A man (or a woman) goes into a shop. He, or she, doesn’t really know what they like, or what they want. The shop is big, and cold, and full of people who obviously do know what they are after. A supercilious-looking chap regards our mystery shopper with a fishy eye. “Here,” he seems to be saying to himself, “is someone who doesn’t know anything about wine”. Sure enough, our shopper is harried into buying 12 cases of assorted vino, half of which she (or he) drops on the way to the car. Should, to paraphrase a recent advertising campaign, have tried buying wine online.
Buying wine online is actually rather easy. Gone are the days when purchasing wine online meant diving blindly into a tombola of uncertain cost and vintage, or having preferred bottles replaced with ringers because one’s first choice wasn’t in stock. Gone, too, are the days when wine online services made it impossible for all but the serious aficionado to try something new. Modern wine online companies are more the friendly local wine merchant, less the faceless confusing warehouse facility of old.
A good wine online store (the Colchester Wine Company have a particularly excellent example) clearly divides its wines by price (for the cost-conscious); region (for the geographically loyal) and style (for the aficionado).
More importantly, e-shops that sell wine online have found ways to educate their customers about the product, using members’ areas and online clubs to give users a helpful introduction to vintage, style and production areas. In many ways, these e-clubs are actually more successful in educating patrons than “real life” equivalents – on the Net; no-one can see when someone doesn’t know anything, which means that the customer in question feels no need for embarrassment.
Given that wine education is one of the most profitable areas of customer service (teach a client about wine and they’ll repay the favour by spending money on their new-found knowledge), it follows that sellers of wine online are actually better placed than their high street rivals when it comes to attracting repeat business.
Retailers of wine online offer the same benefits to customers that e-sellers of anything do: quick service, secure accounting and (most importantly of all with bulky products like wine cases) home delivery. All the bells and whistles of e-commerce are there: wish lists; preference saving (invaluable for targeted email marketing); exclusive offers and discounts. With the added bonus that buying wine online makes customers feel – for many, for the first time – like they are welcome; to experiment, to learn and, of course, to buy.
Buying wine online these days is so easy it’s a wonder everyone doesn’t do it. Customers can save preferences, build online palates and – most importantly – learn about wine while they buy.
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