eCellar + Community Benchmark: Make All Your Report & Goal Achievement Dreams True

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Please see the play by play Meeting Summary (with minute markers) with very candid conversations and topics below:

15:13

Growth in Direct-to-Consumer Business 

Fact | In Q1 2025, 39% of wineries reported growth in their direct-to-consumer business, with the upper quartile showing double-digit growth starting at 10%.

Fact | Overall revenue across wineries was -4.5% less in Q1 compared to the previous quarter, indicating a decline in sales.

Fact | Almost 17% of direct-to-consumer revenue was achieved digitally, through online and phone campaigns, suggesting a significant channel for growth.

Fact | 8% of business was conducted through events, with offsite events showing notable growth, indicating another potential area for expansion.

18:43

Engagement in Digital and In-Person Interactions 

Concern | Participants are concerned about the difficulty in finding staff who can engage effectively in both digital and in-person settings, indicating a preference for in-person interaction among current staff.

Fact | A poll indicates that about a third of participants review their goals weekly, while 20% do not regularly review their goals, highlighting varying levels of engagement with goal-setting practices.

22:01

Club Trends and Membership Value 

Fact | The discussion noted that Napa has grown its total club revenue over the rolling 12 months through March, despite having fewer members, indicating an increase in value per member.

Concern | There was a concern raised about the slow activity in the tasting room and the need for proactive engagement with club members to maintain sales and connection.

Next steps | The suggestion was made to have tasting room staff reach out to club members to check in and offer products, which could help maintain engagement and sales.

Fact | It was mentioned that the tasting room manager is responsible for leading hybrid events, which have been successful in engaging club members who are not local.

Engagement Strategies in Wine Club Management 

Fact | The benchmark from Napa wineries indicates that 28% of total club dollars were achieved through beyond allocation engagement over the last 12 months, highlighting the effectiveness of engagement strategies.

25:36

Integration with eCELLAR and Metrics Analysis 

Fact | The speaker mentioned that the conversion rate for new visitors to club members for their winery is 3.3%, while the benchmark for Napa Valley is 7.3%.

Fact | The West Coast benchmark for converting visitors to club members is 10% for wineries with less than 300 visitors a month and 5% for those with more than 900 visitors.

32:16

Data-Driven Decision Making 

Fact | Jessica Link Davis Estates emphasizes the importance of data in decision-making, stating that she does not act without data, which is crucial for understanding performance.

Concern | Jessica raises a concern about the performance of tasting room staff, suggesting that conversion rates are not solely their responsibility and that the overall experience offered should also be evaluated.

Fact | A recent report indicates that 73% of younger generations value atmosphere and ambiance as much or more than the quality of wine, highlighting a shift in consumer preferences.

35:16

Enhancing Tasting Experiences 

Concern | There was a concern about not all businesses being able to offer food pairings, but Jessica encouraged creativity in providing elevated experiences even with limited options.

Fact | Jessica shared that the conversion rates for tastings with food were almost three times higher than those without, indicating a strong correlation between food offerings and customer engagement.

38:04

Enhancing Wine Tasting Experience 

Fact | The discussion highlighted that incorporating food into wine tastings can potentially increase conversion rates and average order values (AOVs).

Fact | It was noted that the current conversion rate is at 10.5% for a specific group of customers, indicating room for improvement in engaging with guests.

Concern | There is a concern about the need to create a more engaging experience for customers to improve conversion rates, as simply offering wine tastings may not be sufficient.

Implementation of Goal Positioning System 

Fact | The implementation of the new system led to a 9% increase in tasting room sales and a 10.5% increase in club release sales in Q4, showcasing the effectiveness of the GPS.

Fact | The discussion included a specific example where a winery was able to track their sales against a goal of $33,000, showing they were at $32.6K by April 24th, indicating they were on track to meet their goal.

50:14

Data Accuracy and Integration 

Fact | Tracy mentioned that eCELLAR was not integrated with Community Benchmark at the time of its initial launch, which necessitated the implementation of tools for double checks in data accuracy.

Next steps | Tracy indicated that ongoing updates and checks are necessary to ensure that the mapping is accurate, especially when new SKUs or experiences are introduced. This involves continuous monitoring and adjustments to the data mapping process.