Online Sales Tips

It is no secret that over the last year and a half, online sales numbers in the wine sector have jumped through the roof. Wine.com reported a 119% year over year growth in 2020. Wineries have scrambled to enhance their online stores and implemented strategies to ship during warmer months in order to keep up with demand. As Paul Mabray, CEO of Pix Wine says time and time again, “If you’re not online, you’re dead.” That said, there are a number of sustainable ways to sell wine online without overextending your staff, maintaining brand consistency, and most importantly; growing your audience. 

Consumers are increasingly shopping for their values and having a strong online presence that includes your brand story and commitment to sustainability is crucial. As Sarah Schmansky, vice-president, Fresh/H&W Growth & Strategy for Nielsen says, “The generational divide in sustainability is fueled by technology. We’ve found that sustainable shoppers in the U.S. are 67% more likely to be digitally engaged, which means they are used to having the products and knowledge they want right at their fingertips. With their devices playing a significant role in their purchase decisions, a simple and frictionless shopping experience between on and offline is critical.”

Using a third party platform like wine.com or more searchable, emerging interfaces like Vinebase and Pix, allow your wines to be on a single platform for younger, more tech savvy consumers to find you. Partnering with platforms like these also gives you the chance to be included in original content the website produces. 

Vinebase is a platform building a community of wineries and consumers that highlight brand stories and attributes while allowing consumers to buy direct from wineries. Think of it as an Etsy style platform with the platform connecting consumers to the actual winery/seller. The goal of Vinebase, explains Co-Founder Chantam Duong, “Is to highlight the stories behind smaller wineries with strong brand values. We’ve created tags and filters for wine attributes and find that consumers enjoy searching based on values. More importantly, consumers really want to know the story behind the wines. They want to go to a dinner party and beyond the varietal or AVA, they want to be able to tell the story of the people that made the wine, their ethos and winemaking philosophies.” 

Duong also reiterates that being on a platform like Vinebase only grows your DTC audience, “We’re a platform that connects people to buy direct from wineries and create a space for smaller wineries to have larger margins versus selling through a distributor. By sharing your authentic story and values on our platform only helps expand your reach to new markets.” 

For more info on Vinebase - https://wineries.vinebase.com.

Tools to Share Your Sustainability

SIP Certified is here to help you incorporate sustainable messaging into your story and develop a relationship with your consumer. Use the Values to explain what being sustainable means or add the eco-chart to your website and emails. And you can always order materials like brochures and case signs for in-person sales.