Wine Software will be at booth 618 at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium!
Wine Software offers a complete solution to manage your DTC operation. From Point-of-Sale to Wine Club, Inventory and Accounting, Wine Software has all the tools you will ever need to manage your Direct-to-Consumer needs. Recent additions include reservations, restaurant features, mobile tablets, contactless payments, email marketing and so much more.
Visit us to see what’s new this year such as our fully contactless payment system featuring EMV, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Tap to Pay.
Also new, our Temail (Transactional/Targeted Email) email system used to automate email from within our platform. It’s as easy as setting up elegant templates and stationery, selecting a group of targeted customers or members to send receipts, notification, and marketing emails. Click one button and done!
One solution, one database. Visit us at booth #618 to see it all in action.
Wine Software
Unified Symposium Booth: 618
Wine Software, located in Napa California specializes in Winery Direct to Consumer sales management software. From Mobile Point of Sale, Wine Club and Ecommerce to Inventory, Fulfillment, Compliance and Accounting, Wine Software is an end-to-end solution suited for all wineries.
Enjoy a simple, yet highly sophisticated point-of-sale while making it easy for staff and customers to place, fulfill and track orders. Our highly flexible order management system ensures you don’t miss a beat.
Never miss an opportunity! Drive your customers to action by offering “the right product, at the right time, through the right channel, using the right message”. Our thorough data capture will arm your marketing team with all the business intelligence tools needed to target consumers based on individual buying habits with pinpoint accuracy!
Management will love the huge selection of reports available that showcase customer, wine club and product performance by sales channel.
Streamline your Compliance, Taxes and Accounting. Wine Software, built on an accounting backbone manages and controls transaction entries with full reconciliation and audit to keep things streamlined and in balance!
Visit us at booth #136 at WIN Expo 2022 to meet our team and find out what Wine Software can do for you!
Use our promo code WIN136 for a FREE trade show pass! Register here: www.wineindustryexpo.com
opt-in / opt-out club models
One way to increase wine club revenue is to have special offers built into the wine club. If you have reserve, special, or large format bottles that are released every year and would be appreciated by your club members, that would be an excellent choice for this kind of offer.
There are two main ways to offer an optional club shipment – Opt-In and Opt-Out. An Opt-In offer means the customer receives the offer and must notify you if they want the wine. For an Opt-Out offer, they must notify you if they do not want the wine. An Opt-In offer is easier to manage but has fewer respondents, so is less effective. An Opt-Out offer takes more effort but has a higher return on the effort.
opt-in offers
For an Opt-In offer, you can create your communication and send it out, then wait for responses. One benefit of the Opt-In offer is you can send it to your regular mailing list (which should include your former club members) and should also include an appeal for them to join (or rejoin) the wine club.
When the customer responds to an Opt-In offer, it is easiest to create and ship the order right away. This reduces the work of chasing declined credit cards and allows the customer to receive their wine quickly. Also, when customers call to order, this is an excellent opportunity to up sell and confirm their information. Give them a deal if they double their shipment or if they want to send gifts to someone else.
opt-out offers
The Opt-Out club offer is usually more popular, and more people take the shipment in this model. When club members Opt-Out of their offer, try to get feedback about why they are not taking the offer. Have two or three options for them to see if another offer might be more to their liking. This would allow you to still convert them for the sale and make them happy. Also, let them know they can be switched to the Opt-In option if that is more their style.
Be sure the tasting room staff covers all the options during the sign-up conversation, as well as having a specific “Welcome to The Club” communication that covers it and send notifications a month or so before the offer to make sure they know it is coming.
By adding Opt-In and Opt-Out shipment options to your club members, you can really increase member satisfaction by getting something they wouldn’t otherwise get and, of course, your bottom line does well, too.
