Increasing wine sales, new website functionalities, and Sommly gives back!
Happy New Year y’all! Now that 2023 is in full swing, the Sommly team wanted to provide some updates about what we’ve been working on over the past few months.
Marketplace Enhancements
Sommly has recently made several exciting enhancements to its website, including the addition of new map functionality. These new features will allow the company to better serve customers who live outside of its home state, making it easier for wine lovers all over the country to access Sommly’s extensive selection of wines. Likewise, it opens the door for US based wineries outside of Texas’ borders to join the marketplace.
Some other notable enhancements that users will experience is a streamlined shopping process, and a fully mobile optimized website – everything from reviewing and favoriting Texas wineries, to filling your shopping cart and checking out. Some features were added to enhance the gifting experience for both the gifter and the giftee… more on that below!
Giving Back
In addition to the website updates, Sommly also made an impact on the environment by planting a grove of trees through its donation to One Tree Planted. This organization is dedicated to reforestation and helps to protect and restore the world’s forests, and Sommly is committed to planting a tree for every order placed through the Sommly marketplace.
“We appreciate that wine is the output of agriculture and farmers face tremendous challenges with climate change. Over the last few years, we’ve seen devastating fires and extreme weather events that have impacted grape crops across the globe. With this partnership, Sommly hopes that we can do our part in preserving the environment for future generations of wine lovers.” said Sara Wagner, Co-Founder of Sommly.
Sommly is committed to a continued mission of sustainability and reforestation. The one-for-one model with One Tree Planted allows customers to take part in the unified commitment to restore biodiversity, support vineyards, and make a positive environmental impact around the world.
“We’re excited to partner with Sommly. The climate crisis has been a major threat to farmers across the globe in recent years, and reforestation is consistently identified as one of the top solutions for the crisis,” said One Tree Planted founder and Chief Environmental Evangelist, Matt Hill.
Finally, Sommly sponsored the annual Cien Amigos (100 Friends) nonprofit fundraiser event for Project Schoolhouse, which took place in October. The Austin-based nonprofit supports rural Nicaraguan communities by providing resources to deliver education, health, and community water infrastructure projects.
To date, Project Schoolhouse has helped 15 communities transform their lives; 2,436 people have safe water in their homes and 1,900 children study in schools the organization helped them build. Project Schoolhouse is proud of the expansion of its work over the years from single projects in one community annually, to multiple projects in several communities each year. This uptick in the pace of work would not be possible without the support of our generous donors, partner foundations, and corporations. By supporting this organization, Sommly is helping to make a positive impact on the community.
The Holidays
Since launching eCommerce in September, Sommly geared up and had a successful holiday retail season, with wine bundles such as this one offered by Rustic Spur Vineyard proving to be the company’s top sellers. This is not surprising, as wine bundles make for great gifts and are a convenient way for customers to try a variety of different wines at once. While Texas was still the number one destination of Sommly wine orders, we had orders from many states in the US over the few months leading into 2023.
Leading up to the holiday season, Sommly also helped make the State Fair of Texas Blue Ribbon Wines available for purchase online following the fair’s Fall dates. Wine lovers from across the country let us know how much they loved getting access to an even wider selection of Texas wines that are hard to find in retail, during the limited time of the promotion.
Fall 2022 Wrap
Sommly’s recent enhancements and charitable efforts demonstrate our commitment to providing excellent customer service and making a positive impact on the world. With its new website enhancements and environmental initiatives, Sommly is positioning itself as an advocate for consumers, growers, and winemakers in the industry.
