Does your winery's digital strategy look and taste like this?
A digital sales channel should not be centered around a dumping ground where you liquidate wines that you can not sell direct to consumer or via traditional distribution channels. I have nothing against sites that offer (sometimes tremendous) wines for huge discounts, and nothing against using this as an optional channel, but using deep discounting at the core only reinforces that buying online is where you get "steals" versus something of greater value.
What if you turned this strategy around? Instead of selling online what you can not sell offline, why not sell online what you can not even buy offline? BUT- it must be something of greater quality, less quantity /more scarcity, made with greater care, and something well worth the effort to both your most loyal and up and coming customers.
Beyond sales, the reward might be the building of a community of consumers and advocates who are able to easily share and communicate with each other, and with their external social communities. At the same time, interacting directly with the winery. While doing this, the winery exceeds customer expectations in both product and service, strengthens online presense and DTC sales, reinforces winery branding, and the business could easily track and measure their efforts.
A few ideas:
-A joint project between your winemaker and his or her favorite winemaker.
-A cuvee from a special block, or something of specific place. Not something from the sea of swill.
-A move out of your comfort zone, (but not that tank of Charbonno-nay that you infused with Durian while tring to corner the market in SE Asia).
-A wine in tribute / offering to something meaningful.
-and, something from a packaging standpoint that shows it was made with the greatest of care / love.
This isn't about including a pamphlet that looks like a luxury car brochure, sticking the oakiest lot in the heaviest bottle, having some smoke and mirrors packaging, or putting your priciest wine in a restrictive channel. It is about exceeding expectations and developing a meaningful outlet for what makes you... the most you.
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