talkin
tech
72
Beverage Media
October 2012
Beverage Media has built integration to the
following POS systems to varying degrees. The
codes with each vendor correspond with the
integration points noted below:
➊
Website inventory updates
➋
Web order importing
➌
Price file integration
➍
eOrders sales history
➎
eOrders purchase orders
➏
order submission by bevmedia
For information about any of these
POS companies, please call
201-489-5888,
ext 231
AIM
➊
➍
➎
➏
Atlantic systems, inc.
(
ASI - Spirits 2000)
➊
➋
➌
➍
➎
➏
CAM COMMERCE
➊
CASH register express
(
PC - America)
➌
➍
CASH register plus
➊
catapult
➊
comcash
➍
➎
➏
computer perfect
➌
➍
➎
➏
counterpoint
➊
Creative Information
System
➊
➍
➏
innovativecomputer
solutions (ICS - VISION)
➊
➋
➌
KBA SPIRITS (Ken buSh)
➌
lbos
➊
➋
LSTAR
➍
➏
Magstar
➊
➋
➌
➍
➎
➏
MERCHANT
SOFTWARE -LiquorPOS
➊
➋
MICROBIZ
➊
Microsoft retail
management
system (RMS)
➊
➌
➍
➎
➏
MPOWER
➊
➌
PERVASIVE
➊
POS Anywhere
➊
➋
POS-IM
➊
QUICKBOOKS
➊
➋
RCS
➍
➏
tiger Pos
➌
➍
➏
WINE SOFT
➊
Learn about
Selling Wine Online
Sign up for our next
Webinar
on
October 13
th
at 10am EST
.
See how a store uses the
BMG eCommerce system to maintain and
promote products on a website.
For more information visit:
POS Systems
A Coming of Age for
Online Wine Sales
By ian griffith
T
he online selling of products ap-
pears to be entering a new period
of maturity where it can no longer
fly under the radar. Two recent events
have highlighted that eCommerce has
become a significant part of consumer
activity in the U.S. The first is that
Amazon has agreed to collect sales tax
for a number of the largest states. The
other is that Google is converting their
comparison shopping engine from a
free to a paid model.
From the beginning Amazon ar-
gued that without a physical presence
in a state, they were not required to
collect sales tax, per a 1992 Supreme
Court decision. As
The New York Times
reported, this exemption was seen as a
way to give the Internet growing space,
but with Amazon now collecting sales
tax, the feeling is that the Internet is
able to play by the same rules as tradi-
tional retail.
Google Products has for years been
a great source of free traffic for retail-
ers who put the effort into preparing
a data feed to Google’s specifications.
Now, however, that traffic is no longer
available for products containing alco-
hol, and if it ever comes back it won’t
be free. Google has explained that the
change is intended to improve the user
experience by eliminating duplica-
tion and poorly maintained feeds. I’m
sure the new revenue stream doesn’t
hurt, but there was a judgment made
by Google that retailers were ready to
stand on their own feet.
This puts additional pressure on
wine stores this holiday season as a
great source of free traffic has dried
up. Online retailers need to realize
that the supply of new customers now
comes with a price tag attached, and
that they need to direct more effort
into retaining existing customers and
encouraging repeat business. There are
very few stores where the selection will
drive a baseline level of business that
is enough to cover the operating costs
of a website. Even if your selection can
do this, what a wasted opportunity if
you aren’t leveraging new customers
for repeat business.
In the past this column has posted
the Five Stages of Growth for a Wine
Website, but it boils down to growing
your customer list, and having a dia-
logue with your customers that encour-
ages them to stick around. Over time
you figure out the best way to describe
your business to customers, and how to
focus your advertising expense on the
best potential prospects.
The simplest approach to grow-
ing your customer base is with shop-
ping comparison engines where your
inventory does the work of finding
new prospects. If you can figure out
how to make money or at least break
even with these feeds you will have a
steady stream of customers to convert
into a second sale. Email campaigns,
blog posts, social media connections,
homepage promotions all contribute
to growing repeat business and cus-
tomer loyalty.
The experience of communicat-
ing with customers should help clarify
what sets you apart and how to de-
scribe that to prospects that want to
shop with you. When you can articu-
late that “value proposition” you are
ready to advertise on search engines in
a way that targets your best prospects
and keeps your costs in check. Do this
well and your store will prosper in this
new age, both online and offline.
n
To comment on this column or to learn more about
how Beverage Media can help with a website for your
store, visit BevSites.com, or contact Ian Griffith at 617-
864-1677.
Follow us on twitter at twitter.com/bevsites.
