Wine Subscriptions: Prioritizing Convenience for Millennials

Everyone craves convenience. With busy schedules and endless options at their fingertips, people are looking for seamless experiences that fit effortlessly into their lives. From ordering groceries with a few taps on their phones to subscribing to personalized services, convenience has become a key aspect of the shopping experience. As modern consumers increasingly value ease and flexibility, subscriptions have emerged as the preferred choice for the growing millennial market. 

In this blog post, we'll dive into how wine subscriptions differentiate from traditional wine clubs, highlighting the core benefit of subscriptions – convenience. We’ll also share three best practices that wineries can implement to create an exceptional wine subscription experience.

Wine Clubs vs. Wine Subscriptions

The burning question on everyone's minds is: "What's the difference?" Well, we explored this exact question in a webinar with WineGlass Marketing, and here's a quick summary: 

In the traditional wine club model, the winery takes the lead by selecting wines and determining the shipping schedule, often focusing on customers' "favourites", or their current offerings. These clubs also include other perks and benefits like discounts, free tastings and in person events. On the other hand, the subscription model places the power in the hands of consumers, allowing them to choose their desired wines and shipping frequency, with a focus on variety and brand storytelling. The primary benefit here is convenience, and the experience is mainly virtual, making it a popular choice for millennial consumers.

Commerce7 gives wineries the option to offer both traditional wine clubs and wine subscriptions - a combination we highly recommend! Though traditional wine clubs still maintain popularity among older generations, the future of wine clubs is shifting towards subscriptions. In fact, nearly half of all millennials have four or more subscriptions, with convenience ranking higher than monetary savings as the primary motivator, according to a study conducted by SKIM. It's clear that convenience plays a significant role in their decisions, making it the core benefit that wineries should emphasize when promoting wine subscriptions.

With that in mind, let's jump into a few best practices that can be used to create the most convenient wine subscription experience possible.

The Three Keys to Wine Subscriptions

Personalize the Experience 

Did you know that 84% of Gen Z say that their favorite brand treats them like an individual? And it's not just the younger crowd – 71% of consumers of all generations expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen. It’s safe to say that making your wine club experience feel like it was tailor-made for each member is more important than ever. 

There are many ways you can go about this, such as personalized packaging or messaging, or one of a kind invites to special events, to name a few. But what about the core of the club – the wines? Instead of sending out the same wine selections to all members, you could let your system generate personalized recommendations based on each member's preferences. By analyzing their past purchases, shopping behavior, and feedback, you can automatically curate a selection of wines that are sure to make them smile. Commerce7’s Subscription Clubs are a great example of this kind of automated selection in action, using algorithms that take into account each member's unique tastes and preferences. 

When you put a focus on personalization, it not only shows your winery's commitment to valuing each member as an individual, but also ensures that every shipment feels like a unique experience. After all, who wouldn't want to receive a wine club shipment designed especially for them?

Allow as Much Flexibility as Possible 

Flexibility is key when it comes to keeping your members happy and engaged. Give them options when it comes to their subscription, such as choosing their delivery frequency or adjusting the wines in their upcoming shipment. Sometimes people like to change things up, and a recent study by PYMNTS highlighted this, revealing that 97% of top-performing retail subscription services offer the ability to make changes to delivery frequency — a share six times greater than the 13% of bottom performers that provide the same option.

Plus, added flexibility is a great way to increase your club sales. Research from our latest ebook “The Data That’s Changing Winery DTC”, shows that when club members edit their packages, wineries, on average, are seeing a 9.29% increase in average order value, and 16.51% increase in SKU count. Why limit a member from receiving more shipments than they originally signed up for or adding more products to their existing shipments if you don’t have to?

Allow Easy Online Cancellations 

Last but not least, let's talk about the dreaded "C" word – cancellations. While we hope all members will stick around forever, sometimes things change. Make the cancellation process as painless as possible. A study by Brightback (a customer retention automation software), showed that when it comes to canceling, a whopping 60% of consumers prefer doing it online with just a click of a button – no phone calls, no emails, and most importantly, no hassle. 

But the benefits of an easy online cancellation process extends beyond just convenience, with 80% of consumers from the same study stating that they would be more inclined to try a new subscription service if they could easily pause or cancel it online. Furthermore, 80% of consumers reported that they would be less likely to purchase from a company again if the cancellation process was difficult. And if that weren't convincing enough, 79% of respondents expressed that they would be less inclined to recommend a service to a friend if the cancellation process wasn’t easy and straightforward.

So, whether they're canceling due to budget constraints, or simply because they've had too much wine (if that's even possible), let them go with ease. A smooth cancellation process is what most consumers want. Even though they're saying goodbye to your club, it leaves a positive impression. Plus, who knows? They might come back when the time is right.

And there you have it – by focusing on convenience through personalization, flexibility, and easy online cancellations, wineries can provide a seamless and enjoyable experience for their subscription members. Remember, it's all about making it easy and enjoyable for your customers to engage with your brand. So, whether they're exploring new wines or simply looking for a hassle-free experience, a well-crafted wine subscription can meet their needs and keep them coming back for more.