The Customer Journeyman

I drink 18-20 cans of Spindrift each week. Our recycling bin at home is mostly two things: cans of Spindrift and blueberry pint containers.

Spindrift is a sparkling water with a real squeezed fruit. There’s no added sugar and they’re pretty low in calorie count (usually in the 10-20 range). 

I’ve tasted all the flavors, even the less popular ones like Strawberry and Cucumber.

My top 5 favorites, in order, are:

1. Lemon
2. Grapefruit
3. Blackberry
4. Mango Orange
5. Lime

Raspberry Lime and Cranberry are also great and just right outside my top 5. I don’t really like the Half & Half (basically a lemon + tea Arnold Palmer) except when it’s really hot outside and I’ve already had my cold brew coffee for the day.

The Customer Journey Starts with Bagels

I had heard of Spindrift a long while ago, when their distribution was a bit more limited. Someone who was a client contact at one company had moved over to work at Spindrift. He came over to our office once to talk about e-commerce. We didn’t get to work together but it was probably the first time I got exposed to the existence of Spindrift as a brand.

However, I didn’t go out of my way to try it out. In fact, I would see it at Whole Foods or bodega store shelves and just ignore them.

It wasn’t until a bagel shop opened up in our neighborhood that I got my first taste. When we went for the second or third time, my wife picked up a tall can of Spindrift Orange Mango. I remember thinking it was refreshing but nothing special.

Every week thereafter, when we went for our Saturday morning bagels, adding a Spindrift to the order became a habit. We ended up trying the flavors they carried, which included Raspberry Lime and Lemon.

The Impact of the Weather

As the weather got warmer, I began to pick up bottles of white wine or rosé on my way home every few days.

The thing I love about whites and rosés is the initial sip that is the perfect combo of cold, tart, and refreshing. Our old apartment did not have the best air conditioning and I was usually hot and bothered from my commute home, so the thought of ice cold wine was irresistible for me.

Once I popped open a bottle, I might finish 50-75% of it that evening, sipping throughout and after a meal while relaxing. It was a great way to celebrate the coming of summer but there were a couple of drawbacks:

1. it wasn’t a cheap habit even if the bottles were in the $15-$25 price range
2. it wasn’t the healthiest of habits as alcohol often impacted my sleep quality

At around the same time, my wife picked up a pack of Spindrift Lemon from Whole Foods. One day, determined to work out, I came home and didn’t drink wine. Instead, I opened a can of Spindrift and boom–it achieved the exact same job that the wines had done all along: cold, tart, and refreshing.

Of course, I didn’t know it exactly at the time, but a few days passed by and we were out of Spindrift. I had not had any wine during that time. Instead, I just crushed can after can of Spindrift.

I was hooked.

I asked my wife if we could get more. We went on Amazon and ordered a variety pack, which is a 20-can pack that includes Grapefruit, Lemon, Raspberry Lime, and Orange Mango.

We got it a couple days later. Five days later, we were out. We ordered some more.

And all this time, my wine consumption went down even more. I ended up drinking only on special occasions when friends came over or we went out to eat.

Big League Drinking

I consistently began consuming at least 2 cans of Spindrift every weekday and at least 4 cans per day on weekends (sometimes 5 or 6). Our subscription via Amazon to two 20-can packs per month barely lasted 10 days. The only thing that slowed us down is if we traveled or had multiple nights where I was out.

We supplemented our subscription with “emergency Spindrift” purchases at Whole Foods. These would generally be one or two 8-can packs. However, even these were just not enough and we had some unfortunate days where we ran out.

I decided to place a big order to help build a stash that would help us more sustainably supplement our two 20-can subscriptions. I ordered 96 cans split among four flavors: Half Tea & Half Lemon, Blackberry, Lemon, and Cranberry.

While it took up a lot of space, I felt secure and Spindrift-rich. And not once did I ever think I would tire of it.

The stash lasted a good 6 weeks. I re-upped with another order, this time for 120 cans: 2x Blackberry, 2x Half Tea & Half Lemon, and 1x of the Cranberry.

We killed the Blackberry and Cranberry pretty quickly, but the Half Tea & Half Lemon, because I don’t like drinking any caffeine close to bedtime, took much longer to complete (still have some cans left). I probably won’t buy any Arnold Palmers again.

Most recently, we received another giant order about 7 weeks later. We did have to supplement with a couple emergency Spindrifts from Whole Foods during that time as we absolutely killed our 20-can variety packs.

This time around, we ordered 96 cans, 24-can packs of: Blackberry, Lime, Cranberry, and Lemon.

Passing Fad?

My smoothie phase ended when I took up intermittent fasting and started not eating anything in the mornings. It was also a lot more work to keep up. I could never stand to take protein shakes consistently as my stomach didn’t find them agreeable. With Spindrift, its stickiness is in the simplicity of the ingredients–just sparkling water plus real fruit juice and no additives.

