• Back to Reducing the risk

    • Online alcohol delivery

    Document: Mini Bulletin: Online alcohol delivery

    pdf

    340.0 KB

    In recent years we’ve seen a rapid growth in Australians using online alcohol delivery services, with more people jumping on their mobile device to purchase beer, wine or spirits.1

    Existing alcohol retailers have responded by increasing their ability to sell drinks online and deliver them straight to people’s doorsteps.2

    And, a number of new companies have pushed their way into the online delivery marketplace.2

    Alcohol delivery

    Revenue from online alcohol sales has increased at an average of 19.1% each year since 2016, hitting $1.8 billion in 2021.3

    Although evidence around the impact of online alcohol delivery is limited, health organisations are concerned about the potential for it to increase alcohol-related harms.

    This is largely because these services are not regulated as strictly as traditional alcohol outlets,2 and there are worries that:

    • underage drinkers are receiving alcohol without proper ID checks
    • home delivery has the potential to increase the risk of secondary supply and young people’s exposure to alcohol products, normalising alcohol as part of everyday life
    • delivery services are being used to extend heavy drinking occasions that otherwise would have ended
    • risky drinkers, including those experiencing alcohol dependence, are using online delivery to access alcohol quickly and easily.2-4

    How does online alcohol delivery work?

    The online delivery market is dominated by the large supermarket chains, as well as several smaller independent companies.

    READ MORE

    What are the potential harms of online delivery?

    Concerns have been raised about online delivery services not checking IDs properly when dropping off alcohol at someone’s doorstep, or when the original purchase is made online.

    READ MORE

    What would good practice look like?

    There have been a number of suggestions put forward by key health organisations and public health advocates that could reduce the potential for some harms associated with online alcohol delivery...

    READ MORE
    1. Colbert S, Thornton L, Richmond R. Content analysis of websites selling alcohol online in Australia. Drug and alcohol review [Internet]. 2020 [12.01.2022]; 39(2):[162-9 pp.].
    2. Mojica-Perez Y, Callinan S, Livingston M. Alcohol home delivery services: an investigation of use and risks. Centre for Alcohol Policy Research and Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education; 2019.
    3. Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education (FARE). Online & delivered alcohol during covid-19 2021
    4. Alcohol Change Vic. Online sale and home delivery of alcohol: measures to prevent harm in Victorian communities. 2020.
    5. Roy Morgan. Online alcohol sales soar in 2020, but will this market continue to grow in a post-COVID environment? 2021 [17.01.2022].
    6. FARE. An alcohol ad every 35 seconds. A snapshot of how the alcohol industry is using a global pandemic as a marketing opportunity. Cancer Council WA; 2020.
    7. Farrugia C, Hinkley T. Alcohol-related harm in families and alcohol consumption during COVID-19. Australian Institute of Family Studies; 2021.
    8. World Health Organization. Child maltreatment and alcohol. Geneva; 2006.
    9. Neave M, Faulkner P, Nicholson T,. Royal Commission into Family Violence: Summary and recommendations. Victorian Government; 2016.
    10. Guerin N, White V. ASSAD 2017 Statistics & Trends: Australian Secondary Students’ Use of Tobacco, Alcohol, Over-the-counter Drugs, and Illicit Substances. Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer: Cancer Council Victoria; 2020.
    11. Amiri S, Behnezhad S. Alcohol use and risk of suicide: a systematic review and Meta-analysis. Journal of addictive diseases. 2020;38(2):200-13.
    12. Mayshak R, Curtis A, Coomber K, Tonner L, Walker A, Hyder S, et al. Alcohol-involved family and domestic violence reported to police in Australia. Journal of interpersonal violence. 2020:0886260520928633.
    13. Scott D, Ogeil RP, Maoyeri F, Heilbronn C, Coomber K, Smith K, et al. Alcohol accessibility and family violence-related ambulance attendances. Journal of interpersonal violence. 2021:0886260520986262.
    14. Witt K, Lubman DI. Effective suicide prevention: Where is the discussion on alcohol? Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2018;52(6):507-8.
    15. World Health Organization. Global status report on alcohol and health 2018. Geneva: WHO; 2018.
    16. VicHealth. On-demand alcohol delivery services and risky drinking. 2020.
    17. Australian Government Department of Health. Alcohol laws in Australia [updated 3 December 2020] [17.02.2022].
    18. IBISWorld. Online Beer, Wine and Liquor Sales in Australia - Market Research Report Online 2021 [03.03.2022].
    19. World Health Organization Management of Substance Abuse Unit. Global status report on alcohol and health, 2014. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
    20. Elder RW, Lawrence B, Ferguson A, Naimi TS, Brewer RD, Chattopadhyay SK, et al. The Effectiveness of Tax Policy Interventions for Reducing Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Related Harms. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2010;38(2):217-29.

    21. Carragher N, Chalmers J. What are the Options? Pricing and Taxation Policy Reforms to Redress Excessive Alcohol Consumption and Related Harms in Australia. Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research; 2011.

    22. Boniface S, Scannell JW, Marlow S. Evidence for the effectiveness of minimum pricing of alcohol: a systematic review and assessment using the Bradford Hill criteria for causality. BMJ Open. 2017;7(5).

    23. Gruenewald PJ, Ponicki WR, Holder HD, Romelsjö A. Alcohol Prices, Beverage Quality, and the Demand for Alcohol: Quality Substitutions and Price Elasticities. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research [Internet]. 2006 [28.02.2022]; 30(1):[96-105 pp.].

    24. Wagenaar AC, Salois MJ, Komro KA. Effects of beverage alcohol price and tax levels on drinking: a meta-analysis of 1003 estimates from 112 studies. Addiction [Internet]. 2009 [28.02.2022]; 104(2):[179-90 pp.].

    25. Taylor N, Miller P, Coomber K, Livingston M, Scott D, Buykx P et al. The impact of a minimum unit price on wholesale alcohol supply trends in the Northern Territory, Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health [Internet]. 2021 [03.03.2022]; 45(1):[26-33 pp.].

    26. Callinan S, Room R, Livingston M, Jiang H. Who Purchases Low-Cost Alcohol in Australia? Alcohol and Alcoholism [Internet]. 2015 [03.03.2022]; 50(6):[647-53 pp.].

    27. Poynton S, Donnelly N. Temporal and Regional Aspects of Alcohol-Related Violence and Disorder. Alcohol Studies Bulletin. 2001;1.

    28. Darke S, Duflou J, Torok M. Toxicology and Circumstances of Completed Suicide by Means Other than Overdose*. Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2009;54(2):490-4.

    29. Mäkelä P, Warpenius K. Night-time is the right time? Late-night drinking and assaults in Finnish public and private settings. Drug and Alcohol Review [Internet]. 2020 [23.02.2022]; 39(4):[321-9 pp.].

    30. Fone D, Morgan J, Fry R, Rodgers S, Orford S, Farewell D, et al. Public Health Research. 2016  [cited 24.02.2022]. In: Change in alcohol outlet density and alcohol-related harm to population health (CHALICE): a comprehensive record-linked database study in Wales [Internet]. Southampton (UK): NIHR Journals Library, [cited 24.02.2022].

    31. Ziller A. Online retail of alcohol, some dilemmas for professional SIA practice. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal. 2018;36(5):383-9.

    Last updated: 15 May 2024