Customer expectations are at an all-time high. Companies like Amazon and Zappos have set the bar for both customer service and speed of delivery, which means that in order to succeed in direct sales, it's important to emulate the experience your customers would receive from these masters of online retail. To do that, you need a fulfillment partner whose primary areas of focus are innovation, technology, speed of delivery and service execution. Based on the challenges of creating a consistent customer experience and the necessary components of a successful operation, WineDirect is an excellent fulfillment partner for wineries looking to expand their DTC sales.

1. What to look for
WHEN SEEKING A WINERY DTC FULFILLMENT PARTNER

2. CULTURE OF INNOVATION
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY
SPEED-TO-MARKET
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SATISFACTION
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3. Customer expectations are at an all-time high. Companies like Amazon
and Zappos have set the bar for both customer service and speed
of delivery, which means that in order to succeed in direct sales, it's
important to emulate the experience your customers would receive
from these masters of online retail. To do that, you need a fulfillment
partner whose primary areas of focus are innovation, technology, speed
of delivery and service execution. Based on the challenges of creating
a consistent customer experience and the necessary components of a
successful operation, WineDirect is an excellent fulfillment partner for
wineries looking to expand their DTC sales.
Culture of innovation
In order to grow and evolve your business, you need a partner that
makes innovation a priority. Success in the wine industry hinges on your
ability to adapt quickly to change, and for this reason WineDirect focuses
on continuous improvements; placing particular focus on increasing
accuracy, speed, efficiency and on controlling cost. Working with a
partner that shares the same level of commitment to innovation and
customer satisfaction that you do creates a strong foundation from which
you can build a lasting relationship.
State-of-the-art technology
Technology has become a game changer for businesses in every industry.
To build a solid foundation for your DTC program, it is essential that you
select a fulfillment partner that keeps pace with the rapid advancements
occurring in technology. You should evaluate both the annual technology
investments your fulfillment partner makes and the IT resources available.
More importantly, are those resources used to develop innovative new
solutions which will help you sell more wine?
Investments in technology benefit wineries in many ways, most notably
through visibility and order accuracy.
VISIBILITY: To meet customer expectations, you’ve got to be able to
see where your orders are at any given point in time. With WineDirect’s
online portal, the critical information you need to service your customers
is condensed into one screen, which serves as your customer service
dashboard. When a customer buys an item online and wants it shipped
the next day, system wide visibility is critical. The right technology and
the visibility it provides can lead to better decision making and
operational efficiencies.
ACCURACY: If new customers receive an incorrect order the first time
they buy, they aren't likely to return. WineDirect maintains the strictest
service-level agreements in the industry and has implemented the
technology and processes necessary to ensure the right product reaches
your customer each and every time.
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4. KEY FEATURES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
• Order validation: With orders coming from several different
sources, it can be difficult to keep track of inventory levels and stay
on top of all shipping concerns. Your fulfillment partner should be able
to verify address information and ensure you aren't mistakenly
sending an order to a dry zip code or exceeding quantity limitations.
It should also provide automatic alerts when you're running short
on inventory.
• Quality assurance: Shipping should be easy! An automated system
plus employees who pay attention to detail will help you ensure
orders are processed quickly and accurately.
• Business intelligence: A good partner should be able to provide
business insight you don't already have. Through connections between
ecommerce, point-of-sale, accounting and fulfillment, WineDirect
delivers the important customer information you need in order to
grow your business.
Speed-to-market
Customers want to receive their products as quickly as possible, and their
expectations have changed radically over the last few years. This can
result in service disparities if you're shipping from California to consumers
on the East Coast. Choosing a fulfillment partner with strategically located
warehouses will help you eliminate these challenges.
Quicker deliveries almost always lead to increased customer satisfaction
and loyalty because you are able to meet and exceed expectations.
WineDirect maintains three strategically located warehouses, which
allows you to reach 85 percent of customers in one to two business days.
Moving product closer to your customer base leads not only to quicker
delivery but to cost savings as well. WineDirect’s strategically located
warehouse in the Cleveland metropolitan area allows you to reduce
delivery time to East Coast customers by up to three days. This also
reduces the need for express shipping and special packaging, saving
you and your customers as much as $10 per case. WineDirect ships via
refrigerated line-haul to Ohio so that you can rest assured the quality of
your wine is maintained.
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5. Customer service and satisfaction
In addition to speed to market, one of the most important qualities you
should look for in a partner is a willingness to place customers at the
center of their strategy. This mentality will accelerate growth at your
winery and enable you to take advantage of new opportunities.
As the last people to touch your wine before it goes to customers,
members of the WineDirect team consider themselves an extension of
your unique brand, and they take this responsibility seriously. WineDirect
is committed to making DTC as easy as possible for you and to providing
you with complete peace of mind. Their client services representatives
will help you accomplish more while expending fewer resources. With
state-of-the-art technology and a dedicated team, you will delight your
customers with high-quality, integrated service.
Success in DTC revolves around the customer experience. For wineries,
that means providing an end-to-end experience that begins with your
customer's order: whether in the tasting room, on your website or via
mobile. The final—and we would argue the most important—part of that
experience is flawless fulfillment.
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6. 800.819.0325
sales@winedirect.com
1190 Airport Blvd., Suite 200 Napa, CA 94558