I’ve caught myself several times now, especially during football season, when I walked over to my fridge to grab a beer only to second-guess and opt for a Spindrift because of the trade-offs. I wasn’t going to drink enough to get a buzz anyway but rather to enjoy that “crisp” feel of carbonated liquid with some kind of flavor. With Spindrift, I get that crispness without the guilt of empty calories.

To the extent I want Spindrift to do the job that wine and beer did for me, I think it’ll remain part of my daily habit.

One other thing I’ll note again is the simplicity of Spindrift’s ingredients. I don’t care that each can has a few calories because I much prefer having real juice to things like “grapefruit essence” based on oils (La Croix) or “natural flavors” (Bubly). I very much can imagine and taste real juice squeezed and mixed with sparkling water vs. who knows what with the more processed alternatives.

Being Everywhere Matters

Whenever I travel, I try to see if I can find Spindrift. Outside of New York City, it’s not alway been easy. Whenever we go to my in-laws in Pennsylvania, we always pack a few cans for the ride there.

When it comes to a daily consumable like Spindrift, it’s better to be everywhere than limited to certain “brand-compatible” retailers. Much like Pellegrino, I won’t think less of Spindrift if I found it at a CVS/gas station/a local bodega vs. a Whole Foods. What matters to me is convenience and availability. In this way, I equate it to the ubiquity of KIND bars and how they’ve kept the overall brand feel intact.

But this leads me to another topic: how I’m not at all the target and how I’m not as loyal to the brand as I am to its functionality.

The Spindrift Brand: Not for Me

I’m rarely on Instagram so writing this post was the first time I saw Spindrift’s Instagram account. I was immediately reminded that I am not the target demo. It is, predictably, white female 18-35 with healthy lifestyle aspirations and big on Instagram use. Cool, wish I had never seen this.

My loyalty to Spindrift is based on its functional features: the flavors, the simplicity of ingredients, the availability via Amazon Prime, and the job it’s been successfully hired to do in my life. I’ve been satisfied enough that I haven’t actively looked for an alternative.

But that’s not to say that another brand with the same simplicity but slightly different flavors couldn’t take its place, especially if they’re able to match on price and availability.

For now, Spindrift can expect monthly recurring revenues of around $80-$90 (2x 20-can subscriptions for around $22 and 4x 24-can pack every 7-8 weeks), which means an annual value of $960-$1,080 per year. And nothing says loyalty like actual dollars.

The Spindrift E-commerce Opportunity

Spindrift’s own e-commerce site offers the same products at higher prices, so there’s no reason to ever make the switch.

That said, I could be persuaded if all of the following were true:

• Subscription pricing led to a match with Amazon’s prices while also allowing me to accrue some kind of Spindrift loyalty points that could be redeemed for even more Spindrift.
• Special early access to new flavors, even experimental or limited edition ones that may never get mass distribution.
• Acknowledgement that I’m in the X percentile of Spindrift purchasers and maybe even a VIP designation or ranking # —just some badge to show off because validation, even from a brand, sometimes feels nice.

But short of these, Spindrift comes with my toilet paper and paper towels and occupies its place as just another commodity. A refreshing and tasty one.

Note: The image of the wine store above is not the store described in this article, so stop trying to guess!

I’ve been going to the same wine store in South Slope for over 12 years. By my estimation, I’ve spent at least $5,000 if not closer to $7,500 during that time at the one location. However, nobody at the store knows my name. They do not have my purchase history. Even though I’ve been helped by the same folks, nobody has made an attempt to get to know me or my preferences.

What I get for my continued patronage is a punch card. When I get 12 punches, the 13th bottle I can purchase for $0.99. The value of that bottle is determined by the average price I paid for the 12 bottles. I also get to write my email down on the back, which is then entered into a monthly drawing for some prize. Despite numerous entries, I’ve yet to win.

For all its charms and the seasonally updated window decorations, this wine store suffers from a customer relationship management (CRM) problem.

The CRM Opportunities

I’ve found that the wine stores in my corner of Brooklyn (and also in Lower Manhattan where my office is) are generally old school when it comes to data capture.

I’ve visited the same wine store at least 200 times in the past 12 years. The purchase data alone should tell a really rich story about my preferences (wine types, wines vs. spirits, etc.), my price range, average basket size, frequency of purchases, seasonal behavior, etc.

Across that span of time, you could even get a sense of the shifts in my taste and spending (e.g. lighter reds from Europe, higher per price bottle).

Even at just 1 or 2 visits, you can get enough data about a customer to do some serious segmentation and personalization.

Let’s imagine that this wine store decides to invest in a new point of sale (POS) system with much better CRM capabilities that also syncs with an email service provider and their e-commerce platform (e.g. Shopify POS + Klaviyo + Shopify website). What are some of the things that would engage me more as a customer?

Example 1: Notifications about upcoming tastings that match my purchase history

My purchase history will show that I tend to buy a lot of Italian and French reds. Any time there is a tasting at the store featuring such wines, a segmented email letting me know about the tasting would be a welcomed piece of content. If it happens to be on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, I could stop by while running errands and maybe pick up a bottle or two.

