
Running an online retail business is not what it used to be when I started out. Back then, selling grog online was cutting edge and it was a massive shift in thinking for both the retailer and the customer. Today, if you’re not selling online, you’re probably about 3 days from closing up shop. It’s the norm. It’s expected. And it’s cut-throat.
Having our roots firmly planted in traditional, bricks and mortar retail certainly sets us apart from the rest though. In many ways, I like to think we run our online store with the same wine shop mentality that I ran Wine Rack Cellars... back ‘in the day’. Our wines are real wines, with labels from wineries that exist. If we decide to stock a cleanskin, we’ll sell it as a cleanskin... and price it as such too. No made-up wine labels here. We know each of our wines and our tastings are just like they were in the shop - diverse, interesting, complex and robust - and that's just the Tasting Panel (a bunch of mates I've picked up along the way that have earned their stripes both in publication and on judging panels) - the wines that make it through are pretty good too. Making the change from a traditional store to online wasn’t the easiest transition, I admit. My philosophy has always been to offer genuine personalised service and it’s hard to nail that through email and on the phone. But I reckon we’ve managed. We still personally respond to all correspondence and when you call you’ll get one of the tasting panel, ie, my mates that know stuff. We haven’t outsourced anything except freight but even using Australia Post feels like we’re keeping things real. Our warehouse is onsite so we all get to pack orders when it’s crazy busy… and if one of our regulars drops by we may just pick a bottle or two off a pallet and have an impromptu tasting – just like when I had the shop. Over the years we have found that many of our customers use us as their ‘wine go-to guys’ - it's important to us that we maintain that reputation - with collectively over 100 years of wine trade experience, we like to think we can...
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