In episode 220 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Louis Amoroso, president, direct-to-consumer at DRINKS, which operates Wine Insiders, the leading consumer marketplace for high-quality and affordable premium wine available for delivery across the United States. Amoroso discusses the brand's history, how it evolved from a mail order catalog to an online marketplace, and the growth of the company's D-to-C business. In addition, he addresses the logistical and legal distribution challenges that Wine Insiders faces, how it solved those challenges through a nationwide distribution system, and how the brand markets to consumers in different states.
Amoroso shares Wine Insiders’ approach to customer acquisition as well as how it has modified its marketing efforts to appeal to a diverse consumer demographic. Wine Insiders utilizes a variety of technology solutions to maintain relevant conversations with customers, and Amoroso explains how the wine seller mines online data, surveys its shoppers, sends targeted emails, and tracks the customer journey to retain customers. He discusses future growth plans for the Wine Insiders business, with a particular focus on data science and business intelligence.
A seasoned entrepreneur, Louis Amoroso launched his most recent business in 2013, DRINKS. DRINKS' D-to-C marketplace, Wine Insiders, was founded in 1982 at a quaint Chicago restaurant. Since then, it has grown to become the leader in DTC wine sales, delivering millions of bottles a year to customers all over the country. Today, Wine Insiders offers wines from every wine region of the world, many from multigenerational family-owned wineries.
In 2011, Amoroso co-founded elevate DIGITAL, a digital media company focused on developing interactive technology that increase communication and integrates into mobile/social media while enhancing consumers’ access to services. At the end of 2015, elevate DIGITAL was sold to CIVIQ Smartscapes. Amoroso was co-founder and CEO of Beverage Solutions, the largest wine and beer direct marketing company in the country. Beverage Solutions was acquired by Direct Wines (the largest wine direct marketing company in the world). He's also a partner in other successful consumer products business ventures, including Goose Island Beer Company, the premier craft brewery in the Midwest and one of the top 10 craft breweries in the country. In 2011, Goose Island was bought by Anheuser-Busch.
