Keg Shipments Are Trending Up. Are You Tapping In? We’re seeing a strong uptick in keg shipments April-June, and the wineries leaning into their wine on tap programs are driving that growth. The data is clear: when kegged wine is presented consistently across on-premise accounts, it moves and builds lasting placements. Operators continually tell us they prefer stainless steel kegs over plastic for quality, reliability, and sustainability. If kegs aren’t part of every on-premise sales conversation, now’s the time to change that. Whether for high-volume pours or premium BTG, wine in keg is delivering results. Let’s keep the momentum going. Your next great account could be one tap handle away. Request Sales Tools Wine on Tap in Tasting Rooms As the wine industry continues to innovate, more and more wineries and tasting rooms are adopting modern solutions to enhance the guest experience. Adopting a wine on tap system in your tasting room does more than improve opera

The changing landscape of sales Nearly every advancement in professional selling is due to the use of technology. When you fold in the rapid evolution of consumer behavior - such as independent online research and social media - you have a perfect storm that will leave most salespeople bobbing precariously in the wake of forward progress.  This article is intended as a wake-up call to all sales professionals in our industry. Salespeople who are comfortable with and proficient in using digital tools will reap significant advantages compared to “traditional” salespeople. The reward for the tech-savvy includes higher productivity and better customer insights. Adaptability is an attribute that will become increasingly prized as time goes on. Traditional versus modern sales methods Historically, most salespeople rely on ‘traditional’ means of selling. We are all familiar with these common methods, such as: Face-to-face appointments with samples in tow Phon

Thanks to our beloved 3-tier system, pricing in the wine & spirits business per each state is daunting. But coordinating accurate, reliable pricing across multiple states is a Herculean task. When managing on-premise pricing for national chains, most adult beverage manufacturers know little about tackling such an arduous task. Our aim in this first article in a series about pricing management is to unravel the mysteries of managing pricing for national on-premise chains. The unique needs of on-premise chains So much of our industry is oriented around the off-premise, and rightfully so, as this is where 80% or more of the volume is done. The ‘suggested retail price’ (or SRP) on the shelf is the anchor point. However, pricing for on-premise is very different from the retail shelf, and failing to understand the unique needs of the channel can result in many missed opportunities.  The table below is a handy visual aid to understand the distinctions between on and o

The stark limitations of hindsight Driving while looking into your rearview mirror isn’t just dangerous but woefully ineffective. Don’t make the same mistake when measuring your wine & spirits sales.  What measurements can be seen in your rearview mirror? Shipments Depletions Accounts Sold Points of Distribution Lost Accounts Gained Accounts These numbers are certainly nice to know. They can tell you a lot about what is happening (or what has recently happened) with your business. But, they tell you absolutely nothing about the QUALITY of your distribution. For that, you need more forward-looking information or, as we like to call it, “leading indicators” of sales success. Follow the crowd, risk falling off a cliff It is rare to find a wine or spirits company reaching beyond our industry's tried and true metrics. Habits are hard things to break.  To have a breakout sales performance, brands need to redefine the success metrics. T

Your BTG sales may be up and increasing, but is that really why you invested in this competitive distribution strategy? By-the-glass programs, on their own, are often the least profitable endeavors for any winery or importer, yet they are "supposed" to deliver what you are really after – exposure. So, do you know if your BTG program is really driving the lift you are after, and if it is (gasp) worth it? Between manual spreadsheets, disconnected systems of data, and a lack of full-picture analysis, all while you're serving extensive distributor discounts and incentives to get on the by-the-glass lists – it’s imperative you have the visibility into your BTG program success so you can turn the right dials.   Find out the top 3 critical questions you need to be able to answer about your BTG program to determine if your on-premise wine sales are delivering that intended ROI. READ THE FULL ARTICLE NOW.

What are the benefits and return on investment considerations for a trade promotion management platform like Tradeparency to manage your three-tier distribution profitability?   Remove margin leaks instantly with automated claims processing you can use today to realize ROI fast. Get visibility on all spend and return to control the bottom line better. This includes by-the-glass (BTG), incentives, free goods, and samples. Raise brand value and improve customer service with readily available chain pricing and the ability to empower a mobile sales force. Increase and maximize your margins by covering the 30% third-party depletion data reliance gap in all of your markets. Understand the drivers that improve performance and deliver better results with accurate, accessible analytics and reporting specifically built for three-tier distribution. Remove inefficiencies by eliminating duplicate, manual efforts. Get centralized price grids and ERP integration that str

With finance endlessly hunting and pecking for data while sales scrambles for approvals on their ‘gut’ guess for the best pricing models and incentives with a distributor, it’s no wonder that planning and executing successful promotions are often a WAG. The problem is – while you can get lucky or play mediocre odds on accidental wins, only accessible data, accurate numbers, visibility into performance, and the ability to execute quickly in the market can help you turn the dials on consistent, repeatable profitability through promotions. It’s time to implement and execute on the Three in Three rule. What is the Three in Three rule exactly? It’s a tried and true, simple, three-step looped approach to promotions in the three-tier wine industry: Track Plan Automate.   To elaborate, this means, you need to: Centralize and govern collecting the outcomes of absolutely trade programs and promotions, such as by-the-glass (BTG), depletion allowa

Perhaps you’ve seen the hype around ‘full-cycle’ promotions management and you’re wondering— what exactly does that mean? From managing depletion allowances and processing billbacks to steering distributor sales incentives for success, three-tier wineries and importers must focus beyond pricing alone to stay profitable, efficient, and competitive. That’s because pricing is only one piece of the trade spend and promotions cycle. Traditionally, wineries had to rely only on third-party depletion data for chargeback invoice reconciliation. The problem is that only covers 70% of the pricing visibility you need. What about the actual data from invoices? How do you get insight into the entire range of promotions such as BTG spend, free goods, incentives, and samples? How do you integrate all that data with your financial management or ERP solution and leverage it for accurate analytics and promotions planning? Enter full-cycle margin management, the latest

BTG, quantity discounts, closeouts, incentives, and samples are among the top pricing and promotions strategies in the three-tier wine industry. Do you know how well each one works, where, and for what products? Most wineries and suppliers operate on theories and presumptions without the data to back it up, but that doesn’t help you truly turn the right dials. Learn how to trace the impact of all your trade programs accurately. Read: Tracking Success of the Top 5 Wine Sales Promotions.