Doors Closed but Windows Open.

Cellar doors maybe closed but that doesn't stop us buying wine directly from our special Aussie winemakers. These guys are awesome and currently experiencing very challenging times as they complete their 2020 Vintage. Some parts of Australia are looking at a strong harvest while others have none. We also have a lot of amazing families in the middle who are working flat out to keep some form of normality while planning for the future.

I don't know if you have noticed, but things are a bit different right now.

A large percentage of the world's population are currently at home and on online. The audience is larger than it has ever been and home consumption of online content is through the proverbial roof.

If you are a winemaker, I don't think it is a good time to bunker down and sit out the storm that has been brewing over the past 3 months. Well that's the virus component, but how about the last few years..........??

The traditional way of doing business has been changing for some time and maybe the wine industry has lagged a little. Relying on the locals, a few well known restaurants, some national and international distributors and cellar door sales is all well and good during business as usual.

But what happens when you have to revert back to managing your own wine sales and marketing strategies. When you want to drill down to who are your most valuable customers and what wines they really love, what varietal is trending right now and how can you gauge the results of a special campaign.

Do you really know your customers intimately?

I would have to say that 80% of the wineries I have spoken to in the last 4 weeks are bunkering down and waiting to see what happens, while the other 20% are using this time to build something for the future. This group have accepted that the world will be permanently different and that they want to adapt and be at the forefront of the "NEW NORM"

A good example is how do you reapply a delivery charges when people have been getting "free delivery" for months.... What does business as usual look like in September....? Who is doing virtual wine tastings with winemakers and are they creating more sales? How much wine education is currently online and who is tuning in. It's time to look for some answers.

I am also hearing from the 20% ers that their value proposition has to change and they need to get more inventive with their customer engagement. Tasting packs are all the rage in April and intimate friday night education sessions are being run by our favorite winemakers. I have even seen tasting packs in 200 mil bottles that I have found quite funky.

If you need any assistance with your digital platform, website and marketing please reach out to the team at vinCeative. Our doors are open and we are here working overtime to get new customers live on our unified platform. Our development team are actively working through a program of new features based on feedback from our strong customer base.

Don't wait create.