Steve Raye on E-comm at Wine2Wine
I gave a presentation on e-commerce (https://lnkd.in/e9K_xqHy) for wine in the U.S. with a focus on brands exported to the U.S. As you may know, domestic brands can ship “DtC” (direct to consumer) essentially bypassing the Three-Tier System.
That option is not open to brands imported into the U.S….for now. That said, it’s still a very important part of every brand’s U.S. market strategy from the retailer-to-consumer B2C perspective. So even if you are marketing a brand produced outside the U.S. E-comm has become a mission critical tool.
Click here to access the audio part of the presentation, and if you’d like to see the slides I’m referring to, just email me at Steve@BevologyInc.com to request the PPT and I’ll happily share.
And don’t forget, I’m now the host of “Get U.S. Market Ready with Italian Wine People” on the Italian Wine Podcast channel, with new episodes every Monday. Fabulous insights from the front lines of the U.S. wine market, with relevance not only to Italian wines, but all wines, domestic and imported.
Enjoy the show!
Trade Show Schedule 2022 for U.S. bev. alc. Industry
They’re BAAAAAAAAACK! Covid might not be over, but the U.S. bev. alc. industry is forging ahead in 2022 with a full slate of trade shows. Here they are in chronological order. If you have any additions, please let me know.
Wine and Spirits Daily Summit Jan 31/Feb. 1, 2022: San Diego, CA. https://winespiritsdaily.com/summit.php.
Fancy Food Show: Feb. 6-8, 2022, Las Vegas, NV https://www.specialtyfood.com/
Craft Beverage Trade Show, March 8/9, 2022, Louisville, KY https://www.craftbeverageexpo.com/
VinexpoAmerica: March 9-10, 2022, New York https://www.vinexpoamerica.com
Bar and Restaurant Expo, March 21-23, 2022, Las Vegas, NV, www.barandrestaurantexpo.com
ProWein, March 27-29, 2022, Dusseldorf, Germany. https://www.prowein.com/
Vinitaly, April 10-13, 2022 Verona, Italy https://www.vinitaly.com/en/
WSWA Convention (Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America), April 11-14, 2022, Las Vegas, NV http://www.wswaconvention.org/
NABCA (National Alcohol Beverage Control Association), Date not set, usually May at Marco Island, FL https://www.nabca.org/meetings
Bar Convent Brooklyn, June 14/15, 2022, Brooklyn, NY https://www.barconventbrooklyn.com/Home/
Tales of the Cocktail, July 25-29, 2022 New Orleans, LA https://talesofthecocktail.org/
International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show, July 26-27, 2022, San Francisco, CA https://ibwsshow.com/
American Distilling Institute 2022 Conference and Expo Sept, 14-16, 2022, St Louis, MO. www.distilling.com.
Bar Convent Berlin, Oct. 10-12, 2022, Berlin, Germany https://www.barconvent.com
USA Trade Tasting: Chicago Oct. 12-13, 2022,https://usatradetasting.com/
Wine2Wine: Verona, Italy. 2022 date not set, usually end Nov/early Dec. www.wine2wine.net
American Craft Spirits Assn. Annual Convention, December 2, 2021. 2022 date not set yet Portland, OR. www.americancraftspirits.org
Impact Marketing Seminar: date not set, usually Jan. New York. http://www.impactseminar.com/
List of Rating/Scoring/Evaluation/Competitions in 2021 Relevant in the U.S. Market
Here is a useful and comprehensive list of all the award competitions, scoring and evaluation events that are important in the U.S. wine and spirits market.
I have noted those that are relevant in the U.S. that accept brands that are not-currently imported into the country with an initial asterisk (*)
We highly recommend that new brands, both domestic and international, enter competitions and get U.S. scores as the first step in their journey. That way when you get asked the first question from a gatekeeper: “Do you have scores?” you can answer “Yes!”
And by the way if you’re in a hurry, have a lot of skus, missed the deadline or just want to be treated special, there are a few options for “bespoke” reviews. Ping me at steve@bevologyinc.com for details.