What is the path of a customer through wine club member and how can you influence it? Can you tailor your customer’s experience, so they have a higher chance of becoming a club member through signage, staff interaction, POS, club benefit displays, guest books/kiosks and tasting sheets? You betcha!
stage 1 – prospects
Prospects are your widest net and some feel are the most difficult to manage. They are people who are not yet customers. You need to drive them to your tasting room or ecommerce site. Perhaps they have no idea about your winery or wine. You can reach them via email, mail, advertising, referrals from club members, and referrals from other businesses. You can contact local limousines, car services, and hotels and offer something for their turn down service, or special tastings at the hotel.
stage 2 – visitors
Visitors have made it through the first gate. They are affected by every part of their visit, from what they did the day before to how the rest of their day went after they left. You can’t control what happens outside your business, but you can maximize their experience while they are visiting. Make it easy for the visitor to purchase and become a customer. Whether in your store or online, there shouldn’t be any obstacles to the process. Make checkout easy. Passively present the club and its benefits during their taste, on the tasting sheet, during the tour, at the register, and as part of the ecommerce checkout. This can be as easy as mentioning a club event, showing pictures of the club community, and having “free tasting” listed for club members.
stage 3 – customers
Once your visitor makes a purchase, they are a customer. If they are not a club member, be sure to mention the discount (if applicable) the club membership would earn them. Even if they don’t join the club, get the customer’s information so you can follow up with them later. This is easy when purchasing online but also try to get their phone number, email and physical address during a face-to-face purchase. Actively present the club during checkout. Talk about the last club event and how much fun it was. After the sale, follow up with the customer. Thank them for the purchase. Make sure the shipment arrived (if shipping). Use that as an opportunity to build a relationship. Check in every other month (or more often) to see if they need more wine.
stage 4 – club members
Hopefully, your customer will become a wine club member. Your club members are your best customers and your brand ambassadors. Your deepest connections are with your club members. Cultivate that relationship starting with the thank you note for joining and continuing with special emails, events, and offers. Recognize them online and in your tasting room and thank them for being club members. Be sure to communicate how special they are and always be sure to let them know about the most recent releases and offers you have. Connect with them via social media, if you can, and make sure they are part of the creation of your brand, not just passengers. That way they’ll be invested and more likely to stay club members.
stage 5 – former club members
Every club member will eventually leave the club. How you manage that exit will determine how long you can continue a mutually beneficial relationship. When they cancel their club, be sure to be courteous; honor their decision and acknowledge their desire. Also, find out why they are cancelling so you can give them options to stay. Can you find ways to save them money or send only wines they want? Also, be sure to send an exit email with a survey and an unsubscribe link. This will keep them in your conversation and allow them to answer questions about their membership and how they feel. They may be more likely to give honest and complete answers if they aren’t talking on the phone. Let them know about the specials, releases, and events so they can still be an active purchaser and perhaps join the club again in the future.
By Lloyd Vance, Napa, California
Wine Software offers a complete solution to manage your DTC operation. From Point-of-Sale to Wine Club, Ecommerce, Inventory and Accounting, Wine Software has all the tools you will ever need to manage your Direct-to-Consumer needs. Since the pandemic, we’ve added reservations, restaurant features, mobile tablets, contactless payments, email marketing and so much more.
Visit us March 30 at WiVi, booth 209 to learn more.
Wine & Viticulture Symposium
March 30, 2022
Paso Robles Event Center
2198 Riverside Ave.
Paso Robles, CA 93446
Booth #209
Wine Software offers a complete solution to manage your DTC operation. From Point-of-Sale to Wine Club, Ecommerce, Inventory and Accounting, Wine Software has all the tools you will ever need to manage your Direct-to-Consumer needs. Since the pandemic, we’ve added reservations, restaurant features, mobile tablets, contactless payments, email marketing and so much more.
Visit us at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium to see what’s new this year such as our fully contactless payment system featuring EMV, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Tap to Pay.
Also new, our Temail (Transactional/Targeted Email) email system used to automate email from within our platform. It’s as easy as setting up elegant templates and stationery, selecting a group of targeted customers or members to send receipts, notification, and marketing emails. Click one button and done!
One solution, one database. Visit us at booth #334 to see it all in action.
Wine Software, located in Napa California specializes in Winery Direct to Consumer sales management software. From Mobile Point of Sale, Wine Club and Ecommerce to Inventory, Fulfillment, Compliance and Accounting, Wine Software is an end-to-end solution suited for all wineries.
Enjoy a simple, yet highly sophisticated point-of-sale while making it easy for staff and customers to place, fulfill and track orders. Our highly flexible order management system ensures you don’t miss a beat.
