2024 Direct-to-Consumer Wine Survey: Report, Results and Benchmarks
Key takeaways
01
Increased visitation returning to wine country.
The modest increase in visitation seen in late 2023 will likely continue throughout the summer.
02
Club member acquisition sources continue to diversify.
Email acquisition remains effective while digital strategies beyond social media are gaining momentum.
03
Variable tasting fees can attract new consumers during slow periods.
Fees, products and entertainment tailored to entry-level consumers may help revive quieter tasting room times.
A revival of tasting room visitations
Tasting room visitation had a slight rebound in Q4 2023, and the trend since May 2022 has also been positive. We believe the signs point to an end of the revenge travel phase of COVID recovery and we may see the return of more predictable visitation patterns in wine country this summer.
Member acquisition strategies diversify
Although the lion’s share of new members is acquired via the tasting room, a wide range of acquisition strategies are now employed. Digital acquisition strategies have continued to show promise augmenting the more traditional member acquisition efforts such as wine dinner hosting, former member calling campaigns and referral programs. Future club member growth will depend on acquisition strategies derived from outside the tasting room.
Wholesale alcohol sales are flat with surplus inventory
The total alcohol beverage market is not growing. Although there is positive news within the latest data—roughly one third of wine companies are growing—the wine industry as a whole has strayed far from a growth trajectory. Given the acres in plant and current production capacity, the industry has reached a point of structural oversupply. This issue may be overcome by employing innovative approaches to increase consumer demand.
Direct-to-Consumer Wine Survey Report Virtual Event 2024
This year’s report findings were discussed during our live virtual event featuring Rob McMillan, EVP and founder of the SVB Wine Division. Industry veterans sharing the stage with Rob included MJ Dale, Founder and CEO, Customer Vineyard; Janine Ullrich, Vice President of Customer Experience, Silver Oak Cellars; and Sonyia Grabski, General Manager, Trinitas Cellars.
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Written by SVB's Rob McMillan
As one of the US wine industry’s top voices, Rob assesses current market conditions and provides unique trends forecasts in two notable reports: The Annual Direct-to-Consumer Wine Survey: Report, Results and Benchmarks and the Annual State of the US Wine Industry Report.
