OPINION: Can you compete with wine through your shoppers’ letterboxes?

There is no new thing under the sun, as the old Biblical phrase goes. Times may change, fads may come and go, but all that you see and hear has a basis in something that has gone before it.

This thought was running around my head over the weekend as I watched thousands of people in my wider social network getting excited about Record Store Day, and then saw that my local craft beer bottle shop has launched a mail order beer subscription service.

The ‘need it now’ generation say that shopping in big stores is too time-consuming and that anything that taps into their needs – time and convenience – will win their business

Neatly combining the two, subscription services like the Britannia Music Club in the early 90s were my first foray into buying the music that I loved. Times may change, but there really is nothing new under the sun.

Then, this morning, I was sent a link to another mail order product. A company called Garçon Wines has introduced a delivery service for wine. The twist? It is delivering full-size 750ml bottles of wine in flattened plastic bottles, designed to fit through the letterbox.

“We source special wines from special winemakers,” the homepage for Garçon Wines says, “to be enjoyed in your special place: HOME!”

It might initially seem strange to drink wine served from a vessel that looks a bit like an olive oil bottle, but the key factors of time and convenience make this more than just a gimmick for the ‘need it now’ generation.

According to the IGD, the ‘need it now’ generation say that shopping in big stores is too time-consuming and that anything that taps into their needs – time and convenience – will win their business.

“This generation feel like they are ahead of the industry where innovation, store formats and technology are concerned, and manufacturers and retailers are running to keep up with them,” according to Michael Freedman of the IGD.

While you might not be able to deliver wine bottles through letterboxes, you do have the right tools to help this generation get what they want, fast – just as convenience stores like yours have done for years and years. There really is nothing new under the sun.