The last spring wine club shipment is finally out the door. Woohoo, it’s time to plan our summer vacation. Let’s have that well-deserved umbrella drink and relax for a while – at least an hour!
OK, now that we’re all refreshed and ready to go, here’s what we want to do for our wine club this summer:
Review our Data and Plan for Next Year
What happened with our club this spring? How was our successful ship rate versus our number of members? What was our average order value? Where can we improve? Let’s make our notes now, so that we can start next year’s budget while the details are fresh in our minds. What will we do differently next spring?
Assess our Club Structure
Who were our most valuable club members this past year? Do we have the opportunity to create a new higher value club just for them? How about our whales – those great customers who don’t belong to our club? How can we show our appreciation for their business? Although they are not officially club members, we need to treat them as such and continue to earn their business.
Spend Time in the Tasting Room
Yes indeed, let’s show up and work side by side with our most important partners – our Tasting Room colleagues. Not only does this show support for their efforts, it also gives us a chance to hear firsthand what our customers are saying about our club as well as spend some face time with our members.
Review our Website
Does our website include everything we want visitors to know about our club? Let’s ask our friends to review it since we may be too close to really see if anything needs expansion or clarification. Let’s also try to sign up for the club online and make sure it’s still working well for us. Are returning club members able to get their discounts on purchases? Test, test, test to be sure.
Review our Auto-Response Emails
So many of our club-related emails are system generated – requests for information updates, shipment notifications, tracking information, etc. These workhorses are often ignored and frequently lack branding. Can they be improved to include the kind of information that helps drive readers to our website and entice them to buy? And while we’re at it, how about the packing slip that goes out with the shipments – are we overlooking a chance to call out our reorder program?
Review our Collateral Material
Does our club application need a refresh? Is it classy yet inexpensive enough that it can be used as a bag stuffer for purchasers who haven’t joined the club yet? Does if follow best practices and have the takeaway information showing benefits and features while the piece the winery keeps is only the billing and shipping information of the new club member?
Keep in Touch with our Members
It’s really nice to communicate with our members when we don’t have our hands out always asking for money. Are we adding value with entertaining tips, recipes and food pairings? What’s new with our club? Can we remind members of the benefits of our club? This is a great time to invite our members to visit and bring their friends, and increase our club enrollment with like-minded individuals.
Cure our Email Bounces & Credit Card Declines
Who are our club members and other great customers whose email addresses are bouncing? Let’s pick up the phone and see if we can get an update to their contact information and credit cards. Not only will this improve our results, it also demonstrates outstanding customer service and shows our commitment to taking care of our customers. What email or offer did they just miss? Let’s offer them that great deal while we have them on the phone and see if we can increase our sales in the process.
Plan for Corporate Holiday Gifts
Corporate gift givers plan for their holiday gifts for their clients during the summer. Let’s reach out to those folks and make sure they know what options we have to offer.
Create an Optional Holiday Shipment
What worked for us last year, what wines or gift sets were our best sellers? Can we create an additional club shipment from this information? Do we have magnums for holiday, or gift sets?
By spending our summer WISEly, we can set ourselves up for a great fall/holiday season and a successful 2018 club program. Have a great summer!
