Tequila Tromba features a variety of cocktail recipes on their website to drive customer engagement and encourage ecommerce sales.
it’ s not just about selling a bottle— it’ s about storytelling.”
The brands and retailers thriving online are the ones offering an education along with the sale.
“ Teach your customers about tasting notes, cocktail pairings and maybe even offer live virtual tastings,” Brass continues.“ Customers want more than just a transaction— they want to feel like they’ re discovering something special.”
Tequila Tromba features a variety of special elements on their website, including cocktail recipes, educational information on how their tequila is made and a video explaining the history of the brand.
The special experience element is so important— and it doesn’ t just apply to ecommerce. It’ s also a great feature to add in stores to not only attract customers and encourage sales, but to help create loyal customers, as well.
LET’ S GET PERSONAL
Wine retailer Taste56 came up with a unique way of boosting ecommerce sales through in-store experiences.
“ In-store, we offer a rotating list of 56 wines organized by style and available to taste, so customers can discover wines they truly love, rather than being told what they should like,” says founder and CEO James Fantaci.
When customers do an in-store tasting, it’ s followed up with an email where they can then rate the wines. Once the wines are rated, they receive unique recommendations from
Taste56 offers in-store tastings that are followed up with an email wherein customers can rate the wines and receive unique product recommendations.
Taste56’ s‘ Digital Somm,’ the retailer’ s algorithm for product suggestions.
“ The unique nature of the in-store experience introduces the customer to our approach, with the relationship James Fantaci is the continuing online,” Fantaci says. founder and CEO of
During a time when wine sales are less than desirable, wine retailer Taste56. Taste56’ s ecommerce transactions are thriving due to the personalized nature of helping customers find a wine that suits them.
“ We started Taste56 because shopping for wine is intimidating, confusing and dated,” notes Fantaci.“ We focus on creating a relationship with the consumer that improves their experience, not just selling wine.”
It’ s important to note that selling alcohol online isn’ t the same as selling sneakers. A generic, one-size-fits-all approach falls flat, and shoppers can’ t return a beverage if they don’ t like the taste.
“ You’ re missing the point if you’ re not helping people explore, taste and understand what makes a bottle unique,” says Tequila Tromba’ s Brass.
If you need helping coming up with different ideas to be more personal or experiential, Brass offers some advice:“ Think beyond the bottle. Offer cocktail recipes, highlight the craftsmanship and create bundles that make it easy for customers to get everything they need for a great dinner party. Engaging content, social proof and customer interaction can turn a one-time buyer into a lifelong fan.”
CROSSING YOUR T’ S AND DOTTING YOUR I’ S
When it comes to shipping your alcohol, there are a variety of ways to make the experience better for customers. According to Heritage Distilling’ s Stiefel, offering them the ability to track their shipments is a great start.
“ Tracking your shipments delivers really good backend customer service, because there’ s always mistakes, but at least customers will know where their packages are,” he says.
And while it can sometimes be an added annoyance, it’ s extremely important to www. beveragedynamics. com Summer 2025 • Beverage Dynamics 9