Founded in 1888, McCarthy Liquors has been providing its customers with top-notch delivery service for over 130 years. A true pioneer in the industry, they’ve been paving the way for excellent home delivery since 1915. The shop delighted their customers in their first delivery vehicle: a horse and wagon.

McCarthy’s unrivaled commitment to efficient and courteous delivery service is in their blood, earning the iconic liquor store an In a Jiffy Award in Drizly’s 2021 Top Shelf Retailer Awards.

“I’m a fourth-generation McCarthy to all McCarthy Brothers Liquors. So we’ve been in business, in the same location, since 1888. I’ve been managing the store for 45 years, since my dad retired in 1982, taking it over in 2016,” recalls store owner Richard McCarthy.

Elevating Delivery Service to the Next Level

The longest-running family business in the oldest neighborhood in Boston, McCarthy has developed the right formula for success. It all starts with the highest standard in serving their customers with the fastest home delivery service. A 9.9 store rating on the Drizly network reaffirms McCarthy Liquors’ unwavering commitment to the customer and the community. 

The game-changing decision to join Drizly boosted the trajectory of the business. At the time, stagnant growth, an influx of big box stores moving into the area, and a call-in delivery service offering that got bogged down in major traffic delays was starting to take a toll. McCarthy couldn’t help but think ahead to retirement. 

A visit from one of Drizly’s founders and a Boston-based area manager changed all of that. “Without Drizly coming on board, I doubt I’d be there. I may have sold it,” says McCarthy. “Our online business was small and Drizly grew it. Every week, every month, it really kept growing for us. It’s allowed us to see a [brighter] future here. We don’t get up in the morning worrying about the big box stores moving into our area. We get up in the morning excited about how many orders we’re going to get.”

The insights available from Drizly’s e-commerce system provides the team with a unique view into the customer placing each order. This enables a more personalized experience and a greater focus on building genuine relationships with each customer – hardly a common occurrence at the big box stores in the Boston area they are winning new business from.

“We can see when an order comes in if it’s a regular Drizly customer or a brand-new customer placing an order at the store for the first time. So, we can prioritize certain orders and get that out there first,” says McCarthy. “We know that the great customer service [we provide] comes back to us and [generates] repeat business. I think around 75 percent or more of our orders are repeat customers.”

Meeting the Moment

The Covid-19 pandemic challenged McCarthy’s team with an influx in delivery orders that they would never have been able to accommodate without the Drizly platform. 

“At the height of the pandemic, every day’s [volume] was Christmas Eve. Business was up 200 percent. 60 percent of that business was Drizly,” says McCarthy. “We were so busy; we didn’t have time to think. I was so proud of my team. Everyone gave it everything they had, going nonstop, open to close. That’s when I knew I had to add to our delivery vehicle fleet.”

That fortified fleet features three electric vehicles fully wrapped in the Drizly logo. This strategy encourages people to place their orders for the store through the  Drizly app.

Keeping it all in the family, Richard McCarthy Jr. will undoubtedly take over when the time comes, as the fifth generation in the family to carry the mantle. 

“[Rich Jr.] manages our delivery business. He’s tech-savvy, has the right personality, and our customers love him,” says McCarthy. “He wants to keep this business going [in the right direction]. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve been successful. This is the future owner of the business doing most of the deliveries. I know my father would be proud of him.”