BevSites :: Ecommerce for wine stores » Useful Stuff

The Giants of Comparison Wine Shopping: Amazon and Google Shopping

Ian Griffith — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:31:58 +0000

It wasn’t so long ago that wine stores could afford to be complacent about their websites. Online traffic would likely find them from a product search on a search engine or wine directory site, competition wasn’t too bad and Google Product listings were free. It was tempting for retailers to treat online orders as less important than “real” customers [...]

Online Crossroads: Marketing Agents Seeking to Sell Wine Online get a Hearing at the SLA

Ian Griffith — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:25:30 +0000

The State Liquor Authority of NY is preparing a new set of guidelines that could have national implications for how wine is sold online. While the jurisdiction of the SLA is limited to licensed wholesalers, retailers and restaurants, the issue at hand is how unlicensed marketing agents can promote wine. As a price-posting state NY [...]

Retailers Respond to a Changed Landscape

Ian Griffith — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:24:49 +0000

Around this time every year we review the results of our benchmarking report which shows how retailer websites on the Bevsites eCommerce platforms have fared over the past year. Looking to share useful insights we characterize the differences at stores that grew significantly or sustained sizeable sales with their online business. Previous articles have described [...]

Why Distributors All Win by Competing on the Same Platform

Ian Griffith — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:41:50 +0000

As Beverage Media’s online view of the New York drinks market grows more complete it has attracted the attention of trade members in other parts of the country. The initial reaction is very positive with excitement about the product browsing and eCommerce. However as the discussion shifts to the prospect of something similar happening [...]

Email: The Key to the Health of your Online Sales

Ian Griffith — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:09:57 +0000

A report from the Pew Internet Project last year confirmed that email is still the top online activity and is nearly universal among adult users. It is still the most reliable channel for reaching customers and offers an unmatched rate of delivery. However, Julie Katz at Forrester Research cautions about the potential for abuse when [...]

A More Complete View of the Marketplace

Ian Griffith — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 01:33:37 +0000

An evolutionary leap has been taking place in New York with how retailers and restaurants access pricing information from their distributors. While Beverage Media has had an online version of the book for over 10 years, changes in the dynamics of this market have created an opportunity to expand the role of our online listings. [...]

A Coming of Age for Online Wine Sales

Ian Griffith — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 21:16:06 +0000

The online selling of products appears to be entering a new period of maturity where it can no longer fly under the radar. Two recent events have highlighted that eCommerce has become a significant part of consumer activity in the US. The first is that Amazon has agreed to collect sales tax for a number [...]

Google Drops Alcohol from Product Listings

Ian Griffith — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 02:46:38 +0000

Last month, without much notice, Google dropped all wine, beer and liquor from their product listing service. This move was in connection with a change to their free Google Product Search service which is becoming a paid advertising service called Google Shopping. Google Products represented between 10-15% of eCommerce revenue irrespective of the size of [...]

Getting Realistic about Social Media

Ian Griffith — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 21:12:38 +0000

I was recently asked what practical advice I would give an audience of wine store owners who want to use social media campaigns to increase sales. My response was not to bother, which reflected the experience of the retailers in the room, none of whom had an eCommerce website. My answer shocked me a little [...]

The Impact of the Internet (to date) on the Liquor Industry

Ian Griffith — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:37:06 +0000

The landscape of this industry has changed pretty significantly in the past 10 to 15 years, since the first websites started to appear. Most every corner of the business now interacts with the internet to give improved product quality, more efficient supply chains, and improved consumer access to products. Following the direction of [...]