Vinoshipper’s guide to mastering wine club releases
Managing club releases can often feel overwhelming, but with Vinoshipper, it doesn’t have to be. Whether you are a club manager or jack of all trades, Vinoshipper helps you prepare and charge hundreds or thousands of orders effortlessly. It handles customizations, shipping holds, new club members, gift memberships, and declined card follow up with ease. Vinoshipper’s intuitive, user-friendly platform addresses the unique challenges of clubs, ensuring smooth and efficient releases, so you can focus more time on building your club and delivering exceptional experiences to your loyal customers.
Our Club Expert, Jason, has put together a helpful guide to mastering club releases, including his top tips and tricks for making each club release a success. Before we get into the details, here are some best practices for maintaining a single system club platform:
Club setup: prerequisites
Store all club members in a single system
Benefit: Running your club in a single system ensures a consistent user experience for members, allowing them to be recognized across all purchasing channels and simplifying processing and customer service for yourself.
Use a PCI compliant system for payment types
Benefit: Cards can utilize the automatic update service and be kept secure.
Setup the Vinoshipper Mobile POS
Benefit: Club members are automatically synced with the Vinoshipper POS so they are recognized in your tasting room. Easily check off members who choose to pick up their orders using the app on an iPhone or iPad.
Ensure the Vinoshipper online store and club software are on your website
Benefit: Members can purchase additional products and receive discounts through the online store. New members can sign up, and customers can gift club memberships through the Vinoshipper club software.
Top six tips & tricks for a successful club release
Now that your club is set up, here are our top tips and tricks to ensure a smooth and successful club release.
Customize your Vinoshipper email templates
Ensure all the automated club emails reflect your brand's unique voice. Customize the email templates to add a personal welcome note to new members, control the message in order confirmations, and share excitement about customizing club orders. Your customers want to hear from you!
How: Login to your Vinoshipper account. Select Account, then Email Templates.
Strategize early
Start planning for your next club release at least three weeks in advance. Through this process, make sure to reiterate the day that the club release will be processed and cards will be charged.
Three weeks prior: Check your inventory levels and packaging materials. Ensure you have the products and materials on hand, including add-on products and different shipping box sizes for custom orders.
Two weeks prior: Prep your club members .
Send all your club members the Profile Update Reminder email to make sure their delivery address and payment information is up to date. Customize this email to let them know their release is processing soon.One week prior: Enable members to customize orders and verify their information. If you have enabled “Club Customizations”, club members can customize their upcoming orders before processing, by way of the Customize Club Order email. Fully controlled by you, this feature lets members swap products or add additional items to their club shipment. You control the minimum number of bottles or value to be purchased. It also provides another opportunity for customers to review and update their club information, including credit cards and addresses. Members can even choose a UPS Access Point for guaranteed delivery.
Release/processing day: Final checks and payment processing
Review all preparations, make any necessary edits, then process payments. Club members will receive the Club Order Confirmation email, which can have a special note from you.Insider Tip! We always recommend running a single order first, you can check the receipt for the order and ensure that the result of processing is what you expected. If all looks good, you can batch process the remaining orders.
Process payments early on a Friday and send out orders on Tuesday
Processing payments on a Thursday or Friday gives the club manager time over the weekend to address any last-minute updates before packaging orders for shipment early the next week.
Proactively track shipments
Monitor shipments via the “Status” column on the "All Orders" page. Orders marked as “Shipped” are in transit, while those marked as “Delivered” have reached their destination. If an order says “Shipped” while others say “Delivered,” investigate and connect with customers before a package return is initiated. You are notified about second and third delivery attempts as well as the customer and so you can reach out and see if they need assistance with delivery.
Follow up with your customers
After a successful release and delivery, follow up with your club members via email. Send them a marketing email about the items they received, a guided tasting video, pairings/recipes, or news about events and discounts. Club members love to stay updated and entertained by the businesses they support!
Insider Tip! Encourage them to enjoy their wine regularly, as one of the main reasons for membership cancellations is having an excess supply.
Review the data
Once the club release has settled, review customer data. Check on any holds or deactivations under Customers, then Customer List, and download the club member data. If you allowed customizations, download the sales history to review average order sizes and total bottles per order. Use this information to identify trends and plan future releases.
By following these tips and utilizing Vinoshipper's tools, you can ensure a seamless and successful club release. Running a club not only boosts recurring revenue but fosters a loyal community of enthusiasts who share a passion for your products. Embrace the opportunity to connect with your customers on a deeper level and watch your club thrive.
If you have any questions about your current club setup, want to start a new club, or wish to move your club processing to Vinoshipper, we’re here to help! Please fill out the form below, and a member of our team will be in touch to setup a call.
Learn more about Vinoshipper’s club software
View our club resources or fill in the form for more information.