Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does DRINKS ASSURE do? 

DRINKS ASSURE brings wineries and retailers peace of mind through real-time tax and compliance plus accurate on-demand reporting — removing barriers to entry to growing ecommerce wine/beer/spirits sales and reaching customers across the country. With DRINKS ASSURE, wineries and retailers can host their online stores with Shopify and tap into thousands of apps, process payments, integrate Point of Sale systems, offer personalized wine clubs, and much more to provide customers better experiences that increase the bottom line.

 

How does DRINKS ASSURE work?

DRINKS ASSURE integrates within Shopify Plus stores to provide real-time alcohol tax and compliance. Once installed, DRINKS ASSURE allows you to prompt shoppers for their age and Date of Birth, filter non-compliant wines for each shopper, calculate taxes in real-time through the Shopify shopping cart, and generate reports for regulatory filings. Recognizing that every merchant is unique, DRINKS ASSURE was developed with flexibility in mind and allows you to tailor each compliance setting to your specific needs.

 

How do I get started with DRINKS ASSURE?

Add DRINKS ASSURE in the Shopify app store. Once the app is installed, there are a few additional steps to get your store up and running:

• Step 1: Configure DRINKS ASSURE

• Step 2: Activate App Embeds

• Step 3: Enable DRINKS ASSURE Tax Service

 

How do I submit issues or enhancement requests?

• Streamlined Merchant Support:
  • Our new ticketing system ensures that your queries and requests are addressed swiftly and efficiently.
  • Submit a ticket: https://support.drinks.com/tickets

Can DRINKS ASSURE adjust what wines are available based on shipping state?

DRINKS ASSURE dynamically filters your product catalog for every shopper and can restrict ineligible alcohol from being added to the shopping cart or hold non-compliant orders for manual review. This functionality is controlled within Shopify and can be customized to address your needs.

 

Can I add new states after the initial setup?

Yes, new delivery states can be added at any time in the “Configuring States” section

 

Does DRINKS ASSURE support the sales of products in both single bottle and pack quantities?

Yes, the Products Tab allows the configuration of single bottles, multi-bottle packs, and different variations (i.e. 750 mL and 1,500 mL) for each product.

If you are using a different bundling app in Shopify to create your Packs from individual SKUs, you will need to add these Packs to the Products Tab in DRINKS ASSURE to ensure proper reporting and tax calculation.

 

What kinds of reports are available?

Detailed report generation for state tax filings, including aggregate volume by state and state summary reports including sales, credits, and returns.

 

How can merchants see which compliance rules are active?

The Compliance Rules Tab shows which pre-configured compliance rules are Active, Partially Active, or Inactive. Clicking on a section allows you to configure compliance rules for each state. For example, if State Specific Notifications is showing Partially Active click on that heading to see which state or states are toggled off.

DRINKS ASSURE allows merchants to configure each compliance setting to meet its unique needs. If those needs change over time, be sure to update your Compliance Rules to reflect your current compliance procedures.

 

Why do merchants have to change their Tax Provider to use DRINKS ASSURE?

DRINKS partnered with Shopify to enable real-time tax and compliance fully embedded within a native Shopify checkout experience. This deep integration requires merchants to use the DRINKS ASSURE tax service to process every order in real-time – allowing customers to adjust non-compliant orders before they are submitted to your business.

 

Can DRINKS ASSURE calculate taxes for non-alcohol items?

Yes, DRINKS ASSURE now supports non-alcohol items, like branded t-shirts. 

 

What if I have a compliance question?

Each merchants' compliance and shipping situation is unique, and the DRINKS team will happily provide guidance on how to set up DRINKS ASSURE to accurately reflect your compliance model.

Please note that DRINKS does not provide compliance, tax, or legal advice. While the DRINKS team can explain what each field in the app does, a winery or retailer may want to choose its own configurations or overrides.

 

What compliance is handled on the backend? What can be overridden?

DRINKS ASSURE provides hundreds of pre-configured compliance rules that can all be adjusted to reflect your  unique compliance setup, including:

• State-specific notifications (e.g. California Prop 65)
• Dry zip code enforcements
• Volume limits per order
• Volume limits per customer
• State product enforcements
• Enforce age verification (at checkout)

 

How are tax calculations updated?

DRINKS regularly watches for local and state tax rate changes to help wineries and retailers accurately collect and remit applicable taxes. DRINKS ASSURE updates tax tables as expeditiously as commercially possible. These changes are done automatically unless manually overridden for a state.

 

How is reporting to the states handled with DRINKS ASSURE?

DRINKS ASSURE does currently supports state reporting but not auto-file. An integrated solution with Ship Compliant is now available within DRINKS ASSURE. Please contact us to get this integration enabled.

 

Does DRINKS ASSURE work on all Shopify Stores? 

Currently, the DRINKS App requires Shopify Plus to work properly. We are working on a solution for non Plus stores.

 

How is Age verification handled at checkout?  

DRINKS ASSURE helps ensure that every sale is legal and compliant. Merchants have several options they can enable to ensure customers are of legal drinking age:

• Age verification popup when new shoppers enter the store
• Date of Birth collection during account creation
• Date of Birth collection during checkout
• Configurable 3rd party, state-approved, age verification solution at checkout. Age verification is configurable by state (turn it on or off) and is performed in real-time while the customer is completing the checkout process. While this age verification tool is not required by all states, the tool can be utilized for all sales.

 

Does DRINKS ASSURE support state reporting? 

DRINKS ASSURE generates a monthly report which contains all information required for State Sales/Use Tax and DTC reporting.

 

Do you provide an auto-file service?  

No, not at this time. Please contact your DRINKS representative to discuss integration options with your current filing provider or recommendations.

 

How does DRINKS ASSURE supplement product data from Shopify with alcohol-specific data that enables accurate tax calculation and compliance checks? 

Shopify remains your master database of product information. DRINKS ASSURE automatically pulls in your products and supplements standard product data with alcohol compliance information (i.e. ABV, volume). This compliance information remains only in DRINKS ASSURE. 

 

Does DRINKS ASSURE provide localization support for multi-language/multi-currency?  

DRINKS ASSURE supports merchants specifically for sales to the US market.

 

Does DRINKS ASSURE work with native subscription apps?  

DRINKS ASSURE accommodates a growing list of subscription apps. Each app implements subscriptions in a unique way, and we’re happy to configure DRINKS ASSURE to accommodate your company’s setup. Please contact us to discuss your specific configuration.

 

Can I use ShipCompliant’s Auto-filing with DRINKS ASSURE?   

Yes, DRINKS ASSURE has a fully automated process for merchants for fulfillment and/or filing.  

With this integration, by using DRINKS ASSURE for Shopify, wineries and alcohol retailers benefit from:

• Real-time tax calculations and compliance checks during checkout.
• Ability to seamlessly route orders to most alcohol-specific fulfillment houses. 
• Automatic order data flow to ShipCompliant AutoFile for state required filings.

Please contact us for more information.

Is DRINKS ASSURE available for merchants who sell wine?  

Yes, DRINKS ASSURE supports licensed producers and retailers in a wide range of licensing and shipping configurations. Please get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss your company’s compliance configuration. 

 

Is DRINKS ASSURE available for merchants who sell spirits?  

DRINKS ASSURE supports spirits retailers today. Support for spirits producers (distillers) is coming soon.