Accolade Wines launches website for independents

Published: 04 January, 2012

Independent retailers will be able to get postcode specific information about their customers and which wines appeal to them, thanks to a new website from Accolade Wines.

The company has invested an initial £100,000 in its free Winning With Wine site which allows on and off-trade customers to enter their postcode and find out whether newbies or confident wine enthusiasts or others are most likely to visit their venues.

It also offers information, including video clips for people looking to learn more about wine, how to increase sales and drive footfall.

If visitors sign up to the website, they get exclusive newsletters, free point of purchase material, prize draws and can email questions directly to Accolade's category team.
Clare Griffiths, European marketing director for Accolade, said the initiative was about "putting customers first", and building a conversation with independent retailers in a way that was "previously a challenge". Given the size of the sector - 100,000 on-trade outlets, 40,000 convenience stores and 20,000 unaffiliated independents - "they don't get regular visits in the same way the multiples do", said Griffiths.

"Our Winning With Wine website now allows us to potentially reach all of these retailers in a clear, efficient and educational way, which will in turn create a stronger relationship between our brands and their customers."

Data from the off and on-trade sectors will be updated once a month and once every two months respectively, using statistics from Nielsen and CGA. It also provides information on the key customers in a geographical area, as well as their purchase intent and preferences, and offers insights into how to best stock shelves to target those customers.

This is the first time a wine supplier has launched a site like this, previously seen with large FMCG firms including Unilever and United Biscuits.

Accolade will be supporting the launch with a £50,000 advertising campaign, including trade advertisements, a telesales campaign and POS in Cash & Carry depots.

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