Overview
Flaviar Checkout offers the most comprehensive fulfillment offering in the alcohol ecommerce industry, inclusive of a network of retailers with wide shipping coverage, managed fulfillment centers for custom requests and merch fulfillment, and an additional local delivery network via our partnership with GoPuff.
Our different fulfillment models are structured to meet the full spectrum of white label DTC needs for alcohol suppliers. For every client, we seek to develop a custom fulfillment strategy based on your distribution and ecommerce goals.
This document outlines the key differences between each model. Our team is always available to help guide you towards the model that best fits your ecommerce strategy.
Hybrid Fulfillment
For clients that want to leverage the best of both managed and network fulfillment, Hybrid Fulfillment is available - starting at $999/mo for new clients.
Hybrid Fulfillment is a combination of both warehouse-fulfilled orders and retailer-fulfilled orders. Order routing can be configured on a per SKU, per state basis so that - for example - we can have certain items fulfilled by our warehouses only (e.g. LTOs, merchandise) and other items routed to the closest retailer (e.g. widely-distributed evergreen items). In the hybrid model, the costs and policies of the order’s fulfiller will apply - see the below comparison for details.
Brands with medium-to-high sales volume in either model will benefit from hybrid fulfillment when:
Optimized fulfillment is needed for widely-distributed evergreen SKUs, but…
More control of the customer experience is desired for LTOs and/or merchandise.
Reach out to your account manager for more information.
Model Comparison
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| Managed Fulfillment Warehouse-fulfilled orders (formerly Speakeasy) | Network Fulfillment Retailer-fulfilled orders |
Overview | The primary benefit of each fulfillment model. | Value proposition: Custom fulfillment, merchandise fulfillment, more inventory control, and more flexibility with retail pricing.
Best for: - Brands that want merchandise fulfilled in the same package as alcohol - Brands that want a centralized fulfillment solution that can cater to a variety of custom requests (e.g. unique packaging, kitting, etc.) - Brands that want more control over the customer experience or inventory management | Value proposition: Shorter delivery times and lower costs.
Best for: - Established brands with widely distributed evergreen SKUs - Small-to-midsize brands that are new to ecommerce - Brands that want to optimize costs above custom fulfillment |
Retailer Locations (Distribution Required) | The states in which our retailers are located. Brand distribution in the retailer’s state is required to utilize each option. | California, Washington DC | Primary fulfillment* (most available states can be reached): California, Illinois New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington DC
*Distribution in at least one of these markets is required for Network Fulfillment
Secondary fulfillment (limited states can be reached): Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan
Clients on the Silver plan level (previously Core) are limited to 2 retailers.
Local delivery fulfillment via GoPuff: ~400 retail locations in 38 states (participation subject to GoPuff approval; only available on Gold or Platinum plans) |
Monthly Service Fees | The cost of Flaviar Checkout’s services, including order management, customer support, technical integration and service, account management, and data access. | Starting at $999/mo, with opportunities to drop as low as $699/mo based on sales volume | Starting at $499/mo |
Shipping Rates | Brands will pay the difference between these rates and what the customer paid on the order. | UPS-fulfilled orders: $21.75 + variable fuel surcharge
GLS-fulfilled orders: variable with averages typically between $17-$19 | Orders above $44: $14.99 Orders below $44: $19.99
*These rates will increase to $19.99 flat rate on all orders on June 1st, 2025.
Local delivery fees with GoPuff: $6.95 |
Shipping Carriers | The shipping carriers that the fulfiller uses on most orders. | UPS for most of the country
GLS for west coast and southwestern states
No other regional carriers are used regularly | UPS and FedEx for most of the country California retailers typically use
GLS for west coast and southwestern states
No other regional carriers are used regularly |
Available Shipping States | The states that orders can be delivered to. | Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., Wisconsin | The list will vary based on the brand’s distribution and the retailers in the brand’s distributed states.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois (intrastate only), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts (intrastate only), Michigan (intrastate only), Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
Fulfillment Fees | The labor and materials cost to fulfill each order. | $6 per order | N/A. Retailers retain a higher margin to cover these costs. |
Custom Fulfillment Requests | The cost per order or per project to handle non-standard fulfillment requests, such as kitting. | Variable per request. We will put together a scope of work that outlines the request, the materials needed, the estimated labor and time needed per unit, and the associated costs. | N/A. Retailers will not accept custom fulfillment requests. |
Refundable Launch Fee | The amount of funds held to maintain desired inventory levels, refundable upon contract termination (net any costs owed to Flaviar, including the cost to purchase or destroy remaining inventory). | Variable based on the amount of inventory that the brand wants to keep in stock, while also considering sales velocity. | N/A. Retailers take full risk on all inventory and make independent inventory decisions. |
Inventory Management | How much inventory the fulfiller is able to keep on hand at any given time. | While the brand has more input over total inventory, the amount of inventory per SKU held must match that product’s past 30-45 day sales volume.
For new clients, the initial purchase order is limited to 10 cases per SKU. | Retailers are expected to hold inventory based on the past 30 days sales per SKU. For products with the major distributors, they may hold less if they receive multiple deliveries per week.
For new brands that do not yet have any ecommerce sales data, retailers will hold one case per SKU until sales data is established. |
SKU Limits | The total number of SKUs allowed to be enabled for online sales at any given time. | Dependent on plan level: - Gold: 8 - Platinum: 12 | Dependent on plan level: - Silver: 5 - Gold: 8 - Platinum: 12 |
Required Retailer Margin | The standard gross margin that the fulfilling retailer makes. The retail price for all products sold through Flaviar Checkout must allow for the retailer to make this margin. | 22.9% | 30% |
Retail Markup Credits | Credits provided back to the brand if there is additional profit above the required retailer margin. | Credits are applied as part of monthly reconciliation. If costs owed to Flaviar exceed the credits, the credits will apply as a discount to the monthly bill. | N/A. If products are priced above 30% margin (uncommon and not required), the additional margin is retained by the retailer as profit. |
Consumer Discounts | Discounts applied to orders via discount codes or custom shipping rates. | Brand pays, reconciled monthly. | Brand pays, reconciled weekly (reconciled monthly for hybrid clients). |
Order Incidentals | Cost coverage for reshipments, refunds, and order disputes (excluding instances where the fulfiller is at fault). | Brand pays, except for instances where the order was improperly packaged or shipped. | Retailer pays, except for production issues. |
Merchandise Fulfillment | Fulfillment of non-alcoholic goods, such as apparel, glassware, or non-alcoholic beverages. | Available.
Orders with alcohol and merchandise will ship in the same package.
22.9% margin, additional storage fees, and SKU limits apply. | The brand must either fulfill merchandise themselves or bring their own 3PL.
Orders with alcohol and merchandise will be split post-purchase into two separate orders.
Brand receives funds from merch sales directly.
See here for more information. |
Shopify App Charges | Additional charges for Shopify apps that the brand chooses to use in their store. | Brand pays, reconciled monthly. | Brand pays, reconciled monthly. |