Why Increasing your Online Sales Starts in the Tasting Room

So, you've crafted an amazing tasting room experience – the perfect blend of ambiance, trained staff, great decor and exquisite wines. But what if I told you that the key to boosting your online sales lies in a simple step you might be missing in your tasting room?

When you consider everything you've invested in creating that unforgettable tasting room experience – it's not just an investment in bricks and mortar; it's an investment in time, money, and passion. You've put an immense amount of effort into creating a memorable experience that your guests get to immerse themselves in with every visit to your winery.

Now, picture this: a customer visits your winery, has a fantastic tasting room experience, enjoys your wines, and leaves with a smile. But, if you don't capture their contact information, you miss out on an important opportunity. What happens when they return home? How will they stay updated on your latest offerings, events, or the chance to have your wines delivered to their doorstep? Without their email, it's a bit like having a great conversation but forgetting to exchange numbers.

Sure, they might visit your website in the future, maybe subscribe to your newsletter, but why leave it entirely up to chance?

This is where capturing emails in your tasting room comes into play. It's a key step in maintaining the connection with your customers and ensuring that the initial investment you made in creating an exceptional tasting room experience continues to pay off. By capturing those emails, you gain a direct channel to re-engage with customers after they've left, keeping your brand on their radar and encouraging them to continue their journey with your wines online.

"But how much of a difference does it really make?" you may ask. Well, let's dive into some real data from our winery clients.

24% of customers of wineries on Commerce7 (whose first interaction was a visit to the tasting room), eventually place an online order after tasting room staff successfully collect their email address. 14% of those customers also end up signing up for a wine club in the future.

And here's something even more interesting – Each year, we analyze all of our winery clients, ranking them based on their email capture rates in the tasting room. The bottom 10 wineries, (those capturing the fewest emails), only sell about 18 cents online for every $1 they sell in their tasting rooms. On the flip side, the top 10 wineries, excelling at capturing more emails, sell a whopping 78 cents online for every $1 they sell in their tasting rooms.

This isn't just a random statistic; it's a clear trend. Wineries that shine in capturing more email addresses in their tasting rooms also shine in their online sales.

By simply obtaining their email addresses, you open the door to reconnecting with these customers. You can re-engage them, share updates, and direct them back to your website for more online purchases.

So, the next time you're thinking about your online sales strategy, don't forget where it all begins – in the heart of your winery, the tasting room. Capture those emails, stay connected with your customers and watch your online sales climb!