There are two reasons why wineries might want to increase their e-commerce sales at the moment. The first is that the Covid-19 crisis has left various states and countries in a state of lockdown, meaning that customers will struggle to buy wine in a more traditional way. The second is that e-commerce sales are growing and, all things being equal, will continue to grow. This is a crucial part of how wine will be sold in the future, Covid-19 or no Covid-19.

According to a report by Nielsen released in April, online alcohol sales between the start of March and 18 April more than doubled (+234 percent) compared to the same period in 2019, in the USA. Sales went up fivefold in just the last two weeks of that period, and wine was dominating: it accounted for 70 per cent of those sales. This boom, according to Nielsen, was down to those who normally visit bars being forced to switch to home-drinking.

Now, then, is the time to get involved in online wine sales, and to grow your sales if you’re already part of the game. But how do you ensure you’re maximising your ability to sell wine online? You’ll have to be cognisant of state laws regarding online sales, of course, and have all the required paperwork - but assuming you’re beyond that stage, what else should you be doing?

Give customers a regular reason to visit your website.

Why would a customer come to your website on a regular basis? Because you’ve got great content. If you’re a winery, there’s a host of different topics you can use that will engage your customers. Remember that most drinkers are not au fait with winemaking, so something that seems obvious to you will not to them. What grapes do you grow, and why? How do you ferment your wine?

A good example of this is Willamette Valley Vineyards, where the blog features (as shown in the picture above) written content and videos on a whole host of subjects: food matches, vineyard updates, quirky events, staff members and more. It’s a great way of showing how you can bring the customer inside the winery, in the process making them more likely to buy wine. California’s Landmark Vineyards, meanwhile, offers a beautifully laid-out cocktail of profiles, wine knowledge, history and more.

Ensure you’re platform ready

Customers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and so do the machines that they’ll be accessing your website on. Don’t simply assume that most people will use a laptop, or a mobile phone - you need to ensure that whatever they’re using, they can have an easy, straight-forward wine-buying experience on your website. If they don’t, there’s a chance that they won’t buy wine and they won’t come back. 

In Europe, where online wine-buying is more advanced, customers are already beginning to move towards apps for buying wine, such as Vivinio. Does your winery have the capacity to support an app, with regularly updated content and the ability to buy wine in a variety of ways? Because if you can do that, you’ll have a much better chance of driving sales.

Join the Club

In the same way that content can bring customers closer to you, so can a subscription model. Take Santa Cruz’s Bonny Doon Vineyard, where the wine club offers a huge variety of benefits to members. First access to limited release wines, free shipping, invitations to events, and discounts on all extra orders. This is a model that has been popular for many years, but it works really well with online sales - customers can carry out much of their relationship with the winery through your website, if it’s up to the job.

Wine Membership Bonny Doon Vineyard

Be up to date

It doesn’t take a great deal of work to ensure your website is as current as possible, and it makes a big difference to customers. This can extend to selling wines, too: at Brick and Mortar Wines, a California winemaker with five vineyards in the State, you can buy ‘Your Next Zoom Happy Hour’ six- and 12-packs, a smart recognition of how socialing has changed in the past few months.

Bundling in is always a smart idea. At Copper Mountain Wine, customers can enjoy Savor, Sip or Swirl packs, consisting of three bottles each (four for sip), and catering to different budgets: Swirl is $80, Sip $275.

Work Together

The obvious problem that wineries face is this: a customer might like your wine, but she or he might also prefer to buy a package including other producers’ products, too. This is pretty common in Europe, where online sales - as previously noted - are more common. In the UK, for example, The Wine Society, Majestic or Naked Wines - which also operate stateside - sell thousands of bottles every week.

Another option - and one that’s more suited to the US than the UK - is for winemakers in certain regions to get together to sell wine online. This could be a tricky legal situation, but given the tenor of the times it’s surely sensible for winemakers to work together to supply their customers. At Willamette Valley Wine (not to be confused with Willamette Valley Vineyards!), a website representing the winemakers of this Oregon region, there’s a page with links to member wineries’ online shops. It’s a great idea, and only a step away from selling directly from one place.

Image source: Willamette Valley wineries website

Stay in Touch

Businesses have long known the value of email addresses - well, online sales only makes them more important. There’s nothing easier for a customer than to click from an email advertising something new, or a special offer, directly onto a winery’s shop. It’s a process that can be over in less than a minute, making it a smooth and enjoyable experience for the customer and a sale for you.

Need help getting your wine into customers’ hands? Sign up today at Get Drinks Delivered to ensure consumers can buy your bottles.