Watchlist
A watchlist is a BevAlc Intelligence Pro feature that allows subscribers to monitor specific companies, brands, or categories and receive automated email alerts when new COLA activity matching their criteria is detected.
In Plain English
The watchlist is like setting up a Google Alert but specifically for beverage alcohol market activity. Pro subscribers can add specific company names, brand names, or categories to their watchlist. When BevAlc Intelligence detects new COLA filings that match any of their watched items, the system automatically sends an email alert. This means service providers do not need to manually search the database every day. Instead, they can set up their watchlists once and receive notifications whenever a company they are tracking files a new label, or when new activity appears in a category they are interested in. Watchlists are especially powerful for tracking competitors, monitoring potential clients, and staying on top of category trends.
Technical Detail
Watchlist data is stored in the watchlist table with columns for email, type (brand or company), and value (the brand name or company name to monitor). The alert system runs daily via the send_watchlist_alerts.py script scheduled at 11:30am ET. The script queries the colas table for filings with recent approval dates, matches them against all active watchlist entries using case-insensitive pattern matching, and sends personalized email alerts to each user with matches. Emails are sent through the Resend API using templates from the emails/templates/ directory. Users can manage their watchlist entries through the account page at /account.html and the /api/watchlist endpoints.
Why It Matters
The watchlist feature converts BevAlc Intelligence from a search tool into a monitoring system. For service providers, the ability to automatically track prospective clients, existing customers, and competitors without daily manual searches is the primary value of the Pro subscription. Watchlist alerts ensure that users are notified of new market activity within 24 hours of data ingestion, giving them a time advantage over competitors who rely on manual research or less frequent data sources.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
How many items can I add to my watchlist?
Pro subscribers can add multiple brands and companies to their watchlist. There is no strict limit, though the system is designed for focused monitoring of items directly relevant to your business rather than broad category watching.
How quickly do watchlist alerts arrive after a new filing?
Watchlist alerts are sent daily at 11:30am ET. When new data is ingested (typically the previous evening), any matches to active watchlists trigger alerts the following morning. This provides next-day notification of new market activity.
Is the watchlist feature available to free users?
No. The watchlist is a Pro-only feature available to subscribers at $99/month. Free users can search the database manually with a 2-month data delay but cannot set up automated monitoring.