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At VineSpring, we think about craft commerce all day, every day. As DTC commerce experts, we want to share our knowledge with you. That’s why we created Craft Matters—an original VineSpring publication that focuses on providing resources to help your business thrive.
While the wine club phenomenon has been wildly popular since the 1970s, breweries are only now starting to join the movement. And it’s a good thing. There are many benefits to subscription clubs for both breweries and their customers.
When coronavirus became a pandemic, consumers around the globe made the conscious choice to buy online and forego their brick-and-mortar store trips. Especially younger demographics—like Millennials. The idea behind marketing to these different customer profiles is simple but far-reaching. For many wine producers, it’s time for a crash course in what market researchers call “psychographics.”
In this week’s roundup, Millennials are drinking wine but have other options too. Transform gift memberships into long-term loyalists. An expert explains how the three-tier system no longer serves its purpose. Karl Storchmann thinks the wine industry should be more data-driven. Does a customer want to change an order? We can make it easy. And finally, this year is the driest on record in Central California.
Did your customer change their mind about an order? VineSpring makes it easier than ever to cancel orders and process exchanges.
In this week’s roundup, learn how emerging technologies drive the future of wine. Are you on TikTok? It’s the fastest-growing social media platform for wine enthusiasts. By leveraging technology, craft producers of all sizes are reducing the complexity of allocations and selling more. Wine drinkers are developing more diverse and sophisticated tastes. Learn which states have control boards for three-tier system sales. Meet Victoria Coleman and learn about her journey to become the first Black woman head winemaker in Napa. And finally, a sommelier association launches a platform to help Ukrainian refugees find work.
Allocations managers live to delight their customers and work hard to provide them with flexibility and personalized options, but they often have the challenge of limited supply and high demand. Wineries have to simultaneously reward customer buying behaviors while making sure that they intelligently distribute the wine across all allocations members.
Winemaking has been long steeped in history and tradition. Knowledge is often passed through generations orally or with handwritten notes. But with rapid technology advances, the world is moving faster than ever before and has become more complex. Hand written notes will no longer cut it—wineries need to find a way to keep up with emerging technologies.
In this week’s roundup, beer clubs can provide steady revenue and reward loyal customers. Use “dark posting” to improve your Facebook ad returns. Match your marketing to the reasons people shop online and off. Discover VineSpring’s world-class customer support, and find out how new tactics such as subscriptions, partnerships, and social media direct sales can pay off big.
Never struggle to get help again. World-class customer service is included with your VineSpring subscription. If you ever need help, chat, call, or email us. You can always access our online support center with step by step instructions and helpful videos.
In this week’s roundup, Rob McMillan talks about how to connect with younger consumers. Picking up the phone can form deeper relationships with your best clients. Check out the state of DTC beer sales in the Sovos ShipCompliant DTC Beer Report. How should you balance DTC and three-tier retail sales? Screen time fatigue is taking its toll on virtual tastings, and older, more affluent consumers drive growth in the US wine market.
In this age of Facebook, Instagram, and email campaigns, we often think that using the telephone to sell wine is somehow antiquated. Or that we will be irritating our customers by calling them. I’m here to say from experience, that the absolute opposite is true.
In this week’s roundup, customers strongly support businesses that take a stand for Ukraine’s resistance against Russia. Sean Sullivan has six tips for improving the wine industry. California’s drought worsens, reducing expected harvests. VineSpring helps Presqu’ile winery deliver top-notch customer experiences. Global wine consumption has been declining for decades, but there is good news in the wine industry too!
Presqu’ile wanted to be able to match their high standards to every area of their business and present a smooth transition between in-person and digital interactions. Read the case study and learn more about how VineSpring helped Presquile reach their goals and elevate their experiences with a robust Square POS integration, customizable storefront options, and more.
It’s finally here! Get our expert digest on the state of the US wine industry. Alder Yarrow says it’s time for an American marketing board. Climate change threatens 6 out of 10 wineries. The US wine industry is not effectively marketing to Millennials. Wine dominates online shipments, but spirits are catching up. And finally, how can the wine industry be a part of the future?
The last few years have been a rollercoaster for all kinds of industries. This article uses recent wine industry reports to reflect on trends in 2021, predict what is to come in 2022, and give advice as to how to prepare for whatever the future has in store.
In this week’s roundup, the wine industry adapts to a new business model and a new demographic. Learn how to navigate DTC compliance as online DTC sales grow. Boomers are aging and Millennials are choosing beer, seltzer, and spirits—is it time for wine to rethink its strategy? A Black entrepreneur is changing how wines pair with multicultural foods. As consumers are living longer, learn how wine can win over younger consumers. Drought threatens Marin and Sonoma Counties. And finally, customer retention can pay big for your business.
