In the world of direct-to-consumer wine sales, your wine club is more than just a recurring revenue...
Your wine club should be one of your most powerful sales channels—driving predictable revenue, building long-term loyalty, and turning casual sippers into brand ambassadors. But even the most thoughtfully crafted club can start to feel stale over time. If you’ve noticed a slowdown in growth, engagement, or excitement, it may be time to reimagine your offering.
Let’s explore the warning signs of a stagnant wine club—and the fresh strategies you can use to reinvigorate your membership model and drive sustainable growth.
- Declining Retention Rates
The Sign: Your club is still attracting new members, but they’re not sticking around. Retention is dropping, especially after the first year.
Why It Matters: High attrition often points to a mismatch between member expectations and the value they receive.
Refresh Strategy:
Introduce Tiered Memberships to allow members to level up based on their budget, loyalty, or wine preferences.
Offer loyalty rewards for milestone anniversaries, referrals, and consistent order history.
Implement post-join engagement touchpoints—welcome emails, onboarding videos, and surprise gifts—to build emotional connection early.
- Fewer Club Sign-Ups in the Tasting Room
The Sign: Tasting room traffic remains steady, but conversion to club membership has slowed.
Why It Matters: Your club may no longer feel exclusive, exciting, or relevant to your modern visitor demographic.
Refresh Strategy:
Reposition your club with storytelling that reflects your brand identity and elevates the club beyond just discounts and deliveries.
Arm staff with clear, benefits-focused scripts and visual aids that highlight perks like private events or customizable shipments.
Offer a tasting-room-only incentive—like a special bottle or waived fee—for same-day sign-ups.
- Engagement is Minimal
The Sign: Your club members are passive—rarely opening emails, attending events, or customizing their shipments.
Why It Matters: Engagement is a leading indicator of retention. A disengaged member is a future cancellation.
Refresh Strategy:
Launch interactive campaigns like polls to help shape future releases or choose event themes.
Use dynamic email content personalized to member tier, purchase history, and preferences.
Create a members-only content hub with cellar tips, food pairings, and winemaker videos.
- Member Perks Feel Generic or Outdated
The Sign: Your perks haven’t evolved in years and aren’t aligned with what today’s consumers value.
Why It Matters: Modern consumers crave value beyond the bottle—access, experiences, and personalization.
Refresh Strategy:
Add new perks like early access to limited lots, first-look event tickets, birthday gifts, or virtual tasting invites.
Consider collaborative perks with local businesses—cheese shops, restaurants, or boutique hotels—for added value and exposure.
Survey your members annually to discover what benefits they truly care about.
- Your Club Offering Is One-Size-Fits-All
The Sign: Every member gets the same wines, same quantity, and same experience.
Why It Matters: Lack of flexibility can alienate members with different budgets or varietal preferences.
Refresh Strategy:
Add customization options—such as red-only, white-only, or mixed shipments—without overcomplicating operations.
Offer build-your-own-box moments a few times per year.
Introduce seasonal add-ons or member-only flash sales to drive upsell opportunities.
- Club Events Are Sparsely Attended or Repetitive
The Sign: Your events used to sell out—now they struggle to fill. Feedback is tepid or attendance is low.
Why It Matters: Events should energize your community and give members reasons to stay connected.
Refresh Strategy:
Offer a mix of in-person and virtual experiences to accommodate geography and lifestyle.
Experiment with new event formats—chef collaborations, vineyard hikes, library tastings, or themed weekends.
Use RSVPs and event data to tailor future invitations to high-interest segments.
- You’re Not Actively Tracking Club Metrics
The Sign: Decisions are based on instinct, not data. You aren’t sure what your churn rate is or which benefits are driving retention.
Why It Matters: You can’t fix what you’re not measuring. A stagnant club often flies under the radar until revenue takes a noticeable hit.
Refresh Strategy:
Track key performance indicators (KPIs): retention rate, average order value, customization opt-ins, event attendance, and email open rates.
Use reporting tools or a CRM platform to segment and monitor behavior across tiers or acquisition channels.
Establish a regular cadence for reviewing and acting on insights.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Wait for Decline to Innovate
Even if your wine club is performing well now, consumer behaviors and expectations are always shifting. The most successful programs are those that evolve with their audience, fine-tuning benefits and messaging to maintain relevance and loyalty.
Whether you roll out a major relaunch or small tweaks, regularly refreshing your club signals to members that you value their experience—and their continued support.
Want to Audit Your Current Club?
Download our free Wine Club Refresh Checklist to identify quick wins and long-term strategies to revitalize your offering.