WINES/WINES & SPIRITS
*BTI, (Beverage Testing Institute), Multiple categories/deadlines for both wines and spirits. http://trade.tastings.com
*San Francisco Wine Competition, Date not published yet http://www.sfwinecomp.com/
Wine Enthusiast http://www.winemag.com/submit-for-rating/
Wine Spectator, http://www.winespectator.com/group/show/id/how-to-submit-wines
*Wine and Spirits Magazine, dates vary by country/region, https://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/wine-submissions
SOMM Journal https://www.sommjournal.com/sample-submissions/
*Tasting Panel Magazine https://www.tastingpanelmag.com/sample-submissions/
The Wine Advocate https://www.robertparker.com/
James Suckling: https://www.jamessuckling.com/faqs/
Decanter World Wine Awards https://www.decanter.com/en/dwwa/
IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition, multiple dates by category https://iwsc.net/
Vinous/Antonio Galloni https://vinous.com/
*New York International Wine Competition, May 2, 2021,https://nyiwinecompetition.com/
International Wine Review https://www.i-winereview.com/
*TexSom, Mar. 26, 2021 https://texsomiwa.com/
*USA Wine Ratings, June 30, 2021, usawineratings.com
*Sommeliers Choice Awards, March 31, 2021, sommelierschoiceawards.com/
And one more from our friends at Firewater Partners: Bonfort’s Wine and Spirit Journal Top 100, https://www.bonforts.com/top-100
SPIRITS
*Drinks International Spirit Challenge, Deadlines vary by category, https://internationalspiritschallenge.com/live/en/page/home
*Bartender Spirits Awards, April 23, 2021, bartenderspiritsawards.com/en/
*USA Spirits Ratings, June 30, 2021, usaspiritsratings.com
U.S. Wine and Spirit Industry Newsletters
Here’s a handy list of the most important wine and spirit industry newsletters in the U.S.
Wine and Spirit Daily (WSD) http://www.winespiritsdaily.com/subscribe
Highly regarded, original content, often from news releases, focuses on breaking news headlines. (subscription fee)
Industry News Update (Also known as “Mark Brown’s Newsletter” or “Buffalo Trace” https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=xqac_glmUEyAJu-_rp2Y7wh9n_UcnZNMq66rGNvwTxBUNVhXSTFUT0NMN00zVzNHSklHVzNMSVo2WS4u
Aggregator of current news from other sources
Shanken News Daily http://newsletters.shankennewsdaily.com
Highly regarded, original content, often from news releases, focuses on breaking news headlines. (subscription fee)
SevenFifty Daily https://daily.sevenfifty.com/
An online magazine covering the business and culture of drinks; for professionals in the industry
Wine-Searcher Newsletter: https://www.wine-searcher.com/newsletter-signup.lml
Well-written, timely news on the wine and spirits industry
Wine Intelligence Newsletter: http://www.wineintelligence.com/
Insightful, valuable data
Wine Business Daily News https://secure.winebusiness.com/subscribe
Oriented to grape growers, wine producers, but does cover marketing as well
WSWA Smartbrief https://www2.smartbrief.com/subscribe Aggregator of news, bias toward status quo of 3-tier system
Wine Industry Insight http://wineindustryinsight.com Aggregator of news stories, news releases, industry data, legal/regulatory
Wine Industry Advisor Afternoon Brief (Published by Wine Industry Network) http://www.wineindustryadvisor.comAggregator of news stories, jobs board, relevant blog posts, news releases
Just-Drinks http://www.just-drinks.com (Subscription fee)
Original content, aggregated news, sponsored/syndicated data and market research supplier. UK-based, but 50% of readership is U.S.
Beverage Wholesaler http://bevwholesaler.com/
Weekly newsletter dedicated to wholesalers, distributors and brokers, published by Beverage Information Group
BTN Academy: http://beveragetradenetwork.com/subscribe Wealth of original content, webinars and articles.
Best Wine Importers: https://www.bestwineimporters.com/ Excellent resource for lists of importers and distributors in U.S. and ROW
Modern Distillery Age www.distilleryage.com
Thorough coverage of spirits industry breaking news, new product info, legal/regulatory. (subscription fee)
The wine2wine Business Forum hosts first-ever Clubhouse wine marathon
The wine2wine Business Forum in Verona will host a six-hour Clubhouse marathon on Monday 18 October. The Forum also gives wine professionals the opportunity to learn about the benefits of the Clubhouse app for creating new wine communities and accessing new markets.
From left to right: Marc Millon IWA, Steven Raye, Chris Scott, Lawrence Francis, Renée Sferrazza, Dr. Matthew Horkey
VERONA, Italy (PRWEB) October 11, 2021
The wine2wine Business Forum is an international industry event held annually in Verona for wine producers and industry professionals, and provides a unique opportunity to network, reflect, discuss and share ideas on the most important issues facing the rapidly evolving international wine industry. The eighth edition will take place on October 18-19, 2021 in both onsite and online format.
Clubhouse was launched in April 2020 and gained popularity as the latest social media app. Originally working on an invite-only basis, Clubhouse now provides an open platform that combines the feel of a podcast with live audience participation. In the swiftly evolving world of social media, Clubhouse opens doors for wine professionals and enthusiasts. Professionals can harness the potential the app provides to reach more customers in a new format, network across the world, develop their online potential, and create virtual experiences, while wine enthusiasts benefit from its informative content, inclusivity, and the opportunity to interact directly with key players in the wine industry.
