Wine & restaurant • 20 March 2022

Why digitize your wine list?

In 2022, digitization has become a priority for many sectors, and the restaurant industry is no exception. COVID-19 has greatly accelerated this trend, and as we emerge from the crisis, restaurants are looking for ways to digitize. Here are several good reasons to create a digital version of your old paper wine list.

COVID-19: reduce the vectors of virus transmission

Many measures had to be implemented to protect against the coronavirus, and the paper wine list, which is passed from hand to hand, was quickly pointed out. By digitizing your paper wine list, you eliminate this vector of transmission as the customer becomes completely autonomous by using their own smartphone.

A digital wine list on a tablet?

We believe that a tablet is not the best solution, at least in terms of protection against virus transmission. Indeed, the tablet must be cleaned between each customer, the screen easily retains fingerprints from other customers, and there are also issues of charging, breakage, purchasing, or renting the equipment, etc. However, the advantage of the tablet is that it is accessible to all customers and does not exclude those who may not have a smartphone.

Will the customer know how to use the QR Code?

Before COVID, the answer would certainly have been no, as the European market had so far shunned the QR Code, unlike the Asian or American markets. After COVID, we have all become experts in QR Codes, which we have learned to pull out several times a day. Contactless payment, among other things, is also a habit that shows that customers have learned to use a bit more new technologies. As for the QR Code, smartphone manufacturers have understood the interest of this technology and now almost all include a QR Code reader directly in the camera, which no longer requires installing an additional application.

Isn't it cumbersome for the customer?

Indeed, the customer uses their own smartphone, but they will not need to install any application to read the QR Code or to use the digital wine list since it is accessible directly through the smartphone's web browser. The customer will also not need to create an account or give access to their personal data. However, creating an optional account remains possible to access a history of their tasted wines or tasting preferences.

Real-time management of wines on the menu

With a paper menu, if a wine is temporarily or permanently unavailable, you either have to reprint your wine lists or inform your servers of this unavailability at the risk of disappointing a customer who thought they would receive their favorite wine. With a digital wine list, in just a few clicks, you can deactivate a wine from your list and make it temporarily disappear for your customers. Adding wines is equally simplified, as just a few minutes are enough to make a new wine appear in your digital wine list.

A virtual sommelier always available

Wine advice in restaurants is often something complicated, both for the restaurateur who is not always trained in wine advice and often for the servers, who change regularly, making it difficult to continuously train them in the art of food and wine pairing. The virtual sommelier only needs to learn your list once and can provide relevant wine advice every time. Even better, the virtual sommelier is continuously self-learning and thus automatically updates its information (winery, production region, grape varieties, etc.).

For the customer, asking for help in choosing a wine sometimes seems like an admission of ignorance. The customer may also sometimes be reluctant to ask advice from a younger server or simply fear being stuck with a wine above their budget. The virtual sommelier can be consulted without pressure, allowing the customer to take their time and be advised without feeling obliged to follow a wine pairing suggestion.

Does it replace a real sommelier?

A connected wine list is not intended to replace a sommelier; on the contrary. The digital wine list is as much an ally as the paper wine list; it should be considered a fun and educational tool to allow the customer to obtain more information about the wine if they wish. The digital wine list can be configured to offer only information about the wines and not advice or pairings, which would be left to the management of the sommelier in the dining room. The sommelier can also use this tool to provide all the information they want about the wine, something impossible on a paper list for fear of making it too cluttered.

A fun and educational tool for the customer

Today, the smartphone has become the most used object by consumers, and this trend is only increasing with new generations. A digital wine list is therefore a fun tool offered on a medium already perfectly mastered by the customer who wonders how to choose their wine at the restaurant. The wine list will also become an educational tool for the customer, as they will be able to obtain all the technical information they want about the wine they are tasting or would like to taste.

Also accessible to foreign customers

Your list can also be made available in several languages for the pleasure of your foreign customers, who will only need to change the language via the selection flag. Currently available in French, English, and Dutch, the language panel should soon be expanded. For the restaurateur, there is almost nothing to do except perhaps translate a welcome message or a personalized description.

A noticeable increase in wine revenue

A customer, even a bit knowledgeable, will never know all the references on the list and will often settle for choosing a well-known wine region, ultimately ordering the second cheapest bottle from that region. Thanks to the advice from the digital wine list, the reassured customer can then afford to slightly increase their budget for their bottle or glass of wine. The advised customer may even choose to take a bottle of wine when, in doubt, they might have chosen not to take one at all.

Highlight your bottled and by-the-glass wines

The wine list offers the possibility to highlight “favorite” wines or the star wines of the moment. This spotlight on a wine can greatly increase sales and especially introduce it to your customers if you have just found a gem. Wines by the glass can also be referenced, making it clearer for the customer which wine can be tasted in this format.

A statistical tool on customer wine preferences

With Winevizer, the restaurateur can obtain a whole series of statistics allowing them to understand their customers' wine preferences. By analyzing the most sought-after regions or preferences for color or type of pairing, the restaurateur can sometimes adapt their wine selection to match their customers. Wine search statistics can also highlight seasonality and allow the restaurateur to promote certain wines over others depending on the time of year.

Simplified encoding and up-to-date information on your wines

The encoding of your wines has been designed by our team to minimize your time loss and especially to save you time once they are encoded. Wines encoded simply by the name of the domain and the cuvée are most often identified by the virtual sommelier. An identified wine will then already be completely pre-filled with all the technical information about the wine, the domain, the region, and the pairings. The restaurateur remains in control of their wines and can fully take back control of the information. The virtual sommelier will also ensure that the wine information remains up to date over time, saving you from having to continually update your wines with each new vintage.