Adapting Your Wine Club for the Next Generation of Wine Lovers

You love wine. Like really, really love wine. And you want to share that passion with others. That’s why you started your own wine club years ago. But lately, you’ve noticed membership declining. Millennials just aren’t joining like they used to. What gives? Turns out, the next generation wants more flexibility and customization from their wine clubs. They don’t want to be locked into the same wines every month. They want to pick and choose. But how do you make that work when you’re used to doing things the old school way? Well, by harnessing the power of Shopify and Awtomic, you can easily create a customizable wine club that delivers exactly what your younger customers crave. In this post, we’ll walk through the steps to adapt your wine club for the next generation of wine lovers. Get ready to wine smarter, not harder.

The Changing Face of Wine Club Members

Millennials Are Drinking More Wine

Millennials have surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest group of wine drinkers. This generation wants unique experiences that align with their values. They care about the story and people behind the wine as much as the actual product. For wineries, this means your traditional wine club model may need an upgrade.

Customization Is Key

Rather than a one-size-fits-all club, offer customizable options based on varietals, pricing, and frequency. Let members choose all reds, just certain grapes, or a mixed case. Provide multiple shipment schedules from monthly to quarterly. The flexibility will appeal to younger members' desire for personalization.

An Experience Beyond the Bottle

Sending the standard bottle in a box with tasting notes is no longer enough. Curate an experience for your members by including food pairings, recipes, vineyard stories, or live virtual tastings. Consider offering club member perks like access to library wines or discounts on stays at your on-site inn. Experiential elements, especially those that foster connection, resonate strongly with Millennials.

Leverage Technology

Using a platform like Shopify and an app like Awtomic allows you to easily set up a customizable wine club. Members can log in to view their shipment schedules, change frequency or varietals, and access club benefits. You'll gain insights into what your members prefer so you can tailor offerings even further. While tradition still has its place in wine, technology helps you provide the interactive, social experience that will keep your wine club relevant for years to come.

By adapting your wine club model, you open your business to an emerging group of wine lovers and secure its longevity. The extra effort to personalize pays off by fostering genuine relationships with your members, the foundation of any successful wine club. Meet this generation of wine drinkers where they are, and they'll meet you at your tasting room for years to come!

Why Customization Is Key for Younger Wine Drinkers

The younger generations of wine drinkers, Millennials and Gen Z, crave personalization. They want to curate their own experiences, and that includes the wines they drink. ###Custom wine clubs are the future for appealing to these groups.

Offering customizable shipments where members can choose the specific bottles they receive is key. Your members can select wines that match their tastes and moods each shipment. They’ll feel like they’re designing their own wine adventure with your help.

Millennials and Gen Z also value unique experiences they can share on social media. A customizable club allows them to discover new wines they’ve never tried before and share photos and reviews with their friends. They can bond over discovering new favorites together, even if they live far apart.

Flexible membership options are also important to younger wine lovers. Traditional, fixed-option clubs seem rigid and outdated. Give members the freedom to choose the number of bottles, frequency of shipments, and even price points that work for their needs. They may want to scale up or down depending on what’s going on in their lives.

While customization and flexibility require more work on your end, it will pay off in customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing. When you provide younger members with a personalized experience and the freedom to adjust as needed, they’ll stick with your club for the long haul and tell their friends all about it. Isn’t gaining new customers and keeping them for life what every wine club wants? Customization is the key.

Launching a Customizable Wine Club on Shopify With Awtomic

Choosing Your Wine Selection

The key to a successful wine club today is offering a variety of wines at different price points that fit your members’ tastes. Work with your winemakers and importers to curate a selection of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines that represent your region and style. Let members choose from different packs of all reds, all whites, or a mix. With Awtomic, you can easily change the selection on a regular basis to keep up with your newest vintages.

Offering Flexible Shipping Options

While the traditional wine club model is built around quarterly or bi-monthly shipments of pre-selected wines, younger members today want more flexibility and control. Using Awtomic on Shopify, you can let members fully customize when and how often they receive shipments. They can choose monthly, bimonthly or quarterly deliveries, and even skip or delay shipments when needed. If you need to keep the club on a schedule, you can still pick any days of the year for your shipments and allow flexibility in bottle selection. 

Providing Exclusive Perks and Discounts

Wine clubs are all about building loyalty and community. Offer members-only perks like free tastings, access to limited releases, and discounts on wine purchases and merchandise. You might also partner with local restaurants and hotels to provide dining and lodging offers exclusively for your wine club members. These added benefits give people an incentive to join and renew their membership.

Streamlining the Sign-Up Process

The easier you make it for people to join your wine club, the more members you’ll gain. An app like Awtomic has a simple signup flow you can have on your website that collects members’ details and payment information to get them subscribed quickly. You’ll also want to clearly explain details like how the club works, commitment levels, and any fees on your website to set the right expectations from the start. By simplifying the signup process, you’ll turn more site visitors into loyal wine club members.

Conclusion

You can see how a customizable wine club is the perfect solution for attracting that next generation of wine lovers. They want a personalized experience where they feel heard and in control. A customizable wine club checks all those boxes while still providing the convenience and curation your brand is known for. Plus, it's easy to set up using the right ecommerce platform like Shopify and subscription app like Awtomic. So don't wait - start adapting your wine club today to build those loyal relationships with younger wine enthusiasts. The future of wine clubs is flexible and tailored. Make sure your brand is ready.

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