If you own and run a wine store, you know what your customers want.
From the soon-to-be sommelier to the bridesmaid on the way to an engagement party, your target customer comes to your store with one thing in mind — wine. So, if you’re all but guaranteed to make a sale, how can discounting and in-store promotional offers truly benefit your business?
Customer loyalty. Brand awareness. Additional revenue.
In-store promotions not only attract customers, they keep them around.
Here are some of our favorite ideas for in-store wine marketing and promotion that you can start right now.
Run a Wine Bottle Raffle
Raffles are low risk, high reward — they encourage more purchases, without having to offer steep discounts. If you want to move a specific product, try this — for every bottle of a certain brand’s merlot the customer buys, enter their name into a raffle for a bigger-ticket item like a wine chiller. You might even work with brand partners to secure the right product to raffle.
While many customers know their tried-and-true favorites, this is the perfect way to sell less popular items to those who have no preference for a specific prosecco — the buyers that just want to grab a bottle and go. The opportunity to win a more expensive item might convince them to give another brand a try.
Give a Free Gift with Purchase
Wine lovers love wine paraphernalia — and if you can offer it as an added bonus, even better. Try including a free wine bag or pack of drink markers with any purchase over $50, or a corkscrew and set of glasses with any transaction over $100. Customers are enticed to spend more money than they would initially, with the promise of a fun prize added on in the process.
It’s also a great way to sell less popular products, or wine you’ve overstocked — spend $75, and get a free bottle of (low-selling) riesling. You move inventory by making customers happy.
Host a Theme Night
Drinking wine can be a communal thing — think book clubs, supper clubs, bachelor and bachelorette parties. Bring that community experience into your store, and host a theme night. Play into pop culture with movie or TV show themes — choose wines that match the personality of every character in “The Office”, and offer a small discount on those choices. Or decide the drink of choice for popular “Game of Thrones” characters, and run a promotion on them.
This is a fun way to engage regular wine customers, but it could also draw in an audience you wouldn’t otherwise reach — any Michael Scott fan would jump at the chance to join a group of “The Office” aficionados.
Another idea? An “international” series. One weekend out of every month, showcase wines from different countries — Italian wines one month, French wines the next. Customers need a reason to come into your store, so make it a fun one.
Take Advantage of Timing
Timing is everything — especially when it comes to wine marketing. Wines are used in celebrations of all kinds, and are especially popular during holiday seasons — mulled wine for Christmas, champagne for New Years, a solid red blend for Valentine’s Day. Take advantage of these times, when you’re likely to see an uptick in sales, and run in-store promotions accordingly — complete with visual displays.
And get creative. March is International Women’s Month, so top up a table full of wines made by women-owned businesses. National Chianti Day? Set up a spread of different brands of the Italian red. Discount these selections for a fun change of pace.
Offer Wine Samples
One of the easiest ways to promote your product in-store? Free samples.
Not many customers will turn down free products — wine amateurs and connoisseurs alike will be sure to accept a sample of the latest chardonnay in stock. They may be more of a merlot-lover, but sometimes all a customer needs is a taste to decide if they’re willing to buy. (This is also the perfect time to push new wine brand names!)
It’s a proven tactic, too — free samples can boost sales by up to 2,000 percent.
Why Your Store Needs To Try In-Store Wine Marketing Promotions
While online sales can really ramp up your revenue, encouraging your customers to come into your store through promotions like these allows you to build relationships with them — establishing a loyal customer base that will return time and time again (which is the perfect way to kickstart a customer loyalty program).
Your store won’t be a last-minute stop on a way to a party, it’ll be your customers’ first choice for their celebratory bottle of champagne! To get started with a point of sale solution that has the features you need to run these promotions and spin up a customer loyalty program, schedule a demo with one of our Bottle POS experts today.