The wine2wine Business Forum will host the first-ever Clubhouse wine marathon, taking place live and remotely on October 18, starting at 12 PM CET. Moderated by four renowned industry professionals in discussion with a range of guests and participants, the marathon will tackle all the emerging issues from the two-day program and beyond. The moderators are Marc Millon IRA, Steve Raye, Christ Scott, and Lawrence Francis.
In addition to the marathon Clubhouse event, Renée Sferrazza, Master Sommelier and leading wine-communicator, will join Dr. Matthew Horkey, author of “Travel Learn Earn”, “Uncorking The Caucasus”, “Sipping Santa Barbara”, and “Cracking Croatian Wine”, to explore how wine professionals can make the most of wine clubs on Clubhouse to expand their network and reach new audiences. The session takes place on 18 October 2021 at 17.00 CET.
Tickets for the wine2wine Business Forum are available now on the wine2wine website (https://wine2wine.net/registrazione/). Special discounts are also available for Vinitaly exhibitors, producers, and partners of OperaWine and 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls, as well as students. For more information, please contact wine2wine@justdothework.it.
About: About: wine2wine Business Forum is a dynamic international wine industry forum organized by Veronafiere and held annually in Verona, Italy, since 2014. wine2wine Business Forum 2021 will take place on October 18th and 19th with a hybrid format, allowing guests to attend the conference both online and in-person. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine business worldwide. wine2wine Business Forum provides unique opportunities to share ideas on the most important issues facing the rapidly evolving wine industry and to connect with wine professionals and experts. The forum takes place over two days and features keynote sessions, seminars, and interactive workshops which aim to equip participants with practical tools to improve their business. Speakers are renowned experts in their field and among the brightest minds in the wine world from Italy and abroad. Additional information is available at http://www.wine2wine.net or by emailing wine2wine@justdothework.it.
Bevology to Sponsor and Speak at wine2wine Business Forum
We’re media sponsors of this event and I’d like my readers to give serious consideration to attending wine2wine Business Forum 2021.
This is the first wine trade show of significance to “go live” since Covid hit. I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly missed the travel and more importantly the connections I was able to create and foster by attending events.
This year wine2wine has another stellar cast of speakers from all over the world, doing deep dives into mission-critical subjects for producers, importers, distributors and on and off premise retailers.
I’ll be giving a presentation on how U.S. wine e-commerce has explosively expanded and fragmented since Covid first came on the scene in March of 2019. I find there is a lot of confusion both in the U.S. and abroad in regard to definitions (DTC vs. E-commerce), structure (third party facilitators vs. direct from retailer sales intra- and inter-state) and legality of the many formats entering this space.
Some of the names you might recognize include Drizly and Minibar Delivery, but there’s a host of other new E-comm players that span spirits and wine in the U.S. Reserve Bar, Caskers, GoPuff, CityHive being just the tip of the iceberg. And on top of those, the on premise has seen apps and tools delivered, check out www.SourcedCraftCocktails.com and ChannelAdvisor
I’ll focus on organizing, categorizing and sharing examples of how these various tools work, and provide some framework for evaluating which are the ones to consider in the wide variety of situations. New to the U.S. brand just launching? Existing brand trying to expand distribution? Looking for alternative route-to-market strategies?
If any of these questions are relevant to you, then please come join me in Verona on Oct. 18 and 19. Go here:https://veronafiere.vivaticket.com/WINE2WINE2021/Login/Index for info and to register.
I and my fellow podcasters on the Italian Wine Podcast channel will also be doing a Clubhouse marathon on Monday afternoon from 12:00-18:00 CET/ 06:00-12:00 EDT. You’ll need to join clubhouse to participate and you can do that on either iphone or Android by installing the clubhouse app here: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/
Feedspot Names Italian Wine Podcast to “Top 40 Podcasts You Must Follow”
I’m happy to report that Monty Waldin’s Italian Wine Podcast has been named one of the most important podcasts in the industry. That’s right, IWP nabbed the #26 slot on the top 40 list.
Further, I’m proud to note that as I’ve been anchoring the Monday slot since July 20, and have published 25 segments as of early Jan. 2021, with listener stats that suggest there’s a whole bunch of folks tuning in. Here’s a link to the first session: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/2020/07/20/ep-354-steve-raye-u-s-market-ready-preface/
New Podcast Series
I’ve launched a new podcast series based on my book “How to Get U.S. Market-Ready. It airs weekly on the Italian Wine Podcast channel and is produced by Stevie Kim and her team at Wine2Digital in Verona.
The series focuses on practical advice on how to enter and grow wine and spirit brands in the American market, with a focus on international brands exporting to the U.S.
The podcast will air in 5-10 minute sessions, each one packed with info and tools listeners can put to use immediately. I’ll be reading from the book, and also updating commentary with up to the minute news on the rapidly evolving, during and post-Covid-19, changes to the industry…and world.
