In partnership with UPS, WineDirect has released several new features to improve package visibility, shorten delivery times, and ultimately reduce the number of missed shipments and returns.
Napa, CA (December 9, 2014) – In an effort to help its winery customers build direct-to-consumer sales and drive repeat business, WineDirect has introduced five innovative new services.
The new additions will help wineries and online retailers improve the customer experience with tools allowing them to:
- Offer world-class service and full visibility into package progress
- Dramatically reduce the need for multiple delivery attempts and the disappointment associated with missed deliveries
- Alleviate the financial and operational burden of returned shipments, and
- Expedite delivery to core customers in Southern California during this critical time of year
“Through our strategic partnership with UPS, we’ve been able to achieve solid and measurable service improvements for our customers,” said Joe Waechter, WineDirect’s CEO. “In short, we’re helping them Sell More Wine by using service as a differentiator.”
The list of features announced today includes:
Automated Package Reroutes
WineDirect is the first company in the wine industry and the only company other than Amazon to work with UPS to automate the package reroute process. Due to the complexities involved in shipping wine, rerouting packages has historically been problematic. The new automated service allows winery DTC staff to respond much more quickly to customer requests to reroute shipments; resulting in successful deliveries, happier customers, and a reduction in costs associated with returned wine shipments.
Free Rescheduling of Deliveries via UPS My Choice®
WineDirect now offers free UPS My Choice® memberships to customers of its winery partners. Eleven million customers strong, the My Choice program has been shown to significantly reduce the need for multiple delivery attempts; resulting in an improved experience for package recipients. With this service, consumers can login to UPS My Choice® and reschedule deliveries at no cost (the service normally costs $5 for My Choice members.) Those customers can also take advantage of all other My Choice features that are available for wine shipments.
Expedited Delivery to Core Customers in Southern California
UPS has established a new transportation route which is exclusive to WineDirect. This new route enables delivery in one business day (formerly two) to a core market for wineries – Southern California. Last year alone, approximately 17% of shipments made by California wineries that fulfill with WineDirect were shipped to Southern California.
Delivery Alerts via Text (SMS) Messages
This exciting new service is available to wineries or online retailers who utilize the services of WineDirect’s ecommerce subsidiary, Vin65. Consumers who opt-in will automatically receive shipment updates via SMS message alerting them to pending deliveries or changes in package status. This important new service provides customers the advance notice they need in order to ensure they are home to sign for delivery. Even more importantly, it comes in the form of a text message, which is less likely to be overlooked than an email.
Advanced Shipment Visibility
Customers ordering online, via the wine club, or through the tasting room, will now receive beautifully branded email updates with links referring them back to their online accounts with the winery. There, they have the ability to login and view detailed tracking information without being redirected to a carrier website. The newly revamped emails and account management tools provide an additional marketing opportunity for the winery, with both upsell opportunities and processes for handling exceptions.
All of these new features are available immediately for customers of WineDirect and/or Vin65. For more information, please contact your Account Manager or a WineDirect sales representative.
More information:
- Blog: www.winedirect.com/blog
- Website: www.winedirect.com
- Documentation: //documentation.winedirect.com/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/WineDirectCA
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WineDirect_CA
About WineDirect
WineDirect is the leader in winery direct sales, providing technology and services that enable wineries to Sell More Wine Direct-to-Consumer. Headquartered in the Napa Valley, WineDirect offers a broad range of logistics solutions including a technology-driven fulfillment system, compliance tools and marketing programs that provide access to new markets and consumers. In addition, the company offers an ecommerce and wine club processing platform with integrated marketing capabilities, and an outbound sales team to help wineries grow their businesses profitably. Each of the company’s services is offered on a standalone basis or as part of an integrated, end-to-end solution. For further information, visit www.winedirect.com.
