With more than 50% of people owning smartphones and shopping online being second nature, eCommerce is becoming more and more important to winery growth. People constantly turn to their smartphones, tablets and computers to not only send emails and check Facebook, but to also shop.
With a business and a busy 2 year old, I can’t tell you how many times I have used my smartphone to make purchases. It’s so easy! I run out of shampoo, scan in the barcode and presto, it comes up on Amazon. Two days later I have it in hand.
Think about this scenario: One of your wine regulars realizes that they are drinking the last bottle of their favorite Pinot Noir on a Saturday night. They don’t want to forget, so right then and there they hop online via phone, tablet or computer and want to order another case. Can they do that on your website? Or will you miss the sale, because that person forgets by the next morning?
Why should your winery make the jump? Think about these statistics:
- eCommerce increases and drives in-store purchase. Instead of walking around malls and window shopping, we are browsing online before we go into a store. Macy’s CEO, Peter Sachse says “Macy’s has found that every dollar spent online influences $5.77 spent in the store over the next ten days.” Brian Dunn, the CEO of Best Buy says that 60% of their in-store sales are influenced by their customer experiences on BestBuy.com. I know that if I’m looking for something, whether it’s wine or a dress for an upcoming wedding, I first turn to Google. If I see something I like, I’ll often then go to the store to check it out in person
- People like to shop local. One out of every 5 Google searches are for local businesses. Plus, the #eatlocal movement is very popular right now for both health reasons and knowing where your food comes from. The same can be said about the wine industry. More and more wineries are popping up across the U.S. and its even easier for consumers to also #drinklocal. Just like people are proud to support their city’s baseball team, more and more people share their favorite local wines with their friends.
- eCommerce allows you to automate your wine club. Thinking of the above, people like to have the option of paying online and picking up a shipment to save delivery charges. For example, Sears estimates that 40% of their sales are now picked up in store.
- Consumers like to read reviews, ratings, etc. Think of how many times you have read a review on Amazon.com. I know my husband and I often make choices based on how many stars an item has.
- eCommerce will increase your overall sales. According to the book “How to Sell Wine Online” you can increase sales by 5-25% by selling wine online. That percent varies due to how much marketing the winery does to promote eCommerce. If you have a regular marketing plan integrating social media, email marketing, and in-person that percentage can grow.
Are you ready to make the jump to eCommerce?
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