[vemba_video vemba_id=”26123″ /]
ABOVE: Read more about how BevMo wants to let customers choose which wines they should stock, how the Republican tax bill may be stalling home sales, and a former MLB won a lawsuit after fighting a naked man prevented him from pitching at the pro level.
Click here if you are having trouble viewing the photos or video on your mobile device.
One night in late 2017, Debbie Wong sat down at a table in Concord to try out a bunch of wines.
She sipped about eight wines and gave her input on the taste of the wines, the prices she’d be willing to pay, and other characteristics a retailer might consider when choosing what to put on the shelves.
But Wong is not a wine professional. She’s a contract advisor for Chevron and a semi-regular shopper at her local BevMo, which is trying a new approach to curating its collection of wines: let customers help the experts choose.
BevMo late last year started reaching out to customers whose purchases are at least 50 percent wine and who are part of its rewards program. Wong fit the bill.
In late 2017, Concord-based BevMo gathered nearly 70 customers to taste-test hundreds of sample and prototype wines and provide scores and rankings. The customers provided feedback on prices, label designs and desired flavor profiles. They helped identify gaps in the collection, such as a need for more popular rosés and more options across different price points, said Hana Kim, BevMo’s senior director of marketing and brand strategy, who oversaw the testing process.
Like the other customers on the panel, Wong participated in a blind taste test so she didn’t know which wines she was sampling or where they came from. She filled out a form with her feedback, which BevMo staff said was provided to suppliers and winemakers to create the final products.
Wong said that the experience seemed unique for a retailer to offer.
“It felt like it was important to them to know what their potential customers liked,” she said. “The tasting event and giving feedback makes you feel engaged.”
That’s exactly what BevMo was hoping for. In a retail world as competitive as today’s market, stores are eager to find new ways to learn what customers most want and give them experiences that will keep them coming back.
Starbucks has found success with a loyalty program that allows customers to rack up points to earn free items, drawing them back for more. Others, like Best Buy, have invested in new store formats and beefed-up customer service offerings. For BevMo, involving customers in the wine curation process could engender loyalty, even as the company competes with other beverage retailers like the recently expanded Total Wine & More, or the many grocery or specialty stores in the Bay Area that offer deep selections of wine.
“Instead of going to the suppliers and wineries first,” Kim said, “we spoke with our customers to get first-hand knowledge of what was needed and what was desired. Only then did we go to suppliers, new and old, to bring this vision to life.”
The result: about three-dozen new wines are now appearing on BevMo shelves and the retailer plans to introduce more new labels and varietals throughout the year. A Carello Chinetti chardonnay, a Cline merlot, and a rosé from Clair de Lune are among the new wines currently on BevMo shelves. The bulk of the wines will range from $3.99 to $39.99 per bottle, but a number of future “premium” offerings will be pricier, according to BevMo.
There could be future opportunities to participate in selecting the wines, Kim said — as long as you’re part of the ClubBev rewards program and regularly buy wine.
