For any cidery, data is more than a back-end detail, it’s a foundation for smarter decisions in your sales. Leaning into key metrics to build lasting, scalable brands is important, and Cider Business heard from many cider producers on what they focus on to improve their retail sales. Here are five key metrics that these cideries are using to inform their business decisions and gain traction in a crowded market.
Sales Velocity & Depletions
Understanding how quickly cider moves off shelves and through distributor pipelines is fundamental to making production and marketing decisions.
“The metrics we watch most closely are velocity by SKU and location, as well as depletion rates from our distributor,” said Tristan Wright, founder and president of Lost Boy Cider. “We recently changed packaging for one of our best-sellers, Wingman, based on retailer feedback … which improved reorders.”
At 2 Towns Ciderhouse, tracking sales velocity isn’t just about volume. It’s about how that velocity converts to meaningful revenue.
“We track our sales velocity from both a volume and revenue perspective,” said Aaron Sarnoff-Wood, co-founder and VP of sales. “Differing brands have different profit potentials, so increasing volume of the wrong brand doesn’t necessarily benefit the business.”
City Orchard co-founder Patrick Kwiatkowski added that repeated movement of product is a sign of true traction.
“Repeat purchases and velocity are the most important metrics that we track — on and off-premise,” he said. “That second purchase tells you a lot about your product and your sales team.”
Packaging Impact & Retailer Feedback
Smart packaging changes, which can be informed by direct input from your sales accounts, can drive increased sales and improved placement.
Wright said Lost Boy Cider streamlined its packaging and shifted from 6-packs to 4-packs for Wingman while making its “no sugar added” positioning more visible.
“We adapted packaging formats … based on what we’ve heard from the ground,” added Charles Talbott of Talbott’s Cider. “When we align with what buyers and customers are looking for, we see a noticeable uptick in sell-through.”
Distributor and retailer feedback also helps guide pricing and promotional adjustments.
“We’ve tweaked pricing strategies and refined promotional efforts,” Talbott said, noting that listening to partners on the sales frontlines pays off immensely.
Regional & Account Performance
Market-level data helps cideries target resources to where they’ll have the greatest impact.
“We closely track regional performance to guide decisions around production and marketing,” Talbott said.
For smaller cideries, focusing on specific regions or event-based selling has proven effective. “Being as young and small as we are, it is pretty simple — we look at which markets and events were most successful the previous year,” said Bleeker Wheeler, co-founder of Watson Wheeler Cider in Vermont. “We continue to target those, as well as other similar events.”
READ MORE: Creating Strategic Cider Inventory & Production Planning
That regional focus also drives account-level strategy. Watson Wheeler self-distributes, and Wheeler said expanding reach through tastings and new accounts remains a key priority.
SKU Strategy
Many have learned that more isn’t always better. Instead, smarter SKU management can unlock compounding returns.
“We’ve found an additive effect when multiple SKUs are available within an account,” Sarnoff-Wood said. “Certain brands perform best when sold adjacent to others within our portfolio.”
This attention to SKU density — the number of products carried by a single retail account — ensures that 2 Towns maximizes every placement while maintaining control over brand portfolio growth.
External Benchmarking
While internal metrics offer immediate insights, the broader context is also key. Sarnoff-Wood noted that 2 Towns uses syndicated data tools like Nielsen and Circana to assess how the cidery stacks up against competitors and tracks cider’s performance compared to other alcoholic beverage categories.
He added that these tools allow cideries to see emerging trends, gaps in the market, and areas where they’re gaining or losing ground, which can help inform strategic pivots or investments.
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