Here’s a list of links to listen to the podcast. And in addition to mine, please take a look at the other shows on the Italian Wine Podcast YouTube channel which you’ll also find interesting.
| Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/italianwinepodcast/sets/how-to-get-u-s-market-ready/s-CiR675pynQH | ||
| Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/italian-wine-podcast/id1211622570 | ||
| Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EajRfZeXM2MgR4UbQWfSm | ||
| Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/italian-wine-podcast | ||
| YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBNsKGjw2EFFYAy52hUFx9A | ||
| Ximalaya (for our friends in China): https://www.ximalaya.com/zhubo/5228876/ | ||
“Get U.S. Market-Ready” Presentation at Winemark Conference in Bucharest, Romania
I gave a presentation at the Winemark Conference in Romania last year that has just been posted. (wearing my “Alcohol Professor” hat, with thanks to Adam Levy) The subject was “Breaking into the U.S. Market” and was really well received, judging by the level of engagement and response.
Here’s the link to the presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra2ZIYrZ_YA&t=293s
And a big shout out to Iulian Ernuteanu and Simona Mardale for inviting me and posting the presentation. Check out their YouTube channel to see mine and the other presentations, including Adam Teeter from Vinepair.
A key point I’d like to stress is that while we’re all ensnared by the Coronavirus lockdown, life and business will ultimately continue. I’m posting this to help wine producers interested in exporting to the U.S. to help them “Get U.S. Market-Ready.”
Interview by Wine Meridian (Italy) published Mar. 23, 2020
Vino italiano negli Usa tra Corona Virus e dazi
Qual è lo scenario possibile per il vino italiano oltreoceano? L’emergenza sanitaria sta paralizzando un’economia già traballante.
L’emergenza Corona Virus sta
arrivando anche dall’altra parte del globo e ormai è allarme rosso,
sanitario ed economico, anche negli Stati Uniti. Come stanno reagendo
all’emergenza sanitaria legata al Corona Virus gli operatori commerciali
americani? Che tipo di ripercussioni sta avendo la situazione italiana
sul business del vino e che scenario futuro intravediamo all’orizzonte?
Abbiamo rivolto queste domande a Steve Raye, americano, consulente di marketing e presidente di Bevology Inc., società specializzata in marketing internazionale di vini e spiriti.
Che opinioni raccoglie dai suoi contatti del trade americano?
L’industria
del vino in America – a tutti i livelli – è preoccupata sia per
l’incertezza causata dall’emergenza coronavirus che per le questioni
tariffarie, che rimangono in ogni caso aperte una volta cessata
l’emergenza.
Stiamo assistendo a molta esitazione in termini di
ordini, in particolare per quanto riguarda potenzialmente i prodotti
europei tassati: specialmente vini francesi, scotch whisky e altre
categorie.
Non dobbiamo sottovalutare neanche la questione economico
finanziaria del Paese. I mercati finanziari hanno già “valutato”
l’impatto del coronavirus e nel mentre stiamo vivendo una significativa
volatilità del mercato azionario americano: la borsa sta avendo un
tracollo. La Federal Reserve ha abbassato i tassi di interesse e i mutui
immobiliari negli Stati Uniti sono scesi a livelli mai visti prima.
Cosa ne pensa il trade delle fiere rimandate o cancellate?
Si
è parlato tanto delle fiere: Prowein cancellata per quest’anno e
Vinitaly posticipata a giugno. Per molti dei contatti con cui ho parlato
queste due fiere non sono allo stato attuale rilevanti per il trade
americano. Molti importatori e distributori pensano di rimanere fermi
con gli assortimenti a disposizione e non hanno intenzione di fare altri
ordini o comunque inserire nuovi prodotti.
Che impatto avrà questo sul vino italiano negli USA?
Non
possiamo saperlo ad oggi. Sicuramente ad oggi c’è grande indecisione e
nessuna azione da parte del trade americano nei confronti dei vini
italiani. Sicuramente anche i brand già consolidati negli USA troveranno
per lungo tempo incertezza, esacerbata anche da notizie negative,
speculazioni e cattive informazioni che girano su internet.
Un possibile scenario futuro?
Facciamo
un ragionamento anche a più ampio spettro, unendo i vari pezzi della
questione. La decisione sulle tariffe per l’Italia è stata semplicemente
rimandata, non cancellata, senza informazioni su quando, dove o cosa
potrebbe farla riemergere.
Il coronavirus ora minaccia di rovesciare
il commercio globale sia in termini logistici che di timore generale e
dunque di nuove opportunità commerciali. Inoltre si aggiunge la
complicazione per un’economia che potrebbe entrare in recessione: stiamo
tutti cercando di dare un senso a cose che non abbiamo mai visto prima,
sia individualmente che collettivamente.
Steve Raye ha scritto un interessante libro su come entrare nel mercato americano.
Agnese Ceschi
