What’s Being Said In The Online Wine World - Web Recap

One of the things which is good about portals such as WineMarketer.com is they aggregate information, links and news from a variety of sources - so you don’t have to. We also read an extraordinary number of blogs from industry insiders and consumers to keep up to date on the latest web and wine trends. So let’s take a peak into what’s going on out there in relation to online wine marketing and the industry…

UPC’s In the Wine Industry - Electronics, movies & shoes are some of the biggest products sold on the web and they all contain a standardized UPC. A UPC or Universal Product Code are digits used to identify a product. This number is translated into a barcode which can then be used seamlessly for logistics and stocking as a product moves from manufacturer to retailer. Unfortunately, the wine industry does not adhere to the standards of UPC labeling - causing issues as products come onto the web and move across the globe.

What’s being said - “We see this a lot - basically many wineries don’t bother tracking sales by vintage, they sell one until its gone, then reuse the bar code for the new one… [view this conversation]

eCommerce Among Wineries - In 2006, 300 new wineries opened in the US alone. New York wineries received government funding to enhance their web presence. VinterActive’s VinQuest 2007 identified online sales on the rise, while tasting room sales diminished. The age of online commerce has finally hit the wine industry!

What’s being said - “Really amazing that a state bureacracy would get behind an industry in such a proactive way. I applaud them… [view this conversation]

From Inertia Bev - “Limiting ourselves to only people that come to the tasting room severely narrows our addressable market. I, with 1000% confidence, see e-commerce and wine growing year over year… [view this conversation]

Web & Wine 2.0 - Social networking and consumer generated media is here to stay. Many wine sites have taken a direct Web 2.0 marketing approach with their visitors with varying degrees of success. Consumer advocates will be the direct marketers of products on the web in the coming years, and each industry will approach this to suit their demographics.

What’s being said - “Cork’d set a quick standard in web tasting notes but was quickly bombarded with competition. Keep your eyes on newcomers.. [view this conversation]

“[WineTwo.com] They recently launched a new look and feel to their site. Their new guest blogging focus allows participating companies to have a featured post endorsing their company and receive reader feedback…[view this commentary]