INTRODUCING BLOOM
A NEW GROWTH PLATFORM FOR MODERN WINERIES
Bloom is the latest and greatest direct-to-consumer (DtC) online platform for small to medium-sized wineries. Powered by Shopify, the world's leading ecommerce solution, Bloom is a game-changer. Described as a growth platform, Bloom provides a full range of services, from website design and development to digital marketing strategy. Hence the company tagline "IT'S NOT SOFTWARE. IT'S BLOOM." which reinforces the massive benefit wineries get when all services are provided by one team, under one roof.
Wineries around the world are quickly gaining interest in using Shopify for their websites and online stores, but realize that there are a few missing pieces that are critical to selling wine online. Those missing features include the ability to manage clubs and memberships, ShipCompliant integration, and proper reporting. Bloom was created to fill in those gaps, making Shopify one of the top choices by wineries of all sizes.
"We didn't want to reinvent ecommerce." said Patrick Stroud, Bloom's President and co-Founder. "My team has been building web-based software and ecommerce stores for over 20 years. Based on experience I can tell you that building software that can manage customers, inventory, orders, plus wine club memberships, is nearly impossible with a small team. We want to focus on what's important to wineries: selling more wine. Not building inventory management systems."
Stroud has made a smart move to let Shopify do the heavy lifting, providing all the core ecommerce features, which allows his team to focus on just the missing winery components. This means Bloom's software is much less complex than their competitors, allowing them to innovate faster, using fewer resources and capital. The big upside is that more investment goes into customer service, something sorely needed by today's busy winery.
The software part of Bloom is a Shopify app designed to fully integrate clubs memberships into Shopify. Wine club members belong to a unique Shopify customer record. This allows club memberships to seamlessly integrate with customer and sales reports in Shopfiy. Wine products created in Shopify are used when creating wine club shipments keeping your inventory levels up-to-date. Discounts for club members are used for club orders, or when a member purchases wine directly from your website. Taxes are calculated automatically based on where the wine is shipped, and compliance reports can be generated by a combination of customer, shipping, and wine product information. Behind the scenes it's complex, but the Bloom app has been designed to make managing your clubs and members easy.
In addition to the Bloom app, Shopify's app store offers over 2000 other apps which can extend the features and functionality of a winery's online store. From integrations with email marketing tools like MailChimp to connecting orders to accounting systems, you can find an app for it.
"Every winery has different needs." says Stroud. "When you try to be all things for all people, you'll end up building a lot of software that only a few customers may use. Shopify apps allow our team to recommend, test, and deploy something different for each of our clients. Some larger wineries need integrations with their ERP system, yet a smaller winery might simply need a smart wine recommendation engine. Shopify allows us to provide the right solution for each customer."
If you need a Point of Sale system for your tasting room, the Shopify POS can be downloaded, configured, and ready-to-use in under five minutes. It's beautifully simple interface allows tasting room managers to sell wine to visitors, give discounts to club members, and provides access to wine club sign-ups without needing to use a separate application. Learn more about Shopify's advanced Retail Kit.
Bloom's innovative approach is quickly gaining attention around the world. They are growing fast not only in the US, but in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Starting at only $99 a month, wineries can switch to Bloom with minimal effort and downtime. It appears Bloom has created something unique, and the wine industry is excited to see what they will announce next.
BLOOM is a growth platform for modern wineries. Based in Seattle, WA, they specialize in all things direct-to-consumer for small and mid-sized wineries. Bloom is not only software, but a suite of services for wineries, including website design and development, photography, social media management, digital marketing strategy, and more. Learn more at https://www.bloom.wine
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If you'd like to learn more about Bloom, contact Patrick Stroud at sales@bloom.wine, or give him a call at 206-595-8185.
