Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/541538
www.beveragedynamics.com July/August 2015 • Beverage Dynamics 27 [ RETAIL PROFILE ] he Urban Grape's tagline is "drink progressively." The meaning is two-fold for this Boston-based re- tailer, which operates locations in both Chestnut Hill and the city's South End. On one hand, The Urban Grape is progressive in its use of retail strategy, technology and social media. On the other, the husband-and-wife ownership team of TJ and Hadley Douglas believe that each consumer's palate progresses over time, and can be measured and then matched to an ideal wine list. Where these two concepts meet is the core of The Urban Grape's philosophy. PROGRESSIVE SHELVING The Urban Grape does not organize wines by varietal or re- gion on its shelves. The reasoning is this: because the makeup of wines differs so greatly within those categories, customers may struggle to fi nd something new if they're only searching by varietal or region. To reduce wine buyers' stress, TJ and Hadley arranged the wine section differently when they opened their fi rst location in Chestnut Hill fi ve years ago (the South End shop opened two years later). Before the store buys bottles, Urban Grape employees taste test each one. Wines are then ranked on a scale based upon their initial body. "The body of a wine determines whether a drinker will be into them," says TJ, who heads the company's business operations. The lightest are classifi ed as 1W, with 10W as the heaviest. "Think of it as the difference between skim milk and heavy cream," TJ says. Bottles are then organized based on this 1-10W scale. These groupings, TJ believes, more accurately reflect similarities across wines than varietals or viticulture roots. The objective is to help customers fi nd wines comparable to those that they already enjoy. Of course, this setup relies on a key bit of information: where on the W-scale customers like their wine. PINPOINTING PALATES To determine that number, both Urban Grape locations con- tain a tasting machine. The device pours samples from ten bottles, each representative of a wine's body level from 1W to 10W. Customers in the stores can use this device (with em- ployee assistance) to identify their palate preference. "We'll start them on a 1W, and they might say it's too light," TJ says. "So then we'll go the other way and they might say it's too sweet. And we'll work our way in until we fi nd what's just perfect, like with Goldilocks." Once the customer fi nds his number, store employees can rec- ommend other wines with the same W-number. TJ believes that this method is more effective and eye-opening than alternatives. "Some customers come in and say they don't like a certain types of wine because it's too sweet. But that's because they've only ever had sweeter versions of that wine, and have built up a misconception," he says. "What they really mean is that they don't like wine that's too sweet, regardless of the type." "Our system allows customers to explore more wines, with- out their blinders on," he adds. Within wines grouped by their body numbers, The Urban Grape further organizes bottles by price. More expensive prod- ucts are, naturally, located on top. TJ calls the overall concept "Progressive Shelving," a phrase the company has trademarked. "We will fi nd you whatever your palate tells us that you like, and then sell it at your price point," he explains. "Our mission is to take intimidation out of beverages. As part of that mission, the Urban Grape uses the Light Speed POS system, which digitally collects and categorizes information from customer purchases. This includes the wines customers have purchased in the past, arranged by W-Scale. Armed with this data, employees already know which bottles to recommend for returning customers. Guesswork in trying new wines is replaced by scientifi c analysis, which is further benefi cial because TJ believes that palates evolve over time — into different tastes and styles. "When people start drinking wine, it's usually in college he Urban Grape's tagline is "drink progressively." he Urban Grape's tagline is "drink progressively." he Urban Grape's tagline is "drink progressively." he Urban Grape's tagline is "drink progressively." The meaning is two-fold for this Boston-based re- The meaning is two-fold for this Boston-based re- The meaning is two-fold for this Boston-based re- The meaning is two-fold for this Boston-based re- tailer, which operates locations in both Chestnut tailer, which operates locations in both Chestnut tailer, which operates locations in both Chestnut tailer, which operates locations in both Chestnut Hill and the city's South End. Hill and the city's South End. Hill and the city's South End. PROGRESSIVE DRINKING & RETAILING BY KYLE SWARTZ