For many consumers, it appears wine is among the essentials they value.
As BC consumers stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, online wine sales are surging for many wineries.
As wineries have closed their tasting rooms and sales to distributors are down, many wineries have embraced new methods to sell wine.
For many wineries, opening their vineyards and tasting rooms and inviting the public to visit is the primary way to sell their product.
For wineries, the industry segments with winning sales (retail online sales and home delivery).
The segments that are experiencing a downturn in sales (restaurants, and winery tasting room), most of which have shut down on-premises dining and tastings due to the pandemic.
Online sales are a really good indicator of the new normal in how consumers are responding to the crisis as they stay centred on staying home.
In a recent blog post, Rob McMillan, senior vice president of Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division, says he does not expect COVID-19 to hurt wine sales.
“Wine consumers won’t abstain from drinking because of a virus. Abstinence didn’t take place during Prohibition or during the Great Recession, and it won’t happen now. So you have plenty of consumers ready to buy your wine. The real question revolves around how you will reach the consumer in today’s economy.”
It’s really important to BUY LOCAL- those wines that you purchase now from BC wineries to drink or enjoy later on, will help assure that your local favourite winery will still be around.
With people unable to visit wineries in person, customers have flocked online.
Wineries that developed strong direct-to-consumer channels are now focused on that side of the business.
What’s your winery doing to boost online sales?
