing budgets (Experiential Marketing Gains Priority as 80% of Companies Increase Budgets, Gradient Reports | Marketing Dive) (Experiential Marketing Gains Priority as 80% of Companies Increase Budgets, Gradient Reports | Marketing Dive).

Beverage alcohol marketers follow this trend – even as digital advertising now captures 61% of U.S. alcohol ad spend (61% of total U.S. alcohol ad spend is digital | The Current), spirits and wine brands continue to invest heavily in “liquid to lips” tactics (tastings) because of their proven impact.

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In practice, leading spirits brands allocate significant dollars to in-store sampling programs as part of their “shopper marketing” or trade marketing budgets, recognizing that tasting events directly drive trial and purchase. For example, Diageo and Bacardi have long invested in armies of brand ambassadors for retail samplings, and smaller craft brands also devote budget to local in-store tastings to support distribution. In sum, alcohol suppliers commonly earmark a healthy portion of spend (often double-digit percentages of the marketing mix) for in-store sampling and events to engage consumers at the point of purchase (Experiential Marketing Gains Priority as 80% of Companies Increase Budgets, Gradient Reports | Marketing Dive).

Trends in In-Store Activation Spending

Spending on in-store activations and sampling events has been on an upward trend, as experiential marketing gains priority. Pre-pandemic, brands were steadily boosting these investments – for instance, event marketing budgets grew ~5.6% in 2018 on average (). Although COVID-19 temporarily halted in-store tastings in 2020-21, these programs are now making a strong comeback.

Typical Sampling of Vodka

By 2023, many retailers and brands had restarted in-store demos (with safety modifications), responding to consumer enthusiasm for trying products again (How the return of in-store sampling is going over with consumers). Recent data underscores that brands are doubling down on experiential tactics: the majority of companies (80%) increased experiential spend in the last 3 years (Experiential Marketing Gains Priority as 80% of Companies Increase Budgets, Gradient Reports | Marketing Dive) (Experiential Marketing Gains Priority as 80% of Companies Increase Budgets, Gradient Reports | Marketing Dive). In the alcohol sector, this is fueled by the recognition that tasting events drive huge sales lifts – studies show an average 475% same-day sales increase from in-store demos (Credico) (Credico) – and help build long-term brand loyalty. Post-pandemic, marketers are blending in-person sampling with digital elements (e.g. QR codes, data capture) to maximize ROI. Overall, marketing dollars are shifting back into in-store activations, with growth in budgets and renewed focus on live, experiential engagements.

Even as e-commerce grows, alcohol brands see in-store tastings as crucial for product discovery and trial, especially for new or craft offerings. The trend is clear: more marketing dollars are flowing into in-store sampling events year-over-year, re-establishing these activations as a key pillar of beverage marketing strategy (Experiential Marketing Gains Priority as 80% of Companies Increase Budgets, Gradient Reports | Marketing Dive) (Credico).

Typical Sampling Table

Typical Costs of In-Store Sampling Promotions

Executing an in-store tasting campaign involves several cost components. Staffing is the largest expense: brands typically hire brand ambassadors at $25–$35 per hour to run demos (Economics of In-Store Sampling). A standard 2–3 hour tasting in a store means ~$75–$105 in labor per event. In addition, companies often reimburse travel or mileage ($10–$30 per demo) for the demonstrators (Economics of In-Store Sampling).

Another significant cost is the product itself – all the samples poured are essentially product given away (“you are essentially giving away money” in free samples) (Economics of In-Store Sampling). For spirits and wine, this can add up, as a single event might require several bottles for tasting. There are also costs for permits or fees in some states (since alcohol sampling is regulated), and for any display materials or signage to create an attractive tasting station. Sometimes brands work through third-party demo agencies that charge a fixed fee per event, which bundles staffing, logistics, and reporting.

In aggregate, a typical in-store sampling event costs a few hundred dollars all-in. Industry benchmarking shows an average “all-in” cost around $300–$500 per event day for wine/spirits samplings (Experiential Marketing Budget Benchmarks – PortMA). For example, across 24,600 wine tastings analyzed, the average cost was ~$291–$439 per event day (median ~$439) and could range up to ~$900 for high-end activations (Experiential Marketing Budget Benchmarks – PortMA).

