Luxury Goods Marketing

The 2022 marketing playbook is dead. I've been talking to marketers and leaders across industries lately. Hospitality, retail, luxury goods. Different categories, same observation: The funnel got longer. Trust takes more time. Consumers need more touchpoints before they buy anything. The era of running a smart Facebook ad and printing money is over. For wine, this lands especially hard. You're already fighting demographic shifts, the wellness movement, and a generation that needs a real reason to choose wine over everything competing for their attention and wallet. Marketing has gotten more complex than ever. But here's what's actually working for wineries right now: 1️⃣ Instagram is no longer a discovery tool. It's a validation tool. People aren't finding you there anymore. They're checking you out after they've already heard about you somewhere else. Discovery has shifted to TikTok, AI search, and creators who carry genuine trust with their audiences. If your entire strategy lives on Instagram, you're showing up at the wrong part of the journey. 2️⃣ Own your list. Email and SMS outperform social every time. Your Instagram followers belong to Instagram. Your email list belongs to you. Wineries building direct relationships through email and text are quietly outperforming everyone chasing followers. 3️⃣ Make events your acquisition strategy. As tasting room traffic declines, the wineries growing their clubs are creating reasons for people to show up, not just reasons to buy. Experience drives acquisition now. 4️⃣ Stop broadcasting. Start segmenting. Sending the same message to everyone is leaving money on the table. The wineries winning right now know exactly who they're talking to and speak directly to them. 5️⃣ Consistency beats campaigns. One flashy promotion won't save you. Showing up strategically, week after week, builds the kind of trust that actually converts in 2026. The wineries that survive this moment won't be the ones with the best terroir or the most awards. They'll be the ones who finally treated marketing like the craft it is. The good news? The tools exist. The strategies are clear. And for the first time, smaller wineries have a real shot at outmarketing the big players if they know where to focus. This is the problem I've been solving for wine brands for years. Now I'm building something to help more of them get there. More soon. #winemarketing #dtcwine #wineindustry #brandstrategy #digitalmarketing

Let’s talk Q4 strategy… Because smart wineries aren’t winging their holiday sales. They’re not blasting random discounts. They’re not scrambling the week before Christmas. And they’re definitely not guessing what to send their email list. The best-performing wineries? They’re using a clear, seasonal strategy that builds trust, stacks urgency, and turns holiday browsers into loyal customers. Here’s how their Q4 looks: 🤝 October – Build the Relationship This is the warm-up, not the pitch. Use storytelling to bring people into your world—think harvest diaries, behind-the-scenes cellar shots, or food and wine pairings that feel personal and seasonal. It’s about building emotional equity before asking for the sale. 🎁 November – Sell Without Discounts Gifting season doesn’t have to mean margin-slashing. The best wineries are creating bundles with purpose—Backyard BBQ packs, Host Gifts, Mixed Cases. Throw in a small gift (corkscrew, handwritten card) and reward VIPs with early access. People don’t need cheaper wine—they need help choosing the right gift. 📦 December – Capture Gifting Urgency Your audience is in “go-mode.” Use shipping deadlines, countdown emails, and founder-led reminders to drive urgency. When shipping windows close, pivot to digital: gift cards, virtual tastings, memberships. Finish with a “New Year’s Eve Pairing” campaign to stay top of mind into 2026. 🥂 January – The Real Money Maker Most brands go quiet here. Big mistake. Your January emails should thank, re-engage, and convert one-time buyers into long-term members.This is where wine clubs grow—framed as a “New Year’s Resolution” to drink better, support local, and discover new favourites. ⚙️ And this is key: If your automated flows—like your welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase, or win-back—aren’t up to date and doing the heavy lifting? You’re leaving money on the table every single day. Your flows should be driving at least 30% of your total email revenue. They're not sexy. They're not loud. But they work quietly, consistently, and powerfully in the background—bringing in sales without overwhelming your list. 📅 Want the full strategy? Calendars. Content ideas. Email templates. Mapped out for the year inside the Beverage Business Hub. 🚪 Doors open soon. 👉 [Join the waitlist in comments] to get first access. Let’s make this your most profitable and intentional Q4 yet. #emailmarketing #winemarketing #winebusiness #digitalmarketing #spiritsindustry #beerindustry #alcoholindustry #beveragebrand #beverageindustry #drinksbrand #drinksindustry #winery #ecommercemarketing

