We live in a world where distributed brands have to do real work to help customers find the best and right place to buy, wherever they are. The old answer was the “retailer locator”: a sad cluster of outdated pins on a map, with no genuine path to purchase and a short whitelist of stores that ignore the majority of retailers selling your product. Antiquated Map Solutions Then “carting solutions” showed up. In theory, they were an upgrade of the experience: software that turns brand demand into a buy flow and gives you attribution along the way. In practice, they offer a path to purchase from a painfully limited roster of retailers, mostly big national chains plus marketplaces.Modern Carting Solution But in the U.S., most products don’t have clean, national-chain coverage. And most carting tools don’t have a multitude of smaller chains or independent retailers. So they do the expedient thing: when they can’t find a great retailer match, they

Afternoon Brief, December 8th

Additional Layoffs at Ste. Michelle Indicate On-Going Struggles: On December 6th, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE), the largest winery in the Pacific Northwest, announced a substantial layoff. The layoffs impacted approximately 7% of the company’s staff...

Afternoon Brief, December 6th

New Lawsuit Challenges Protectionist California Wine Distribution Law: The National Association of Wine Retailers announced its support today for a lawsuit challenging a discriminatory and protectionist California restriction on out-of-state wineries selling directly to California retailers and restaurants...

Creating and executing an effective growth strategy is where a lot of successful Makers hit a stumbling block. Their wine and spirits products are selling well, there’s demand and room for expansion, but what do the next steps look like? LibDib’s Director of Maker Experience, Tanya Riesbeck, has the answers. Step one is simple: “Get out from behind the still, get out of the cellar and BE the Seller,” she says. “We know that buyers want authenticity and more than ever, people want to support small and local wine and spirits producers who pour so much into their craft.”  It’s sound advice--just as much as it’s fun wordplay. Putting a face to the name of the brand is helpful: it shows passion and pride and adds a grassroots sensibility.  Look at the recent success of Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin. Of course, it certainly helps that he is the famous movie star Ryan Reynolds… but the point still stands. It wa