Winery Web Site Developers

There are three companies I generally recommend talking to if you are looking to outsource your winery's Web presence.  Alphabetically, they are:

• Cultivate Systems
• eWinerySolutions
• Inertia Beverage Group

The strength of these companies is that they are all focused solely on wineries.  Each of the companies above has a different offering, which is why I encourage wineries to talk with all three.

Some of you may have had your sites developed by Winery Websites (part of WorldZoo).  They show about 30 winery sites in their portfolio (some for well-known wineries), but they seem more focused on the marketing aspect of a Web site rather than a fully integrated fulfillment.  Most of the sites I looked at appear to use Nexternal Solutions for their e-commerce solution.

Many of you may be familiar with Inertia's REthink Wine Blog, as it does a great job of making them visible as thought leaders in the Direct-to-Consumer (and now Direct-to-Trade) area of the wine biz.  I was curious if either of the other two companies were actively blogging, and I'm pleased to report that eWinerySolutions now has The eWinery Blog, with nine short, interesting posts since the start of June.  Like the REthink blog, it's written by several different people.  I looked for a blog at Cultivate and Winery Web, but couldn't find any sign.

If you're a winery, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave a comment about your experiences in getting your Web site built, and how you feel about the result (no need to name names).  What do you really like about the outcome, and what do you still wish for?

If you're one of the companies mentioned above, please leave a comment describing what distinguishes your offerings to wineries. 

If you work with wineries to develop their Web presence, please feel free to leave a comment as well.

Comments

[Paul Mabray]

Thanks Mike - Inertia differentiates ourselves in that we are a full direct sales and marketing platform covering all channels of off-premise wine sales. That is to say our platform handles:
Website content management
E-commerce
Wineclub
Allocation
Phone Orders
CRM (Customer relationship management)
Email marketing
Compliance (and free compliance to the entire wine industry coming soon at www.rethinkcompliance.com)

We are also the only regulatory approved platform for Direct to Trade sales that function with the same tools as our DTC sales (ecommerce, phone, etc).

We are also fully integrated with major fulfillment houses, a key POS provider, and more.

On top of our platform we believe in helping wineries succeed in direct sales and provide a client development manager for each winery to help them sell more wine through direct. We also engage in Wine 2.0 partnerships created to bring the customer back to the wineries database. You'll see a lot more from us in this arena as we continue to grow.

Yep - we do a lot but with one laser like focus - helping wineries succeed and profit through the direct channel.

Inertia - Powering the Wine Revolution

---Paul Mabray - CEO

[Brian Compton]

What a timely post.

We (DESIGN about TOWN) just dropped the following press release today. It will also be featured in the news section of Wines & Vines' September issue.

We are a design firm and the majority of our clients are tech companies in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. We are looking to "expand our portfolio" and venture into wine country. With much of our work leaning towards modern and hi-tech, we are attracted to the elegant and artistic design tendencies of the wine industry.

This being said, we would love to partner with the likes of Paul @ Intertia and Dick @ eWinery Solutions as creative design vendors.

Feel free to pass this press release on to those who may be interested.

*****

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
As offered in Wines & Vines Magazine's September issue.

DESIGN about TOWN Offers Free Graphic Design Consultations to Wine Makers

(San Francisco, CA -- August 20, 2007 ) - DESIGN about TOWN, an award winning graphic communications firm, is uncorking fresh ideas for wine country. With over 13 years of experience in helping companies develop their image, they are now seeking your assistance by asking wine industry professionals to share graphic design and marketing experiences and ideas.

DESIGN about TOWN has created a short survey with the intention of learning about current industry trends and concerns related to branding, wine labels, websites, business collateral, marketing materials, e-marketing practices, newsletters, packaging, and trade show graphics.

Go to www.DESIGNaboutTOWN.com/designtasting and complete the survey. In appreciation for your participation, DESIGN about TOWN will provide a consultation, at no cost, to help you evaluate your company's image and graphic needs. This consultation will not be a sales pitch.

Take advantage of this opportunity now by visiting www.DESIGNaboutTOWN.com/designtasting.

###

For more information contact Brian Compton at 415-290-2256 or brian@DESIGNaboutTOWN.com.

