Actually, don’t sell more than wine. Give the extras away. The wine will almost sell itself. Here’s why adding more value is the key to consistent sales. [level-members]
Shopping has been transformed from a weekend chore that keeps people away from the things they’d really rather be doing into an “experience.” If you’ve been anywhere near Times Square or parts of Fisherman’s Wharf or any number of other retail destinations in cities big and small across the country, you know that it’s not just cold commerce that’s happening in these places.
And while it can be difficult for a small shop to create the experience that Eataly or the M&M store can create, you can add value in other ways. If you’ve read anything we’ve written over the past two years, you know that we are 100% behind the idea of great content being the key to marketing success online and off. For wine shops that means providing the kind of information that positions wine as something more than mere groceries and yet not a luxury purchase. Wine should be an everyday treat, and the content that you publish, the attitude you show in the shop, and the ways you interact with your customers are all important parts of making that connection in the customers’ minds.
Sure, it can be seen as self-promoting to tout the health benefits of moderate wine consumption. Or to provide really delicious recipes that pair perfectly with a particular wine you are promoting. But there’s also value to your customers in that content, so it is, to use an overused term, a true win-win. (It’s even a wine-win-win …)
Go the extra step to create an experience for your customers and social media followers/email subscribers that goes beyond commerce and creates a relationship. That relationship is what turns a casual shopper into a loyal customer.
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