Never miss an opportunity! Drive your customers to action by offering “the right product, at the right time, through the right channel, using the right message”. Our thorough data capture will arm your marketing team with all the business intelligence tools needed to target consumers based on individual buying habits with pinpoint accuracy!
Management will love the huge selection of reports available that showcase customer, wine club and product performance by sales channel.
Streamline your Compliance, Taxes and Accounting. Wine Software, built on an accounting backbone manages and controls transaction entries with full reconciliation and audit to keep things streamlined and in balance!
Visit us at booth #136 at WIN Expo 2021 to meet our team and find out what Wine Software can do for you!
Use our promo code WIN136 for a FREE trade show pass! Register here: www.wineindustryexpo.com
Your club is successful. You have a great group of club members and have been doing well signing up new members, many of which are picking up their wine at the winery — or at least they are supposed to! Unclaimed wine can take a lot of space and require extra attention. Since time is one of your most precious commodities, here are some ways to increase the pickup rate for your club.
1. notification
Keep your communication with your club members open. As part of your wine club processing, include an email ahead of time to give them the date the package will be ready for pickup. This can inspire your members to plan ahead. Then, send them another email when the club is ready for pickup. Craft the email so you can send it to club members who paid for their package as well as those whose credit cards declined, just simply state the wine is ready. This will get more of the people with declined orders to pick-up than if they thought they could just skip it this time.
Then, at one, two and just before three months after billing, send reminders to those club members who haven’t yet retrieved their wine. Let them know about wine specials or events that are happening at the winery to give them multiple reasons to visit.
Remember, email isn’t the only way to communicate. You can also send a postcard or call those who have not yet come to pick up their wine.
TIP: When you do reach a customer who is late to get their wine, confirm their contact information to ensure they receive future notifications.
2. give them a prize
People love feeling special. Another way to increase your pickup rate is to include a gift in their club package. Be sure they know it is in the package, otherwise it won’t be as effective. Even little things like notebooks, corkscrews, coasters, and bouchons (chocolate) make the club package that much more special.
3. wine specials
Giving your pickup members special pricing for additional wine purchases of any of the wines in the package is another way to get members to visit. You can also select a wider selection of wine, if that seems appropriate, or even a deeper discount on select products. Make sure it is understood this is a time limited special, perhaps just on the day of their pickup, or for the current month of the pickup, etc.
4. pickup parties
A fun way to get your club members to visit and increase their loyalty with the club is to have an event at the winery/tasting room. Pour the wine in their package, have some food and entertainment, if you can, and be sure to have special pricing on other purchases for the day of the event.
5. three-month hold policy
Finally, solidify a policy where, if the customer does not pick up their wine within 3 months (or some suitable amount of time), there is no guarantee of availability of the selected wines beyond that time. Some wineries have a policy to ship the wine if not picked up within 3 months. While this tip is more the stick than the carrot, if the policy is well known, there is enough notice given, and it is presented properly, it should be seen as a service rather than a punitive action.
With these five guidelines you can increase your pickup rate, keep the inventory of unclaimed club packages to a minimum and (hopefully) make your job easier.
When designing your wine club there are many decisions to make that can help maximize your membership. The schedule and contents of your shipments, the club signup form, communication, and events can all help drive membership.
what products will you offer your members?
Before people can sign up for your wine club, you need to know what they’ll be getting. The average American drinks about a case of wine per year. So, a good place to start is a case as the total number of bottles sent in a year, spread out over several shipments.
A contributor to how much wine you can send and across how many shipments is how many different wines are produced. It may turn off some customers to get a full case of the same wine each shipment. Can a special lot be created just for the wine club members? If you have a widely distributed wine, you may consider excluding it from your schedule or cellaring enough of the current vintage to send as part of a shipment a few years from now. Alternatively, could some of the wine be bottled in magnums? These options make the wine more special since the customer might not otherwise have access to it.
club signup form
Once you’ve determined what you’re sending, turn your attention to the club signup form. The form should be clean and straightforward. If they are singing up in the tasting room, give the customer plenty of room to write – penmanship can degrade after a few tastes of wine. Make the decision easy. Don’t have too many options for them to choose from. Remember, they are on vacation and everything should be as relaxed as possible.
communicate with your members
After the customer becomes a club member, make sure you communicate with them. Be active with email and social media. If you only reach out to them with sales and special offers, you’ll see cancellations spike when you email. If you instead communicate regularly with your winery’s lifestyle, message and feeling, you will keep them emotionally connected to the winery and they’ll stay members longer.
