AI ANALYTICS
AI depletion analytics for beverage alcohol brands
AI depletion analytics means asking plain-language questions of your distributor depletion reports (what distributors sell to retail and on-premise accounts) and getting computed answers. BevBeacon does this for beer, wine and spirits brands: upload your distributor depletion and sales exports, ask a question, and get a table you can check and export.
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What files can BevBeacon analyze?
BevBeacon reads CSV, Excel (.xlsx), JSON, text, Markdown and text-based PDF files. Older .xls workbooks and scanned PDFs without a text layer aren’t read, so save a workbook as .xlsx first.
Upload the exports you already get, such as distributor depletion reports or accounting exports. BevBeacon has no direct connection to VIP or iDIG; it works from files you upload. VIP and iDIG are trademarks of Vermont Information Processing, which is not affiliated with BevBeacon.
BevBeacon keeps each original file exactly as uploaded.
How does BevBeacon handle case equivalents, kegs and returns?
One depletion report can mix physical cases, kegs and bottles. What counts as a depletion also varies by distributor; some include breakage, samples or returns and some don’t. BevBeacon’s analysis is instructed to handle these cases as follows.
| In your report | Instructed handling |
|---|---|
| Beer packages such as 24/12, 4/6/12oz or 12/16 | Convert to case equivalents (CE). 1 CE = 24 × 12 fl oz = 2.25 US gallons. |
| Kegs such as 1/2 BBL, 1/6 BBL or 50 L | Convert by keg size. A 1/2 BBL keg holds 15.5 gallons, or 6.89 CE. |
| Wine and spirits | Count in 9-liter cases (12 × 750 mL), kept apart from beer CE. |
| Pack notation such as 12PK or 12OZ | Read 12PK as a count of units and 12OZ as the size of each unit. |
| Returns and credits | Keep as negative volume. |
| Keg and bottle deposits | Exclude from volume. Deposits are money, not liquid. |
| Breakage, samples and transfers | Don’t count as depletions. |
| Any correction it makes | List it next to the original value in the answer’s details. |
Full conversion tables are in Case equivalents. The step-by-step checklist is in How to read a depletion report.
What can I ask about my depletions?
Pick one of four starting actions, or type your own question.
| Kind of question | Example you could type |
|---|---|
| Find opportunities | Which accounts ordered our IPA last year but not in the last 90 days? |
| Review an account | What has Example Tavern bought from us this year, by package, in CE? |
| Compare performance | How do depletions compare by distributor and package, this year vs. last year? |
| See what changed | What changed between last month’s report and this month’s? |
Choose which sources each question uses. Sources outside the selection aren’t used.
Your team’s rules are included by default, and you can untick them for a single question. Rules come in four types: Focus, Always, Never and Definition.
When a question ranks accounts, the analysis is instructed to use your team’s opportunity score and to skip and note signals your data can’t support.
What does an answer look like?
Answers come back as a computed table. The table, each view and the CSV export all come from the same saved result. Each result shows its method and the version of each source it used, so you can check how a number was reached.
| View | Shows |
|---|---|
| Table | The rows and columns of the result |
| Tiles | The figures for one row |
| Bars | One bar per group |
| Trend | Change over time |
| Compare | Two measures side by side |
| Pivot | Groups across dates, shaded |
| CSV export | The same result as a file |
What happens when next month’s report arrives?
Upload next month’s export as a new version of the same report. BevBeacon keeps both versions exactly as uploaded, so you can compare them or go back. Earlier conversations stay pinned to the versions they used, so their answers don’t change.
Save a question as a View to keep its sources and instructions. Set it to use the newest version, and it opens with next month’s report and the same instructions. Views can be private or shared with your organization.
Can BevBeacon match the same account across distributors?
The same bar can appear as “Example Tavern” in one distributor’s file and “EXAMPLE TAVERN LLC” in another. BevBeacon links the two only on strong evidence. When a match is unclear and would change the answer, it asks you; otherwise it leaves them unmatched. Your answer is remembered, and when both files carry a unique account ID it can also apply to later versions of those reports.
Can I add market data?
Yes, optionally. BevBeacon’s own market data is U.S. product-availability listings for the brands BevBeacon tracks, currently mostly beer, at accounts in your BevBeacon territories. You can add it to a question as a separate source from your sales data. Coverage varies by brand and market, and availability is not a sale. See availability vs. sales.
Comparing with ChatGPT?
See BevBeacon vs. ChatGPT, or work in ChatGPT directly with Can ChatGPT analyze a depletion report? ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI. BevBeacon is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by OpenAI.
See it on your own reports
Tell us which distributor reports you work with and the questions you ask each month, and we’ll set up AI access for your team.
Connect with usWhat doesn’t BevBeacon do?
- It has no direct connection to distributor portals or retail scan data. Your sales data comes from files you upload.
- Its analysis is AI following written instructions, not fixed code. Review the corrections it lists.
- Results are capped at 500 rows and 24 columns.
- It doesn’t send scheduled reports. Open a View or ask again when a new report arrives.
- AI access is set up with the BevBeacon team.
Sources
- Dimensional Insight, What’s the Difference Between Shipments, Depletions, and Sell-Through—and Why It Matters (depletions: distributor to retailer).
- Dimensional Insight, Challenges with Distributor Data Reporting (what counts as a depletion varies between distributors).
- 27 CFR 25.11, Meaning of terms (barrel = 31 US gallons).
- 27 CFR 25.156, Determination of tax on keg beer (authorized fractional barrels, incl. 1/2 and 1/6; 50 L kegs).
- NBWA, Industry Fast Facts (one barrel = 31 gallons or 13.78 24/12 case equivalents).
- Small Batch Standard, Case Equivalents (a CE is 24 × 12 oz; 1/2 BBL = 6.89 CE).
- Wine Spectator, When Wine Spectator lists a wine’s production volume, are these 6-bottle cases or 12-bottle cases? (9-liter units, the equivalent of 12 × 750 mL).
- American Craft Spirits Association, Proof Gallons to Cases (a case is 12 750 mL bottles, 9 liters).
- OpenAI Help Center, Data analysis with ChatGPT (read September 28, 2026).
- OpenAI Help Center, Projects in ChatGPT (read September 28, 2026).
- OpenAI Help Center, File uploads FAQ (file size limits and supported file types; read September 28, 2026).
- OpenAI Help Center, Connected apps in ChatGPT (read September 28, 2026).
- BevBeacon, How to read a distributor depletion report and Case equivalents (unit conversions and their sources).