Interesting statistics are emerging from CellarDirect - the direct to consumer sales system from wine.co.za.
Only three months old and growing daily, we now have enough shops to start looking at some initial trends in South Africa for direct to consumer sales.
Of the varieties sold we have a clear leader with Chenin blanc taking 25% of the sales of all varieties sold. Followed by Cabernet Sauvignon at 17%, Sauvignon blanc at 11%, Shiraz at 9% & Pinotage at 8%.
The overall portfolio is still limited, but we expect the lesser known varieties to grow with grapes like Mourvedre at 6% and Grenache at 5% showing the consumer trend to try new tastes. Watch this space as we take on more smaller boutique wineries in the next few weeks and add some of the smaller varieties.
Then as far as distribution is concerned, no surprise, with the majority of sales (41%) going to Gauteng, 37% to the Western Cape and surprisingly 12.5% to the Free State. This growth in online sales to new areas is backed up by an increase in sales to KZN which bodes well for the wine industry. If we can get the beer drinkers in KwaZulu Natal to drink wine we must be doing something right!
This also shows that the direct to consumer channel really works, especially for the outlying areas that do not have access to good wine.
As we take on more wineries and the portfolio becomes more diverse we will get a better understanding of the DTC and DTT market in South Africa.
Participating wineries receive regular reports bench marking their sales against the industry averages so that they can build up a better understanding of what the consumer wants, where they live, their purchasing habits & how they like to be communicated with.
Build your direct sales channels to consumers & trade in South Africa with a shop from wine.co.za
To find our more please contact Kevin Kidson on kevin@wine.co.za or 021 851 2737
All figures above are direct to consumer sales figures in South Africa up to 31 December 2019