On a per-sample basis, alcohol brands often end up paying about $7 to $19 per consumer sampled once all costs are factored in (Liquid to Lips and Alcohol Beverage Marketing –). (In the words of one agency, “liquid to lips is costing brands a minimum of $6.90 to $19.00 per sample”, varying by market (Liquid to Lips and Alcohol Beverage Marketing –).)

By comparison, this can be quite efficient: one report notes you’re paying “less than a dollar per minute of engaged customer attention” in-store – often far cheaper than the cost per click for online ads (Economics of In-Store Sampling) (Economics of In-Store Sampling).

To summarize, brands should expect roughly $150–$300 in staffing and travel, plus product cost and overhead, for each in-store tasting activation, which typically puts total per-event spending in the low hundreds of dollars (Experiential Marketing Budget Benchmarks – PortMA). Large-scale programs with hundreds of events will scale that accordingly in the marketing budget.

Key Players and Agencies in Sampling Events

A number of specialized agencies and service providers facilitate in-store sampling programs for beer, wine, and spirits brands. Many large retail chains partner with demo companies to manage scheduling, compliance, and staffing. For example, H-E-B grocery stores uses an exclusive firm (Quality Demos) to run all in-store samplings in its stores (RETAILERS TAKING MORE CONTROL OF IN-STORE SAMPLING EVENTS), and other supermarket chains have used companies like Mass Connections as third-party coordinators (RETAILERS TAKING MORE CONTROL OF IN-STORE SAMPLING EVENTS). On the brand side, alcohol suppliers often turn to experiential marketing agencies that specialize in beverage promotions:

  • Attack! Marketing – A leading experiential agency that runs alcohol sampling campaigns nationwide. Attack highlights that sampling can boost same-day sales by 475%, and notes 92% of customers who sample a wine at an event will repurchase it later (Beverage & Alcohol Marketing Agency). They provide event staffing and demo coordination for many beverage clients.
  • Hire Dragons (Dragon Spirits Marketing) – A “national tastings and brand activations agency” focused on the beverage industry (Tastings and Brand Activations Agency | Hire Dragons). Hire Dragons manages thousands of tasting events for spirits, beer, and wine brands, offering a turnkey solution (staffing, data capture, etc.) for retail sampling. They boast being trusted by over 500 beverage brands (Tastings and Brand Activations Agency | Hire Dragons).
  • ATN Event Staffing – A staffing agency with a division dedicated to liquor samplings and bar promotions, supplying trained, charismatic brand ambassadors to pour samples and engage shoppers (Alcohol Promotions | Bar Events | Liquor Samplings). Agencies like ATN maintain networks of TIPS-certified promo staff in all major markets to execute in-store tastings.
  • PortMA (Portland Marketing Analytics) – Not an event agency but a key player in providing research and benchmarking for sampling events. PortMA’s reports (covering wine, whiskey, beer, etc.) are used by agencies and brands to gauge performance and ROI of sampling campaigns (Wine Event Sampling – Experiential Marketing Benchmarks – PortMA) (Bourbon & Whiskey Sampling Experiential Marketing Benchmarks (Reach, Impact, and ROI)). Their data-driven insights influence how brands plan and budget in-store activations.

In addition, big consumer product demo companies like Advantage Solutions and Crossmark have alcohol sampling divisions, given their relationships with retail stores. And many distributors or brokers also assist with tastings (for instance, Southern Glazer’s and Breakthru Beverage employ in-store demo reps for the brands they carry). The trade associations (e.g. Wine Institute, Beer Institute, DISCUS) don’t run tastings but do set guidelines and training for responsible sampling practices (Beverage and Liquor Sampling: What You Need to Know – Auctus Agency) (Beverage and Liquor Sampling: What You Need to Know – Auctus Agency).

Overall, the landscape of facilitators ranges from boutique promo agencies focused on craft brands, to large-scale field marketing companies that execute thousands of demos for industry giants. These players handle the logistics – recruiting and training staff, securing store permissions, ensuring legal compliance (ID checks, sample size limits), and reporting results. The involvement of specialized agencies underscores the importance and scale of in-store tastings: brands are willing to invest in expert partners to maximize the impact of these sampling events, which remain a cornerstone of alcohol marketing strategy.

Sources:

CategoriesSpirits Marketing
By Shared Spirits

Liquid to Lips Marketing. Drizly and Venmo met. They mixed it up in a cocktail called Shared Spirits!

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