More Than a Mailing List: How CRM Can Transform Your Winery’s Growth

Wine isn’t just a product. It’s a relationship.

A bottle on a shelf is forgettable. But the winery that remembers your name, knows what you love, and sends you something just for you? That winery earns loyalty. That winery makes sales.

And yet, too many wineries treat customer relationships like transactions. Send an email. Run a sale. Hope for the best.

But hope isn’t a strategy.

The best wineries—the ones thriving in today’s shifting market—aren’t just making great wine. They’re using seamless CRM tools to build relationships that last.

Because here’s the truth: CRM isn’t about managing data. It’s about knowing your customers and showing up in ways that matter.

Let’s talk about how Commerce7 and WineDirect make this possible.

What “Seamless” Really Means

Most wineries think of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) as just a database. A list of names, emails, and past orders. That’s the bare minimum.

A seamless CRM doesn’t just store information—it actively uses data to build relationships. It integrates marketing with sales, connects every touchpoint, and automates what should be automatic.

A seamless CRM should:

  • Talk to email platforms so you can send the right message to the right people at the right time.

  • Work across eCommerce and the tasting room, so customers feel recognized no matter where they interact with you.

  • Personalize marketing automatically based on what customers actually care about.

  • Live in one system so you’re not jumping between platforms to figure out what’s working.

Commerce7 and WineDirect both offer powerful tools that do this—if you use them right.

Commerce7: Personalization That Feels Human (Because It Is)

Commerce7 isn’t just a CRM. It’s a customer experience engine. It’s built to make every interaction feel personal—without requiring you to manually track every customer’s behavior.

Here’s how smart wineries use it:

  • Automated But Personal Email Marketing

    • Someone loves your Syrah? Send them an email when a new vintage is released.

    • A club member hasn’t bought in six months? Offer them a members-only deal.

    • A tasting room visitor made their first purchase? Follow up with a welcome email introducing your winery’s story.

  • Smart Club Management

    • Allow members to customize their shipments based on past purchases.

    • Let them pause or adjust shipments instead of canceling entirely.

    • Recognize repeat customers and offer VIP perks automatically.

  • Seamless Tasting Room & eCommerce Integration

    • If someone tries a wine in the tasting room but doesn’t buy, send them a reminder later.

    • Show online shoppers recommendations based on past purchases—just like Amazon does.

Why This Works: Commerce7 makes customers feel like you know them. Because you do.

WineDirect: Powering Marketing That Feels Effortless

WineDirect gives wineries automation superpowers. It helps you keep customers engaged without requiring you to manually send emails, track behaviors, or guess what’s working.

Here’s how wineries use it to build relationships:

  • Segmentation That Makes Marketing Smarter

    • Automatically group customers based on buying patterns, club status, or engagement.

    • Send exclusive offers to high-spending customers while nurturing first-time buyers differently.

  • Email & SMS Marketing That Connects

    • Email is still king. But SMS is growing fast. WineDirect lets you use both together, ensuring you stay top-of-mind.

    • Drip campaigns help onboard new club members with a series of emails that welcome, educate, and build excitement.

  • Retention Tools That Keep Customers Coming Back

    • Win-back campaigns target lapsed buyers before they’re lost forever.

    • Automated thank-you emails make sure every purchase feels appreciated.

Why This Works: It keeps customers engaged without you having to remember to do it.

The Difference Between Guessing and Knowing

Without a good CRM, you’re guessing what your customers want.

With Commerce7 and WineDirect, you know.

  • Know who is engaging, buying, and ignoring you.

  • Know what wines they love, what emails they open, and what offers they respond to.

  • Know when to reach out—because timing is everything.

A winery that knows its customers doesn’t have to discount aggressively or chase sales with last-minute promotions. It builds trust, loyalty, and revenue the right way.

The Learning Curve: Using Your CRM vs. Actually Using It

Here’s the reality: just because you have a CRM doesn’t mean you’re using it to its full potential. Most wineries (this really applies to all businesses) think they’re using their CRM—emails go out, orders are tracked, club members exist—but in reality, they’re only scratching the surface.

Learning to fully leverage a CRM like Commerce7 or WineDirect takes time. There are automations to set up, customer segments to refine, and data to clean up. And if your winery hasn’t been actively collecting customer emails or purchase history in the tasting room, the challenge is even bigger. A CRM is only as powerful as the data inside it—if you don’t have emails, birthdays, preferences, or purchase behavior, there’s nothing to personalize.

The good news? It’s never too late to start. Train your tasting room team to ask for emails in a way that feels natural. Offer an incentive—exclusive offers, first access to new wines, or a members-only experience. Begin with what you have, and build from there. The sooner you start gathering real customer data, the sooner your CRM can actually work for you.

Deksia Jones