The events of 2020 have given rise to embracing all things digital, especially online shopping. As the pandemic hit and became more formidable every day, consumers started buying—or hoarding, often online, from groceries to alcoholic beverages, kiddy pools, exercise equipment, and more. Those who had already built online communities and welcomed online transactions were several steps ahead, and those who hadn’t found themselves rushing to catch up.
In this week’s roundup, discover how building a beer club can help your business grow while rewarding loyal customers. The wine industry is not connecting with Millennials. How can wineries really listen to younger consumers? Good customer service is often the best marketing tool. The U.S. Treasury pushes to increase competition in the U.S. BevAlc market. And finally, researchers study how to make high-end wines in a warming climate.
In this week’s roundup, learn how launching a wine club can improve your winery’s bottom line. Winery DTC shipments reached $4.2 billion in 2021, an all-time record. Anthony Orig interviews VineSpring co-founder Chris Towt about the challenges of DTC wine sales. Bertony Faustin is Oregon’s first Black winemaker but does more than just make delicious wine. Learn about DTC beer shipping laws in your state, and discover how QR codes can help improve your brand’s reach and profitability.
While tasting rooms account for 47 percent of DTC sales, wine clubs are a close second at 33 percent, making them one of a winery’s most profitable channels.
In this week’s roundup, VineSpring co-founder Chris Towt gives craft producers the scoop on how to automate to save precious time on the Craft Beer Cast podcast. We are excited to announce the integration of Sovos Level 1 ShipCompliant Integration with VineSpring. Use it to streamline your fulfillment workflow. The 2022 DTC Shipping Report is here—highlights include recovery for the wine industry and growth for small wineries. Recent years have brought a labor shortage to vineyards—how are owners adapting? Last but not least, get a recap on the five-second film scene that broke the California wine industry.
VineSpring provides Level 1 ShipCompliant integration so you can easily connect your VineSpring account to your preferred fulfillment house.
The State of the Wine Industry Report is finally here—download it to learn highlights from 2021. Next week’s Unified Symposium promises to predict trends in the wine industry for the next year and beyond. Club programs can gain more members by learning how to leverage their online marketing presence. Are you using the most effective advertising channels? Dry January can be a great time for patrons to go out and skip the lines. Finally, check out the most important Beverage Alcohol trends of 2021.
Which marketing channels and tactics are best for driving more wine club sign-ups? We break down how to approach your winery's website, social media, review sites and email.
In this week’s roundup, alcohol eCommerce stays strong and grows faster than overall food and beverage. Identify the marketing, infrastructure, and retention strategies needed to build a successful club. The wine industry looks back at diversity, equity, and inclusion changes over the past two years. DTC Wine Workshops share top sales tools and product registrations increase. Lastly, VineSpring will be at Unified Wine and Grape Symposium this year—stop by our booth to see what’s new.
To build a long-term, lucrative wine club, you need to focus on three areas—marketing, infrastructure, and retention.
Happy New Year! In this year’s first roundup, find out how you can build lasting relationships from new club members acquired during the holidays. Fine wine had a great year in 2021, but will it continue? Avalara makes 5 alcohol compliance predictions for 2022. COVID amps up the competition between beer and spirits. See great examples of beer clubs from San Diego breweries. And lastly, has Instagram completely democratized the way people think about wine?
Inviting current members to share the club experience with their friends, families, and colleagues is a great way to leverage the season and grow your membership base. But the real value of these year-end gift memberships is the opportunity to build lasting relationships with new members.
Everyone talks about how thankful they are for family and friends at this time of year. At VineSpring, we are no different. Don't get us wrong...moms, dads, siblings, cousins…sure...they are all awesome! But what about our furry, feathered, and scaly family members? They deserve a little recognition too!
Once you decide to commit to launching a club program, the big question is: how is your brewery going to manage your clubs? In this article, we review the available methods and what features we recommend you look for when choosing a platform that will make managing your club program a cinch.
In this week’s roundup, beverage alcohol eCommerce sales are expected to continue their upward trajectory and predictions are made for 2022. Craft producers are given tips on how to create more compelling marketing emails and how to avoid trouble with online age verification rules. Single-serve wines face many challenges but have increased their share of the market. Plus, breweries get details on how to launch a DTC shipping program.
Over the years we have seen hundreds of campaigns—we’ve seen the good, the bad and the ‘What are they thinking?!’ Emails are hitting your inbox hourly. Some are gorgeously designed, and some are just…meh. If your campaigns are on the ‘meh’ end of the spectrum, we’ve got some easy-to-follow guidelines that will help.