There’s never been a better time to launch an e-commerce store for your wine business. With so many tools and resources available, the chances of your winery thriving are incredibly high. In such a ripe market, you need to make sure your online store has what it takes to meet customer demand and the infrastructure to support your business as it grows. In this guide, we’ll take you through some of the best e-commerce platforms for wineries so you can get a head start on building out your online store.

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What to Look for When Choosing an E-Commerce Platform for Your Winery

Choosing the right e-commerce platform for your wine business is crucial for your online success. Though most e-commerce platforms advertise plenty of bells and whistles, there are a few solid features you should look for when choosing one for your winery. 

Mobile Responsiveness

Mobile traffic makes up the majority of web traffic, with August 2023 seeing 55.5% of all web traffic coming through mobile. Your website needs to be optimized for mobile users or you could lose out on sales. When looking for an e-commerce platform for your wine business, make sure you can easily make the storefront mobile-friendly.

Inventory Management

Effective inventory management is essential for a wine business. Look for a platform that allows you to easily add, update, and manage your wine product listings, including stock levels and product variations. Many wineries also include subscriptions for customers to regularly receive product shipments, so look for a platform that can easily support this feature.

Payment Processing

Check if the platform supports multiple payment gateways, including credit cards, digital wallets, and other popular payment methods. It should also provide a secure and PCI-compliant payment processing system.

Shipping and Fulfillment Options

Your platform should allow you to set up different shipping options, including flat rates, calculated rates, and free shipping. Integration with major shipping carriers like FedEx and UPS can also be advantageous, though you must adhere to the state and company regulations in order to do so.

Legal Compliance

The sale of alcohol online is subject to various legal regulations, so ensure the platform supports age verification and complies with local and international alcohol distribution laws.

Customization and Branding

Look for a platform that allows you to customize the look and feel of your online store to match your brand. This includes customizable themes and templates as well as the freedom to code the website to your exact specifications if you have the ability.

SEO-Friendly Features

Your platform should support search engine optimization (SEO) features such as customizable meta tags, clean URLs, and easy integration with SEO tools. Great SEO increases your chances of appearing higher in search results and can bring in more traffic to your website.

Scalability

Though a simple e-commerce platform may be all you need at the start, consider your long-term growth plans. A scalable platform can accommodate your business as it expands. It should be able to handle increased traffic, products, subscriptions, and orders without major disruptions. Make sure the platform you choose can support your business goals.

Security

Security is paramount, especially when dealing with customer information and payments. Look for platforms that offer SSL certificates, regular security updates, and strong encryption.

Analytics and Reporting

Access to detailed analytics and reporting tools can help you track sales, customer behavior, and website performance. This data is valuable for making informed business decisions.

Cost and Pricing Structure

Consider the platform's pricing model, including setup fees, transaction fees, and ongoing monthly or annual costs. Ensure that it aligns with your budget and revenue projections.

Integration Capabilities

Evaluate the platform's ability to integrate with other software and tools you might need, such as CRM systems, email marketing platforms, accounting software, and store locators.

Learn more: Shopify Store Locator Apps - Which is Best?

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Top Wine E-Commerce Platforms

Not sure where to start? Take a look at these ten amazing e-commerce platforms that are perfect for wine businesses.

1. Commerce7 > Best platform for wineries

Best features: Support for clubs & subscriptions, Incorporated CRM, Point of sale

Commerce7 is our top pick for wineries looking for a robust, uncomplicated e-commerce platform. This platform can act as your winery POS system, your CRM, and your online store without missing a beat, which means all your sales analytics are conveniently stored in one place. Commerce7 also features a streamlined online shopping experience for customers with in-cart tools to help promote additional sales. With this platform, you can customize user experiences to generate brand loyalty and boost conversion rates. Commerce7 easily integrates into your main site so there’s no need to create a subdomain.

2. Shopify > Best platform for online-only wine brands

Best features: Highly scalable, Robust inventory management, Omnichannel sales

Shopify is one of the most well-known e-commerce platforms available with good reason. With just one tool, you can easily create a brand, establish an online store, and begin marketing your products.  This platform is one of the best to use as a startup wine business. Plugins and integrations make Shopify truly shine, allowing you to customize your online store exactly how you want. Shopify also makes it easy to create a marketing plan, connect to customers, and manage inventory for a truly seamless experience. 

