WTN Services “Blog” 2004 word of the year… Will wine sales benefit?
The Pew Internet & American Life Project found in 2006 that 57% of American teenagers create content for the Internet—from text via websites or blogs, to pictures, music and video. This new generation of young web users is driving innovation and forcing adults to adapt to a changing web environment. In the not so distant future, adults will not be content with flat passive websites for wine sales. In this emerging new-media culture; people will no longer passively read or watch web media, but want to actively participate in it. Rather the person is visiting your website as a surfer or to make a purchase; they will want be engaged, enriched and potentially entertained in order to garner a wine sale.
What that means is more people will actively participate in creating content and want to be engaged in a dialog with the winery or wine retail website. Marketers of wines, wine club managers and anyone involved with wine sales on the web need to adapt to these changes. The requirement of interactive marketing that engages the consumer to participate will drive traffic, sales and profits to those that engage the consumer. Blogs, video, streaming, audio commentary and other forms of engagement are the tools of today that will dramatically shift behaviors in the very near future. Merriam-Webster, a publisher of dictionaries, had “blog” as its word of the year in 2004, and the New Oxford American Dictionary picked “podcast” in 2005. The Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2006 was “Crackberry” n. A BlackBerry handheld computer, particularly one used obsessively.”
Three years in a row, a new media word wins “word of the year” reflecting our changing behaviors toward information, purchasing and a shift through the power of innovation. Will those shifts translate to additional direct to consumer wine sales opportunities?
Point to ponder… Only if you act now. Has any of your club inserts, tasting room-marketing materials or web messaging directed club members to your winery blog or to view a podcast? Are you missing a sales opportunity via these new technologies? Is the word “blog” or “podcast” in your marketing vocabulary for 2007 or 2008? Brand building, sales and profit increases in 07 and 08 will come to those wineries that commit a plan to the new media opportunities.
- Begin a dialog with your web, marketing and brand team.
- Engage WTN Services as your fulfillment partner in the dialog and the plan.
- Seek guidance from your ecommerce platform provider as to how they may help.
To learn more about innovations in technology applications within the Wine Industry visit our blog often and join us for a discussion of technology at the Wine Industry Technology Symposium July 17th.