Trade-Only Digital Strategy for a Regional Wine Distributor

1. Overview

A mid-sized wine importer and wholesale distributor in Washington State hired us to design a trade-only digital strategy for their business.

They were already well-established in a major Pacific Northwest hospitality market, supplying independent restaurants, wine bars, and specialty retailers with a portfolio focused on European imports (especially Italy and France) plus selected local producers.

They wanted more than “a new website.” They needed:

  • A clear position in a consolidating market.
  • A trade-only site that reflects that position and actually helps buyers work.
  • A single, structured catalog powering search, filters, and availability.
  • A way to gate pricing to verified trade accounts.
  • A measurement layer to see what their buyers really want.

2. The Client’s Challenge

2.1. Market pressure on independents

From our initial conversations and their internal notes, it was clear that independent buyers in their market were under pressure:

  • Consolidation had removed many mid-sized distributors, leaving mostly large wholesalers and very small niche importers.
  • Import lead times had grown unpredictable, making out-of-stocks more frequent and menu planning harder.
  • Overall wine cost inflation and freight/delivery increases were squeezing margins.
  • Many independents felt large distributors offered better deals to chains than to small accounts, creating a sense of unfairness and “bullying.”

2.2. Competitive landscape

We mapped the local distributor landscape into four rough groups:

  • National wholesalers with massive portfolios and strong logistics, but impersonal service for smaller accounts.
  • Large regional/importer-backed distributors with strong books but uneven digital tools.
  • Local independents with great relationships and portfolios but minimal online tooling (PDFs, static sites, locked catalogs).
  • Niche natural/organic importers with strong storytelling and social presence, but narrower portfolios and limited logistical reach.

What was missing: a mid-sized distributor that combined a curated portfolio, strong support for independents, and modern, transparent digital tools.

2.3. Internal constraints

The client also had clear constraints:

  • They must remain trade-only and fully compliant with state alcohol regulations.
  • Pricing cannot be public; it can only be shared with verified license holders.
  • The catalog was managed in spreadsheets and PDFs, making updates slow and error-prone.

In short, they needed a “Goldilocks” position—big enough to be reliable, small enough to be personal—and a digital ecosystem that embodied that.

3. Our Approach

We structured the work in three layers:

  1. Research – understand real buyer pains and the competitive field.
  2. Strategy – define positioning, ideal clients, and the job of the website.
  3. System design – map that strategy into a catalog-driven, trade-only site with a clear onboarding and measurement layer.

4. Research

4.1. Buyer interviews & insights

The client commissioned structured research on B2B wine buyers in their market (restaurants, wine bars, retailers). We used that as our primary input.

Key pain points we worked from:

  • “There’s no middle anymore.” Mid-sized distributors have been acquired or closed. Buyers feel stuck between giant wholesalers and tiny importers, with “little in between.”

  • Stock and logistics anxiety. Import lead times can stretch up to several months. Out-of-stocks, missed deliveries, and poor communication make it hard to run a consistent program.

  • Pricing pressure and distrust. Rising costs and perceived unfair pricing for independents (vs chains) create tension and suspicion.

  • Homogenised portfolios. Lists risk looking the same. Differentiation often requires juggling many niche importers, which adds complexity and risk.

  • Service and training gaps. Buyers increasingly feel reps are mere order-takers. They want partners who provide advice, training, and support for list design and staff education.

  • New expectations: sustainability and authenticity. Demand for sustainable, organic, and low-intervention wines is strong, especially in certain venues. Authentic stories and transparent practices are becoming baseline expectations.

These insights gave us both what to solve and the language buyers actually use.

4.2. Competitor and category scan

We reviewed websites, catalogs, and public-facing materials for distributors in the client’s region.

Patterns we saw:

  • Strong portals and ordering systems at the national level.
  • “Good enough” but not leading digital tools at many regional players.
  • Static, minimal sites and PDFs among many local independents.
  • Social-media-driven storytelling at niche importers (especially around natural wine).

Crucially, very few players offered:

  • A public, trade-only catalog that is genuinely easy to browse and filter.
  • A clear, simple onboarding path specifically optimized for independent accounts.
  • A narrative that explicitly centres independent restaurants and retailers, not just “all accounts.”

This confirmed the opportunity.

5. Positioning & Ideal Clients

5.1. Strategic position

We recommended positioning the client as:

The mid-sized, tech-forward wine distributor for Washington-licensed independents: curated portfolio, live trade-only catalog, and high-touch local service.

Four pillars support this:

  1. Mid-tier “sweet spot”

    • Not chain-driven, not tiny.
    • Big enough to provide consistency and breadth; small enough to know each account.

  2. Tech-enabled transparency

    • A structured catalog with live availability, clear filters, and “New / Back in Stock” highlights.
    • Pricing remains gated and compliant, but everything else is visible and easy to work with.

  3. Champion of independents

    • Website copy, offers, and onboarding are all designed around independent restaurants, bars, and retailers as primary clients—not an afterthought.

  4. Curated portfolio with purpose

    • A strong core in European imports plus regional producers, chosen to keep lists distinctive without making buying needlessly complicated.

5.2. Ideal client profiles

We defined three primary profiles to design around:

  1. Independent wine shops & specialty retailers

    • Want unique, hand-sellable wines with clear availability and margin.
    • Care about producer stories and reliable restock information.

  2. Chef-driven and owner-operated restaurants

    • Need wines that fit the concept and menu, with dependable BTG (by-the-glass) options.
    • Value proactive advice, help with list design, and stable supply.

  3. Wine-focused bars & flexible hospitality groups

    • Need a balance of safe and adventurous options, and quick visibility into what’s newly available or back in stock.
    • Care about responsive support and simple ordering.