The use of portfolio tastings, big (tens or hundreds of items) or small (just a handful of skus), helps with business growth. Schedule portfolio tastings strategically around significant times of the year when customer interest in high-end products is likely to peak (ex: pre-holiday seasons). Select non-traditional days that might offer less competition for attention. A portfolio tasting does not have to be a large event necessitating tons of logistics. An argument can be made for a bunch of small, easy to set-up, low-cost tastings as opposed to one large one. Target your invites: segment your client list to include not only top spenders but also those accounts that have not been engaged recently. The goal is to rekindle dormant relationships, make people remember your offering is relevant. Use all channels to promote the event, including email marketing & social media. Bit not only. Walk into your accounts way ahead of time and drop a flyer, talk to people, hype up the event. Call up people, create a buzz over several weeks. Highlight exclusive/rare products and/or special guests to increase interest/give a sense of urgency/possibly create some FOMO. The day off make sure the tasting is staffed so one is not stuck behind a table pouring spirits like a mad person. If one can't engage with anyone, it is waste of time. The goal is to engage. Pour dope products, be personable, know about the items you are representing. Take notes of who you saw, who you talked to. If not obvious who you are talking to, ASK, get the person's info. Follow up on those conversation, make sales.

The experience economy is rewriting China's wine story, and it’s having a profound impact on how premium wine brands need to think and act in the world’s most dynamic consumer market.   China’s wine market is handing out some tough love at the moment, here's what switched on premium wine brands are learning along the way. While older generations wanted to acquire products that communicated wealth and social status, today's younger consumers in China prefer experiences. And the more luxe the better. This shift is reshaping everything – including wine. 💡 Remember, the average age of regular wine drinkers in China is 34 So there's a lot of people drinking wine in China younger than that. As China's luxury product market cools, international brands are betting on lifestyle experiences to offset slowing retail. And smart wine brands are taking note. This is what Chinese wine consumers actually want 🎯 Exclusive access, not just rare wines, but rare experiences. Think private vineyard video calls with winemakers, limited masterclasses with only 12 participants 🎯 Social currency from experiences worth sharing on WeChat and Xiaohongshu such as limited, small batch releases only available to wine club members. Wine dinners that tell a story, not just serve a meal. 🎯 Knowledge has upgraded to luxury. Masterclasses are becoming status symbols. Being able to discuss terroir differences or vintage variations signals sophistication 🎯 Authentic connections amplify social standing and bring purpose. Direct access to winemaker stories, family histories, and production secrets that can't be found on DeepSeek or ChatGPT. Here’s some ideas for premium international wineries that can move you from woe to wow! 1. Host live tastings while virtually "walking" through your vineyards via video 2. Partner with high end restaurants to create curated wine dinners that deliver a themed experiences around your wine story. 3. Create exclusive "ambassador" programs for your most engaged Chinese customers with points that can be redeemed at your cellar door or for online purchases. 4. Offer limited spots for Chinese wine enthusiasts to participate in an actual harvest (safely of course!) The maths is simple.   A ¥350 bottle of wine + exclusive experience = ¥2,000. But more importantly, an experience can become a relationship. The brands winning in China aren't just selling wine They're selling membership to an exclusive story that consumers are helping to write.   Are you still trying to sell products to an audience that's moved on to buying experiences?   ----------------------------------------------------------- I'm Iain Langridge 毅安 and I use my experience in China to launch, grow, and manage premium consumer brands. Follow or DM me to find out more. #chinamarket #chinawine #experienceeconomy #luxuryexperiences #winemarketing In2Asia Wine Photo: In2Asia Export hosted wine tasting and food matching event, Shanghai.