Visit our website at:
www.DESIGNaboutTOWN.com

[Sheri Hebbeln]

Mike, Nice post. Thank you for inviting us to respond. I think you've summed it up quite nicely. Our key strength is that we remain focused solely on the wine industry and on helping wineries take full advantage of their direct-to-consumer channel. In choosing a technology partner with a thorough knowledge of the industry, our clients gain distinct advantages in flexibility and scalability. All of our tools are built with the end consumer in mind and are aimed at creating a richer and more satisfying shopping experience. And through continuing enhancements to our platform we seek to help our winery clients navigate the many changes that occur each year in web technology. A fundamental difference between our business model and the others you mention is that we charge a fair flat monthly fee as opposed to taking a % of the gross revenue.

Our model includes a user-friendly Content Management System, email communication tools, eCommerce, Wine Club Management, powerful promotional tools and a sophisticated CRM package. eWinery is integrated with major shipping and compliance providers to help automate the fulfillment and records management processes and our WebLink POS integration allows for the synchronization of customer order history between website and tasting room.

To learn more about the benefits that eWinery Solutions can offer, please visit our website or contact me directly.

Sheri Hebbeln
shebbeln@ewinerysolutions.com
www.ewinerysolutions.com

[el jefe]

1. Budget more time and money than you think it will take.

2. Be active in the development process - it's your message and what you put in is what you will get out.

3. When it is done, stay with it and keep it growing and changing - users know a stagnant web site as easily as shoppers know a stagnant store.

[Paul Mabray]

One note, we are a revenue share model because then we share a VESTED interest in helping wineries increase their business. Having a partner that shares that goal is key for your continued growth. I like that we are your true partner instead of just a vendor.

Inertia - Powering the Wine Revolution

---Paul Mabray - CEO

[Doreen Davis]

Mike, thank you for bringing this area of a winery's business to the forefront. We welcome the opportunity to share the benefits Nexternal offers to help more than 200 wineries leverage the online distribution channel. Nexternal's comprehensive e-commerce software empowers wine businesses to increase their sales revenues while decreasing their overall administrative costs for online retail, wholesale and wine club sales. Our technology has been designed to capture a higher customer conversion rate while reducing the manual data transfer to get orders out the door in a timely manner so wine businesses can spend more time effectively marketing their wines and increasing brand awareness. Our sales reporting and customer purchasing history tools enable businesses to have a better pulse on sales activity to maximize their sales opportunities. To combat the obstacles of states' compliance requirements such as real time age verification, compliance reporting, complex sales tax requirements, etc., Nexternal has partnered with best of breed providers including IDology, ShipCompliant and Tax Data Systems. To streamline the order fulfillment process, Nexternal is fully integrated with all major shipping carriers (e.g., FedEx, UPS, DHL) and several online payment gateways, as well as relationships with several third party fulfillment companies such as New Vine Logistics, Vintage Logistics, Monterey Wine Services, Bacchus Distribution, etc. Furthermore, with the changing needs to effectively run a successful wine business, Nexternal continues to develop ongoing software updates (http://www.nexternal.com/updates/) that are included in the service plan.

To learn how Nexternal can help your online business thrive, please contact Nexternal Solutions at 800-914-6161, ext 415 or ddavis@nexternal.com. There is no length of term contract because we are confident that we can build a successful partnership with you.

[John Gavin (aka johng of quaffability)]

As an independent website designer who has built websites integrating Nexternal and Cultivate as well as other solutions, and who has designed websites that integrate Inertia, I would like to point out that while Cultivate is an excellent ecom solution, they do not design or build websites. Nexternal, which is also very good and very robust, does design sites, but it is not their strength. I would recommend that any winery considering using either of those two platforms work with a designer who has extensive winery website experience.

[John Gavin (aka johng of quaffability)]

As an independent website designer who has built websites integrating Nexternal and Cultivate as well as other solutions, and who has designed websites that integrate Inertia, I would like to point out that while Cultivate is an excellent ecom solution, they do not design or build websites. Nexternal, which is also very good and very robust, does design sites, but it is not their strength. I would recommend that any winery considering using either of those two platforms work with a designer who has extensive winery website experience.