"During June, July, and August of 2015, consumers saw an 8.2% decrease in the average price-per-bottle shipped over the same period in 2014. Additionally, the months of January and February experienced a 7.5% decrease in average price-per-bottle shipped compared to 2014"
-The 2016 Direct to Consumer Wine Shipping Report
Given the data above, a pretty solid takeaway would be because of the type of wine that's sold. Typically in the summer months more whites and roses wines are sold which tend to have a lower price point than reds. It's safe to assume that in addition to naturally selling more "summer wines" wineries may decide to push and discount their red wine selection in order to get more off the shelves.
Given the data and the takeaways above, what can you do to combat this stereotype? What can you do to generate more wine sales in the off season?
It comes back to understanding your sales funnel. The number one source for revenue is purchases in the tasting room- be it for bottles or wine club memberships. While wine club memberships help to keep sales steady year round, traditionally members don't subscribe fore more than a year.
The challenge lies in keeping people connected to the wine and keeping buyers coming back to visit.
The magic lies in the experience. But how do you take that experience and transcend it to homes across the country? Here are a few ideas:
1. Social media. Promote your social channels in the tasting room and on all your marketing collateral so that buyers can find another way to stay connected. Then, use social media as a great place to share images of group tastings, the wines, the tasting room, events, etc. Ask people questions, do giveaways. The possibilities to engage your buyers on social media are endless. Make sure you get them there first and then have a solid strategy in place.
2. Events. Events are an obvious way to keep wine club members and buyers connected. Who doesn't love a good party?! In addition to hosting events at your vineyard or tasting room, get creative. Where else can you be? What's a more accessible location? For example, if you are in Napa or Sonoma, can you come down to San Francisco to pour at one of the many wine events they have in the city throughout the year?
3. Fight the stereotype. Give people a reason to buy reds in the summer time! And I don't mean just a discount. Write a blog post about why and what red wines make great BBQ accompaniments. Then give a discount for the certain reds you offer that meet that description.
4. Create content. Your blog is a great place to showcase all of the events, tastings, and other vineyard happenings that make your wine unique. Create lots of visual content that helps paint the experience that buyers once had at your tasting room/vineyard. Share this content in email and on social media.
5. Send emails frequently. How much is too much? You'll never know until you start analyzing your data, but per a recent report, consumers tend not to buy until the second email of the month. So if you're only sending one email a month, you could be losing money. Keep it short, simple and engaging. Have one topic per email and make it one that really drives home that unique experience of your vineyard.