Vinpro launches visitor tracking technology with Cape wineries

By James Bayley

Published: 17 April, 2023

Vinpro, together with the Cape Winelands District Municipality, is funding a new wine tourism research programme, “to help wineries stay connected to wine tourists between visits”.

Launched in March with an initial 16 wineries, the programme will count the number of mobile devices (users) in the range of a producer or cellar’s Wi-Fi router, measure the time spent in the venue and calculate the frequency of visits.

Marisah Nieuwoudt, wine tourism manager at Vinpro said: “We are extremely excited to have kicked off this amazing pilot programme and we want cellars to get involved now.

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“The new pilot programme was launched together with Flow Networks, specialists in location analytics, proximity marketing and Guest Wi-Fi. This year we want to use the technology to our advantage to count our visitors and note where they come from, to understand the size and make-up of the total market. We want to help our wineries stay connected to wine tourists between visits, making consumer engagement in the DTC wine space possible.”

Flow Networks will work with the cellars on marketing strategy to improve cross-channel sales, manage online reputation, build brand loyalty and send offers via email. The same service provider is used by brands including Radisson Blu, McDonalds, Tsogo Sun, Harrods and Walmart.

An online dashboard will display the visitor data collected. Selected aggregated information such as visitor numbers, country of origin, dwell time, gender and age will be shared with the respective wine route. This means the wine route manager will have sight of cross-pollination (when a wine tourist visits more than one winery) to help inform their marketing and development planning. Vinpro will have sight of the same information at a national level. All processes are said to comply with POPIA locally and GDPR abroad.

Melody Botha, CEO of Breedekloof Wine Valley, said: “As a region, we believe that wine tourism is not only about enjoying exquisite wines and breath-taking landscapes, but also about harnessing the power of data and intelligence to support the growth of wineries and enhance our visitors’ experiences.

“That's why we are proud to take part in the wine tourism research pilot programme. By participating in this programme, we aim to unlock valuable insights that can inform strategic decision-making for our wineries, enabling them to optimise their DTC business operations, improve customer engagement, and create memorable experiences for visitors. We recognise the potential of data-driven approaches to drive innovation and foster sustainable growth in the wine tourism industry.”

A further 43 wineries in the Cape Winelands region have been earmarked to subscribe to the programme for a year at a subsidised rate. The project is open to all wineries beyond the Cape Winelands as well, all of which qualify for a discounted rate as well.

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