Every design decision for the website, catalog, and onboarding flow was tied back to one or more of these profiles.

6. Website Strategy

6.1. The job of the site

We defined four primary jobs for the site:

  1. Help WA-licensed buyers find suitable wines quickly.
  2. Make it easy to request pricing and start a relationship.
  3. Keep product information and availability up to date from a single source of truth.
  4. Tell a clear, confident story about who the distributor is and who they serve.

6.2. Core user flows

We mapped three flows:

  1. New trade visitor

    • Land on the homepage → understand this is trade-only and for WA-licensed buyers → see the value for independents → browse highlights → request trade access.

  2. Existing or warm buyer

    • Go straight to catalog → search and filter → browse wine detail pages → use “Request Price & Availability” for SKUs of interest.

  3. Referral / search visitor

    • Land via a search or link → quickly confirm “this is for my type of business” → either browse catalog or go to trade onboarding.

6.3. Page architecture

We recommended a lean but focused structure:

  • Home (Trade Landing)

    • Clear taglines: imported & wholesale wines for WA-licensed restaurants and retailers, trade-only.
    • Who we serve (independents) and why the distributor is different.
    • Highlights: New & Back in Stock.
    • CTAs: “Browse Trade Catalog” and “Request Trade Access.”

  • Catalog index

    • Search, filters, and result cards built off the master catalog (producer, region, style, availability, sustainability flags, etc.).
    • Designed for speed and clarity.

  • Wine detail page

    • Deeper information on each SKU, “New / Back in Stock / Limited” badges, and a clear “Request Price & Availability” call to action.

  • Trade onboarding page

    • Single-screen form for business and license details.
    • Clear explanation of verification and next steps.

  • About

    • Story, values, local roots, and service area.
    • Humanizes the business for new accounts and suppliers.

  • Contact / Support and Legal / Compliance

    • Straightforward routes to support and required responsible-advertiser language.

7. Catalog & Data Strategy

7.1. Single source of truth

We designed the website around a single structured catalog, replacing scattered spreadsheets and static PDFs.

Each SKU record is intended to contain:

  • Producer, country, region, appellation.
  • Wine name, style, and variety.
  • Bottle and case details.
  • Availability status (in stock, limited, out, allocation).
  • “New arrival” fields (isNew or firstReceivedAt).
  • “Back in stock” logic (e.g. backInStockAt or change events from out → in).
  • Sustainability and production flags where available (organic, biodynamic, low-intervention).

The site reads this catalog to:

  • Generate the catalog index and filters.
  • Populate wine detail pages.
  • Power the New & Back in Stock sections and badges.
  • Feed analytics, so we can see which categories and filters get the most attention.

7.2. Why this matters

  • Buyers get a live, trustworthy view into what’s available, reducing stock-related stress and guesswork.
  • The distributor updates data once, in one place, and the site reflects it automatically.
  • Search and filter analytics reveal real demand (regions, styles, price bands, sustainability tags), which can inform buying decisions.

8. Trade Onboarding & Pricing Gating

8.1. Form and flow

To keep the site trade-only and compliant:

  • The onboarding form asks for:

    • Business name and contact details.
    • State business identifier and liquor license number (and, if needed, a document upload).
    • Business type (restaurant, bar, retailer, hotel, etc.).
    • Categories and price bands of interest.
    • Delivery area and preferred contact method.

  • After submission, the buyer sees a confirmation that explains:

    • The license verification step.
    • Typical response times.
    • How and when they’ll gain access to pricing or speak to a rep.

8.2. Benefits

  • Pricing remains properly gated and only shared with verified trade accounts.
  • New accounts understand the process and timelines, reducing uncertainty.
  • Reps get context about the buyer’s concept before the first conversation.

9. “New & Back in Stock” Highlights

We built a specific feature around “New & Back in Stock” because it directly addresses planning and stock anxiety.

9.1. Mechanism

  • Catalog fields like isNew, firstReceivedAt, and backInStockAt drive:

    • A “New & Back in Stock” section on the homepage.
    • A pinned section at the top of the catalog index.
    • Badges on SKU cards and detail pages.

9.2. Value

  • Buyers immediately see what is newly available and what has returned.
  • It becomes easier to plan menu updates, BTG changes, and promotions around real availability.
  • The site feels dynamic and directly tied to operations, not just informational.

10. Measurement & Iteration

We proposed an analytics layer centered on buyer behavior and key conversion actions:

  • Catalog search & filter events

    • Track which filters and searches are used most frequently (e.g. region, style, sustainability flags).
    • Identify high-intent behaviors and potential catalog gaps.

  • Conversion events

    • Trade onboarding form started and submitted.
    • “Request Price & Availability” started and submitted (per SKU).
    • Clicks on “New & Back in Stock” items.

  • Outcome metrics

    • Number of qualified accounts generated via the site per month or quarter.
    • Conversion rate from catalog visitors → inquiries.

This creates a feedback loop between what the site shows, what buyers actually do, and future business decisions.

11. Results & Next Steps

At the time of writing, this strategy is being implemented as:

  • A trade-only, catalog-driven website synced to a single product data source.
  • A structured onboarding and pricing-gating flow.
  • A measurement setup in GA4 and related tools.

The client will be able to:

  • Present themselves clearly as the mid-sized, tech-forward distributor for independent restaurants and retailers in their region.
  • Give trade buyers a practical, trustworthy tool for exploring the portfolio and tracking availability.
  • Use real usage data to refine the portfolio and future digital features.

For us, this project shows how a research-driven, systems-level approach to digital strategy can give a regional B2B distributor a sharp position in a crowded, consolidating market—and turn “just a website” into an operational advantage.