Turn Visitors Into Buyers: Two Website Must-Haves for Wineries

In wine eCommerce, your homepage isn’t just a digital storefront, it’s your tasting room door. It’s often the first impression a potential customer will have of your brand. But unlike a physical visit, online guests can leave in seconds with no trace, (and most of them do).

If your website isn’t designed to engage and convert visitors quickly, you're leaving revenue and relationships on the table.

Here are two foundational improvements every winery should make to turn casual browsers into loyal customers.

1. Lead Capture Is Not Optional

Over 90% of new visitors won’t make a purchase during their first visit. Not because they’re uninterested, but because they’re undecided. Without a way to stay in touch, you lose them for good.

The fix is simple: implement a two-step pop-up to capture email and SMS.

The most effective wineries use a format that first asks for an email address (often with a discount or free gift incentive), followed by a second screen prompting for a phone number. Even if the second step is skipped, the email is already captured.

This dual opt-in approach unlocks your two highest-converting owned channels, email and SMS, and feeds both into welcome flows that do the heavy lifting. Platforms like Klaviyo or Attentive can automate these sequences, making it easy to build trust over time.

What works best

These offers consistently out perform generic “sign up for our newsletter” prompts:

• 10% off first order
• Free shipping on a 6- or 12-pack
• A branded gift with purchase
• Early access to limited releases
• Entry into a giveaway

Even more effective: set up an exit-intent pop-up. This is triggered when a user moves to close the tab and gives you a final chance to convert that session into a lead.

The key takeaway? Lead capture isn’t just about collecting data, it’s about building a relationship that begins the moment someone lands on your site.

Pro Tip: Always A/B test your lead capture offer. The best-performing incentive might not be a discount, it could be a gift, early access, or a seasonal giveaway. Let the data lead.

2. Your Homepage Should Be Built to Convert

Beautiful websites don’t always perform. Wineries often invest in aesthetics like aerial vineyard shots and poetic taglines, without making it clear how to shop or why to care.

Your homepage should not only tell your story, but also guide visitors toward action.

Start with the sticky top bar

This small, always-visible banner gets more clicks than nearly any other element on the page. Use it strategically to highlight time-sensitive calls to action like:

• “Join Our Wine Club – Save 20%”
• “Free Shipping on 6+ Bottles”
• “Limited-Release Rosé Available Now”

Change it seasonally or based on promotions. Think of it as your homepage headline.

Make the homepage shoppable

Don’t bury your best products behind drop downs. Feature top-selling wines, bundles, or seasonal releases directly on the homepage, ideally with add-to-cart functionality. Fewer clicks = higher conversions.

If you’re using tools like Rebuy, product recommendations can adjust dynamically based on visitor behavior, increasing the likelihood of purchase.

Build trust at a glance

First-time visitors need to know that others trust you. Reinforce that confidence through:

• Embedded customer reviews or star ratings
• Instagram feeds with user-generated content of real customers enjoying your wine
• Logos from press mentions or retail partners

Clarify your value

Visitors should understand what sets your winery apart within seconds. Is it regenerative farming? Rare varietals? Women-led leadership? Don’t bury that in an "About" page. Say it early and clearly on your homepage.

If you also sell through retail, add a store locator. Supporting offline purchasing can increase customer trust and preserve the sale.

Pro Tip: Use heat maps or session recordings to see where people click and scroll. You’ll often find that the top 15% of your homepage gets 80% of the attention so optimize it accordingly.

A Better Customer Journey Starts Here

Lead capture and homepage optimization aren’t just technical upgrades, they’re foundational shifts that make every part of your digital strategy more effective.

Done right:

• Your acquisition spend becomes more efficient
• Your email and SMS list grows with every visit
• Your homepage becomes a conversion engine, not a bounce trap

Most wineries don’t have a traffic problem. They have a conversion infrastructure problem. These two improvements solve that by turning attention into action, and action into revenue.