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5 Roadblocks That Are Stunting Your DTC Growth

08/23/2016

Every now and then, we get stuck in a rut. We’ve hit a plateau and just can’t seem to generate new sales revenue to grow our business.

There are 5 common mistakes that direct to consumer wine businesses make, and there’s a good chance you’re making one of them (or a few, maybe!)

1. You aren’t asking your tasting room customers for their email address.

Think about the number of touchpoints you get with each of your customers… not enough, right? So every interaction has to count! Set yourself up for succes by allowing yourself to keep in touch with your customers regularly.

You should be asking every person who enters your tasting room for their email address. If you don’t, then this might be the one and only touchpoint you ever have with them--which is why you have to create more opportunities for yourself. Remember, it’s much easier to make the second sale to an existing DTC customer than it is to make a sale to a brand new customer.

Knowing more about your customers will help you sell more wine.

2. You aren’t emailing your customers often enough.

You can’t stop at simply capturing their email address. Stay in touch with them by sending at least one email a month (two per week is even better!) Email marketing is a fairly simple and definitely affordable way to build repeat customrs. In fact, you have email marketing options right there within your vinSUITE admin panel.

Email marketing is a great way to keep these customers engaged with what’s going on at the winery. Keep in mind both your local customers as well as the ones who live far and wide. Use these opportunities to remind them that they can purchase all of their favorite wines from you directly.

Sending marketing messages regularly and effectively is a must-do.

3. You still don't have a responsive website.

If your winery still hasn't transitioned over to a responsive website, you are most definitely missing out on sales! And, by the way—what are you waiting for?!

As you may have learned in our Responsive Websites eBook, 60% of internet usage is occurring on mobile devices. And, 30% of those folks will abandon a website if the shopping experience isn’t optimized for mobile. Google will also give search priority to sites that are mobile-friendly.

One of the quickest ways to boost your eCommerce DTC sales is by getting responsive. You can learn more about responsive sites here.

4. Your DTC fulfillment process isn’t fast enough.

Having an automated process will ensure that every order gets shipped out as quickly as possible. Big-box online shopping sites have spoiled us by allowing us to order something and then receive it within a day. If a customer gets to checkout only to find that it's going to take a full week to receive their shipment, they'll likely abandon their shopping cart and move on.

To increase your online DTC sales, find a way to get better and faster at getting your orders out.

5. Your shipping rates are more than what your customer is willing to spend.

Shipping wine is unavoidably expensive. We get it. But, consumers have repeatedly said that high shipping rates are the #1 reason they abandon their online shopping carts. While it makes sense that it costs twenty-six bucks to ship a bottle of wine, a lot of customers just aren't willing to spend it.

Take a look at the profit margin in your DTC sales, and find a way to absorb the shipping costs (or at least most of it.) You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can offset that expense with more revenue.

Whether you need to work on one of these things, or all five, change is just around the corner! Make some adjustments and make sure you have the right tools in place…then sit back, take a sip, and watch the sales start flowing (like sparkling wine).

Post By: VinSuite