As we barrel into OND — the most critical sales quarter for wine brands — many DTC marketing teams are staring down a sobering reality: sales are slumping, inboxes are saturated, and SMS campaigns are losing steam.
The two primary direct marketing channels most wineries rely on — email (used by 85% of brands) and SMS (used by 15%) — are showing serious signs of fatigue. Promotional emails are increasingly buried in spam folders, and just last week, one of the industry’s leading SMS providers urged wineries to limit their use of SMS this holiday season due to deliverability concerns.
So what now?
If you’re a wine marketer looking for incremental sales this year without taking big risks, it’s time to revisit two proven channels that have quietly regained their edge: direct mail and affordable mobile apps.
📬 Direct Mail: The Comeback Kid of DTC Marketing
Direct mail — the very first channel I used to succeed as a budding direct marketer — isn’t dead; it’s just been hibernating while trendy digital channels burned through their novelty.
According to new research published in the Fall 2025 MIT Sloan Management Review, “How Direct Mail Delivers in the Age of Digital Marketing”, direct mail is reemerging as a powerful complement to digital marketing, especially in industries plagued by consumer fatigue and rising digital ad costs.
Here’s why direct mail deserves a second look:
Higher engagement: Unlike emails that vanish in seconds, physical mail lingers — on kitchen counters, coffee tables, and wine racks. It’s tactile, memorable, and often shared.
Better analytics: Thanks to new attribution tools, marketers can now tie direct mail campaigns to online behaviors, making ROI tracking easier than ever.
Digital synergy: Brands like Warby Parker, Free People, and even Amazon are using direct mail to amplify their digital campaigns — not replace them.
For wineries, this is a golden opportunity. Most wine club members belong to multiple clubs and are drowning in promotional emails. A well-designed postcard or mini-catalog can cut through the noise and drive incremental purchases — especially when paired with a QR code or personalized URL that links directly to your online store.
CASE IN POINT
A recent MIT study analyzed the results of over 50 marketing campaigns that deployed direct mail and popular digital channels to generate sales of a broad range of consumer goods. Not only did direct mail reduce customer acquisition costs, but consumers who received direct mail generated more revenue per order and made more repeat purchases compared to those who received digital alternatives.
MIT Sloan Management Review - Fall 2025
📱 Mobile Apps: New Tech Finally Makes Winery Apps Affordable
Leading national brands have long understood the power of mobile apps. Having your brand’s icon on a customer’s home screen is like owning prime real estate in their digital life.
But until recently, the steep cost of entry — often $100K+ for development and thousands more in maintenance — made mobile apps a non-starter for most wineries.
Enter Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
PWAs are lightweight, browser-based apps that behave like native mobile apps — without the App Store gatekeeping or hefty price tags. They install in seconds and can send push notifications, display personalized offers, and streamline wine club communication.
Why PWAs matter now:
Speed to launch: Branded PWAs can be live in under a week.
Affordability: Pre-built solutions, such as myWineClubApp, start at under $100/month, while DIY solutions cost even less.
Direct access: In-app offers and push notifications bypass email filters and SMS fragility, delivering offers straight to your best customers’ phones.
Better consumer engagement:
VinterActive - 2025
🎯 Final Thoughts & Next Steps
If your OND sales plan relies heavily on email and SMS, and you’re not 100% certain you’ll meet your sales goals, perhaps it’s time to hedge your bets and try something new. Direct mail and mobile apps aren’t just viable — they’re proven, affordable, and easy to implement.
Here’s what you can do today:
Direct Mail: Work with a local printer or online service to create a holiday postcard or mini-catalog for your wine club members. Include a QR code or personalized URL as your call-to-action. Keep it simple, seasonal, shippable, and trackable.
Mobile App: Explore pre-built PWA solutions like myWineClubApp, or build your own PWA from scratch. You could have your brand on your members’ phones by next week — and start sending push notifications well before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Whether you’re looking to boost holiday sales or future-proof your DTC strategy for 2026, these underused DTC marketing channels offer a proven way to stand out, reconnect, and convert sales prospects into incremental revenue in 2025 and beyond.
Happy Selling!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryan St. Amant, founder and CEO of VinterActive, holds an MS in Business Management from M.I.T. and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley. He’s built expert systems for governments, tech giants, and wine marketers. His award-winning work has been featured in books, magazines, and seminars, including CFO Magazine, Inc., CNN Money, eMarketing Magazine, Integrated Direct Marketing, Direct Marketing Association, Grapevine Magazine, Wine Marketing Report, Wine Business, and the Wine Industry Network.