The Grapevine

Wine Shop Marketing: Winter Doldrums

February 25th, 2015

Much of the country is still slogging its way through a tougher than average winter. (And I’m interested to hear how that’s affected your business.) Here are a few ideas for marketing your way through what is, for many of us, the slowest time of the year. [level-members]

First, I’m curious whether the bad whether has had a positive impact on your business. We’ve heard of restaurant promotions in and around Boston, and in other areas, as a result of people not going out nearly as much as usual because of the weather, parking issues, etc. If they’re staying in, are they sipping wine beside the fire?

If they’re not – and even if they are – you can try to draw more customers in to your shop with some creative promotions.

You might try a “frequent flyer” club, punching cards weekly for the “wine of the week” and awarding free bottles at the end of the month based on what’s been purchased. (Buy all three bottles the previous 3 weeks, get the 4th free. Buy two, get 50% off the 4th week’s wine, and so on.

Time-limited coupons work great, as well. And as you do them more regularly, you can calculate your ordering needs in advance, knowing you are likely to move that merchandise quickly.

What promotions have you tried that have worked – and what haven’t? Please email us to let us know and we’ll feature you in an upcoming post. [/level-members]