How does an Independent Wine Merchant get Noticed in the Crowded World of Internet Wine?

With a number of large budget, big name companies already competing in the online wine world, how does a small company compete and succeed?

(PRWEB) June 18, 2005 -- This was the challenge faced by Simon Thomson, Managing Director and founder of Talking Wines Limited, a Cotswold based wine merchant specialising in individual wines from independent vineyards. The answer was to play to the companys strengths and try to re-create the experience of buying from an independent wine merchant on-line. This meant providing the information and advice about each wine on-line that could normally be given first hand to customers.

As Simon Thomson says: 'In my experience, one of the attractions of buying from an independent wine merchant is that not only are the wines more individual and interesting to customers but they also learn more about the wine and get advice about the wines they are buying. This is something that the large retailers are unable to offer, so it gives us a unique selling point. We wanted to make our wines available to a wider audience, so we have tried to re-create a feeling of personal service in an on-line environment.

A strategy was developed with the internet consultancy HOH to create the feel of an informal, informative site and includes an 'Ask Simon section where customers can ask questions about any of the wines or ask for suggestions to meet particular tastes. The 'look and feel of the site was very important and a great deal of time was invested at the outset of the project developing the on-line experience of visiting an independent wine merchant.

The site has been designed to be very simple and easy to use. It sets out a clear description of each wine with more detailed information available if the user would like to find out more. There are several pre-selected mixed cases to make buying easier as well as wines of the month to tempt you.

Talking Wines aims to stock wines from independent vineyards where the wines have individual character. 'There are so many interesting and varied wines available from independent merchants like Talking Wines. We frequently find that customers are surprised by our prices, as many small vineyards offer exceptional value. With interesting and varied wines at keen prices, we have a very attractive offering to bring to wine drinkers. Our challenge is to be successful in bringing these wines to a wider audience. The more we sell, the more we can invest in expanding the range and creating even more interest.

It seems that wine drinkers agree: with hundreds of visits to the site in the first month since the launch, sales are exceeding expectations. It seems that many more people will be Talking Wines in the coming months and years.

You can find the site at www.talkingwines.co.uk

Background information:
Talking Wines Limited (www.talkingwines.co.uk) is an independent wine merchants and importer supplying trade and private customers in the north Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire area. It specialises in wines from independent vineyards.

The business was started by Managing Director, Simon Thomson in 2003. Simon previously worked in customer service and logistics roles in the mobile phone and electrical sectors.
Telephone 01666 575232
Email info@talkingwines.co.uk

HOH Ltd (www.hoh.co.uk) is an Internet Consultancy firm based in
Cirencester, Gloucestershire. It has specialised in the internet
industry for over 3 years and has built a number of tools designed to
help small and medium sized businesses benefit from using the internet as a tool.

Managing Director, Colin Towns previously worked at Zurich Financial
Services where he specialised in designing and developing large-scale
internet products for the financial services industry.
Telephone 08707 606 737
Email info@hoh.co.uk

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