The Grapevine

Different Does Not Mean Weird – Wine Shop Marketing

September 7th, 2016

Forget “better.” You can’t be a better wine shop. You can be different in a way that makes you better for some portion of the wine-buying public. And that’s the key to success. (Different for different’s sake: that comes off as just plain weird.) [level-members]

One way to carve a niche is to stock and champion wines that go beyond the tried and true and popular. Gewurtzraminer is a great example of a varietal that loads of people would love – if it were as easy to pronounce as “merlot.”

So you can offer a range of Gewurtzraminers in various styles and at various price points, and steer people to them when they come looking for something akin but less interesting.

You should still stock the less interesting; just don’t make it the focal point of your shop or your marketing or your social media activity. Be interesting, even if that means helping your customers master a tongue-twister or two. [/level-members]