3. WooCommerce > Best customizable e-commerce platform

Best features: Beautiful templates, Highly scalable, Open-source code for unlimited customization

For wine brands that want an e-commerce platform that not only supports sales but also supports beautiful designs and a content-first approach, WooCommerce is the best choice. WooCommerce is built on WordPress which means it is completely open source and fully customizable; however, this platform also features countless beautiful templates for wine brands to use as a starting point for their store. And since it’s WordPress-based, it should be no surprise that it’s easy to create rich content on this platform. WooCommerce also makes it easy to scale up your business without charging any sort of additional fees once you hit specific thresholds. 

4. BigCommerce > Best e-commerce platform for large businesses

Best features: Omnichannel growth opportunities, Robust sales & marketing tools, Flexible design

For larger wine businesses looking to really boost their online sales, BigCommerce is the obvious choice. This platform includes several amazing features out of the box, so no need for plugins and integrations unless you really want them. SEO optimization is also easier and more effective with BigCommerce than some other platforms on this list. With BigCommerce, wine brands can easily create marketing campaigns and take advantage of helpful sales tools to increase sales across multiple channels.

5. VinoShipper > Best direct sales platform

Best features: Compliance support, Club and subscription management, Shipping support

VinoShipper is an all-in-one compliance and e-commerce platform, opening the door for direct sales. By applying to the VinoShipper, your wine brand can be approved for direct sales across the country. VinoShipper takes responsibility for compliance, collects and reports sales tax on your behalf, stays up to date on direct sales regulations, and enforces third-party age verification on all customers so all sales are legal. Though VinoShipper does charge a fee per sale, consider the time and resources you save by not having to meet compliance standards for every state you ship to. 

VinoShipper can also be integrated with Shopify, giving you the best of both worlds when it comes to e-commerce wine sales.

6. WineDirect > Best direct-to-consumer platform

Best features: Email marketing, Incorporated CRM, Wine club management

Wine brands looking for a platform to help them really connect with customers will be happy with WineDirect. This easy-to-use platform makes it easy to set up direct-to-consumer sales and manage clubs and subscriptions. With WineDirect, brands can easily create email marketing campaigns and personalized experiences to boost sales and brand loyalty. WineDirect also offers fulfillment services to help make your sales process that much easier.

7. Bloom > Best outsourced commerce platform

Best features: Membership management, Enhanced reporting, Design services

Bloom is a unique option on this list because it’s technically not a platform–it’s a complete service. Bloom helps set up DTC alcohol brands on Shopify from start to finish, including design and marketing, and helps manage your sales channels, data, and integrations. Bloom incorporates the much-needed tools to your Shopify storefront that aren’t native to the platform, helping you increase sales and meet compliance requirements. If you want to focus on the service side of your wine business without getting mired in the weeds of setting up your online shop, Bloom is the platform for you.

8. Corksy > Best all-in-one platform

Best features: Incorporated CRM, Inventory & product management, DTC shipping and tax compliance

Corksy is a relatively new platform with incredible features. Build and customize a winery website, set up an online store, manage wine club subscriptions, and more with this robust platform. With Corksy, you can manage the entirety of your sales with very little need for additional integrations. Corksy is also backed by an extremely knowledgeable team who are dedicated to helping your wine business grow. 

9. Squarespace > Best platform for small businesses

Best features: Beautiful design capabilities, Integrated analytics, Intuitive interface

Though Squarespace is primarily known as a website builder, it features an excellent online store solution for wine businesses. Designing an online store on Squarespace and optimizing for mobile users is incredibly easy, plus you can access countless editorial-quality images to boost the overall appearance of your site. Small and growing businesses benefit the most from Squarespace due to its intuitive interface and budget-friendly pricing. However, wine businesses must process payments through Stripe as Squarespace does not currently offer its own payment gateway.

10. Adobe Commerce (Magento) > Most sophisticated e-commerce platform

Best features: Amazon sales channel extension, Mobile-centric design, Multi-brand support

Adobe Commerce, previously known as Magento, is one of the most powerful e-commerce platforms available for wine businesses. Whether you have one large wine brand or multiple, Adobe Commerce can support your e-commerce needs. This platform has a long list of incredible features, including quick checkout, mobile-first design capabilities, inventory and order management, and AI-assisted features your customers will love. 

Final Thoughts

We hope this guide will help you find the perfect e-commerce platform for your needs. But don’t forget–it takes more than a great platform to convert wine sales. Consider creating compelling product landing pages to generate leads and boost conversions. Finding success as an online e-commerce wine business takes a multi-faceted approach, but with the right tools you can win customer loyalty and achieve more than you ever thought possible.

Want a competitive advantage on your winery website? Add the Grappos Product Locator to help customers find your wine in stores near them. The Grappos Product Locator helps increase brand awareness, adds value to your customers, and helps aggregate valuable customer data. What’s not to love?

Request a Product Locator demo today →

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