If the store wants to be more ambitious, they could get my phone number and shoot me the occasional SMS text about a tasting, especially closer to the actual date as I’m more likely to check SMS on weekends than email.

Example 2: VIP Tease and Perks

I have no idea where I would rank in terms of customer lifetime value at this store, but I figure it’s gotta be in the top 25%.

One way for the store to cultivate loyalty would be to introduce a VIP program for those who spend a certain amount every year (or cross a lifetime threshold value).

The key here is to let people know about the existence of the program and to tease the perks and show that spending a certain level would unlock access. It would be cool to have some kind of welcome gift or offer for those who make it onto the list.

Some ways to program around a VIP list would be to invite folks for free special tastings of rare and expensive wines or a talk given by a producer or sommelier. The wine store could also partner up with a local restaurant and do a special wine pairing dinner–I know folks in this neighborhood would eat that up.

There can also be a “limited availability for VIPs only” release of certain wines that are “held” for people on the VIP list and only released storewide if there are any left. And during slow seasons, VIPs can be incentivized to purchase with exclusive sales only available to them.

Example 3: In-store Experience

I have yet to experience anything like this at a wine store, but here’s a dream scenario: I’m greeted by someone who works there. Let’s say it’s someone new who just started. They ask if I’ve been to the store before and I say yes. They ask for my name and they quickly pull up some information on their mobile device. They take a quick look at my stats – date of last purchase, what I bought, my customer lifetime value to see how loyal of a customer I am – and armed with this context, they’re ready to help.

One question they ask is how I enjoyed my last bottle of pinot noir that they saw on my purchase history. This leads to a conversation about trying something similar or something completely different. It segues nicely into what I’m looking for today as well. In the course of the conversation, I mention a cab that I really liked from a few months ago, but I can’t recall the name. The salesperson does a quick browse of my history and asks if it’s the Chilean cab, showing me a pic of the bottle. Ah yes, I respond, and I ask if there’s something else like it, leading to a handful of recommendations.

Imagine a CRM system that layers on some more sophistication to highlight my record with some key takeaways for the salesperson. A personalization engine like Dynamic Yield or Nosto could surface even simple things like “this customer prefers reds over $25” or “this customer likes to buy at least 4 bottles at a time”. This info helps tailor the in-store experience and allows for real-time segmentation between long-time loyalists vs. first-time customers.

Example 4: Seasonal Messaging

I can see a wine store getting a lot of mileage from a basic set of seasonal messaging that can be repeated each year, perhaps with some merchandizing and creative swaps. These are a few I can think of off the top of my head:

• Feb: Treat your Valentine with an indulgent bottle
• Spring: Welcome Spring with our selection of bright, floral whites
• Memorial Day: BBQ / Picnic / Beach wine picks
• Independence Day: Rosé, orange wines, and other summer picks
• Fall: New reds to enjoy as the weather turns
• Thanksgiving: Wines to bring to your Thanksgiving dinner
• Holidays: Festive wines for the holidays
• Late Dec: Bring in the new year with champagnes from small producers

A wine store with great CRM chops might send variations of these campaigns to different segments featuring wines at low, mid, and high price points based on the audience. Wine stores that embrace omni-channel consumption may offer ecomm with free delivery for certain order amounts or also pick-up options at the store, capturing payment via a mobile-friendly experience.

What’ll It Take?

Twelve years is a long time. The experience I have at the wine store has remained unchanged. They updated the design of their punch card some years ago, but it works exactly the same way. 

Is business good enough that it’s not worth fussing about with extra technology? Or is business in such a precarious spot that the investment would be a risk? Isn’t it a risk not to invest in things that improve the customer experience?

Most of the “innovation” I’ve seen in the wine space has been online with direct-to-consumer wine sites like Firstleaf that “personalize” a selection of wines based on your preferences and send periodically based on your subscriptions. We get these quarterly for our office but I generally find their packaging wasteful (the cards with the descriptions go straight into recycling) and we assume the wines are just the cheapest budget ones that give the business most margin while not tasting horrible.

If anything, I’ve been most impressed with how certain wineries run their wine clubs. I liked the simplicity and sleekness of the membership experience on Mayacamas Vineyards website (I’m subscribed to the Silver one) and hope to take advantage of a visit to their vineyard one day when I’m out on the West Coast.

I also liked how Realm Cellars did their limited run of two special edition wines and leveraged SMS to notify when they went live. I was in a meeting at the time and was disappointed to see the one I wanted sell out a few hours later.

Do the economics of a wine store, especially a small neighborhood one, make it especially difficult to innovate (or at least adopt some widely available technologies)? I hope someone reading this would reach out and enlighten me, I’d love to know.

I’m sure there are wine stores out there doing a better job with CRM than the one near me, providing customers with personalized experiences in-store and better email/SMS communications. However, in all my years living in New York, I’ve yet to see one that impressed me.

In the end, though, convenience of location seems to trump all these things and I’m basically a captive customer. I’ll continue to patronize the same store that, even after casually picking up $250 worth of wine on a Friday night, still doesn’t bother to know who I am.