Tell your club members about events, festivals, and dinners you have planned. If you are pouring at a fair, festival or tasting event, let them know. Not only might some members attend but it keeps you in their minds and hearts.
When planning out your communication, be sure to include phone calls along with the emails, blogs and social media posts. While electronic communication is easy and effective, the personal connection that can be made during a phone call is much more effective.
offer club-only deals
Of course, one benefit of membership is great offers and deals on wine. Make them feel special with club-only deals. Feel free to post the deals on social media – it can generate club signups if the deal is good enough.
And don’t forget events for your club members. This is a great way to make the club member feel like family, to really get in touch with them and make that emotional connection. Be sure to have events around holidays that are already special, such as Valentine’s Day and Christmas.
loyalty programs
Another way to maximize club membership is to have a loyalty program. Something as simple as an increased discount can increase the length of time a club member stays active. You can reward on time, dollars spent, or number of club shipments. You can give gifts, points, rebates, coupons, or increased discounts. There are an infinite number of possibilities and combinations. The key is to have something easy to identify and understand by the customer as well as easy to manage by the staff.
handle cancellations
The “last chance” to increase customer longevity is when the customer calls to cancel. Be sure to ask them why they are cancelling and give them the opportunity to not quit. Most of the time, a little flexibility will keep them in the club and happy. Customizing the wine in their shipments and/or reducing the number of shipments they receive can keep your members from cancelling.
So, when designing the wine club, you really want to consider what the club members will want, when they want it as well as using all the tools at your disposal to deepen the emotional bond between your winery and the club member.
The most challenging part of running your wine club is chasing declined orders. Holidays, hackers, and economic downturns can all increase the percentage of declined cards. Even though these orders would be easier to deal with if the cards had authorized, this is a great opportunity for customer contact and increasing sales. Following are tips and guidelines for shaping the communication to the club member so it is a positive (and profitable) experience.
prepare for cancellations
They are going to happen. You (and your fellow callers) should remember that it isn’t any worse than when you started. It is when you regain billing information and/or upsell that you should celebrate.
handling objections and solutions to those objections
Have a list of objections/solutions to cancelation reasons readily available. For example, Too much wine? Reduce the number of shipments. Shipping too expensive? Consolidate shipments and send as a full case, etc.
have a list of up-selling opportunities
Getting the club member to take their shipment is great but you should also have other wines on special. Have them take advantage of a lower per-bottle cost of shipping by doubling the number of bottles. A full case offer would also be great to have. Are there non-wine items that can be offered? Are there gifting opportunities? Give them a deal if they are sending a gift to a friend.
communicating – start with a phone call if you can
Email is great and can be crafted to offer a similar message, but the static nature and ease of ignoring it make it less effective. To maximize the phone calls’ efficacy, get a list of the customers who had declined orders, ranked by their total dollars purchased. Those who have purchased the most are your most loyal and are the first you should call.
Once you have your call list, make your phone calls. Let them be at ease. Remember, you’re trying to get them something they want, this isn’t punitive. Be sure they know the options for adding to their club shipment and make changes to their order as you talk.
While you’re talking, see if you can find out more about their habits. Do they need more wine than you are sending? Would they prefer different varietals? Make them happy you called by making their club better.
After you have their updated payment information, be sure to authorize it while they are on the phone. Don’t wait until later when there might be another issue with the charge, and you have to call them again.
let them know about upcoming events, or online specials
Ask if they are planning a visit to the winery soon and offer a unique and special experience while they visit. See if any referrals to local businesses are needed for activities, lodgings, meals, or anything else.
after a short period of time (a week at the most), send an email to those who have not been reached
Be sure to craft the email so there is an upsell opportunity – a great way is with a coupon that has an expiration date so they are inspired to action. Include a link to your online store where they can login and update their information.
Using these tips when communicating with your club members can really help increase their satisfaction and your sales. Following up on declined credit cards is a great excuse to call your customers, make sure they are taken care of and keep your business thriving.
By Lloyd Vance, Napa, California