U.S. East Coast wineries face significantly different challenges and opportunities for consumer direct wine sales growth compared to their West Coast counterparts, according to the latest VinQuest 2017 wine industry research released by VinterActive LLC.
Based on a survey of 90 wineries from 19 U.S. states, the VinQuest 2017 U.S. East Coast Consumer Direct Wine Sale Report shows that direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales was responsible for the majority of revenue generated by U.S. East Coast Wineries and continues to grow at a double-digit pace in 2017.
Key findings of this year’s research reveal:
- S. East Coast DTC Sales Growth Average in 2017: 10%
- Tasting Room share of 2017 East Coast DTC Sales: 68%
- Wine Club share of 2017 East Coast DTC Sales: 15%
- Ecommerce share of 2017 East Coast DTC Sales: 5%
- DTC share at East Coast wineries < 1K cases/yr: 81%
- DTC share at East Coast wineries 1-4K cases/yr: 86%
- DTC share at East Coast wineries 4-10K cases/yr: 70%
- DTC share at East Coast wineries > 10K cases/yr: 51%
“With more tasting room visitors but significantly lower pricing than other wine regions, U.S. East Coast wineries have different challenges and opportunities than their West Coast colleagues,” according to VinterActive CEO, Bryan St. Amant.
VinQuest results show the region’s top performers in 2017 are growing DTC revenue by leveraging abundant traffic with higher priced products, personalized service and a customer experience that extends beyond the tasting room.