Rebranding and Improvement of Adams Vintners’ E-Commerce Efforts

Kristen Eberhardt, Michael Gephart, Indiana Bolger, Travis Saylor, Devon Malloy

December 14, 2016

DCOM 260-01 – E-Commerce

Joel A. Kline, PhD, APR

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Introduction......................................................................................................................................3

Company Overview..........................................................................................................................3

Reasons for Re-Design.....................................................................................................................3

Current E-Commerce Efforts.........................................................................................................4

E-Commerce Effort Improvements...............................................................................................4

Rebranding Efforts..........................................................................................................................5

Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................6

Appendices........................................................................................................................................7Figure 1.0 - Updated Branding Scheme...................................................................................................7Figure 2.0 – Site Wireframes.....................................................................................................................8Figure 3.0 - Updated Descriptions............................................................................................................9Figure 4.0 – Original Site.........................................................................................................................11

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Introduction Adams Vintners, a local craft winery, must undergo a number of changes in order to become an effective e-commerce site, which will ultimately draw in new customers and improve the business of existing customers. Various aspects of their current branding and e-commerce efforts, such as the URL to their website, www.iheartadams.com, need to be reevaluated to ensure maximum efficiency for allowing customers to know what the website they are entering is focused on. A general rebranding of the current logo must also occur to allow for a more “sophisticated and elegant” feel to the website. The updates we propose in this outline will allow for Adams Vintners to portray a clear message about their business, and most effectively reach their target audience. Along with the rebranding and updating of the logo, the descriptions for their wines must also be updated to allow for the more “elegant” feel to be transferred into the product. Finally, the lack of e-commerce effort on the website currently must be addressed to allow for Adams Vintners to develop into a fully capable bricks-and-clicks outlet.

Company Overview We are proposing to create a new and improved e-commerce site and branding scheme for Adams Vintners. Adams Vintners is a craft winery located in Annville, PA. Owned and operated by Jack Shirk, Adams produces a variety of craft wine varietals. Adams currently operates their wine bar and retail outlet location on Main Street in Annville.

Reasons for Re-Design There are many reasons why Adams Vintners website and branding should be redesigned. In its’ current state, the website and logo for Adams Vintners are not aesthetically pleasing. The logo looks incredibly homespun and like it has not been reconsidered in over 10 years, and the website uses a very basic and unappealing layout. The image at the top of the site, as seen in appendices 4.0, does not add any visual attraction to the overall appearance of the site, nor does it showcase the store in any way shape or form. In addition to the lack of aesthetic appeal, the information architecture on the site is incredibly clunky and does not have a practical flow. In newer webpages and e-commerce sites, measures are taken to enhance the movement through the page as a whole, and inspire the visitors interest in their site through their information architecture in addition to their aesthetics. Furthermore, the current URL for the desktop website, www.iheartadams.com, is unprofessional and does not uphold the standard for Adams brand. In addition to these things, the store can easily be expanded and lengthen its reach by creating an e-commerce platform on their site. Considering the legalities of selling alcohol online in the state of Pennsylvania, we propose the addition of an online store, so people who are not from the area

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will be able to purchase and enjoy their wine. By creating an online platform for Adams and expanding the revenue model from simply a brick-and-mortar store to include an e-commerce platform, the company will increase their sales and have the potential to attract even more customers to their physical location. This will create a larger profit for them by expanding their marketplace to an online group, which can only be positive for Adams Vintners. This new e-commerce platform will need to be sophisticated and inviting for customers, as well as easy to use so they have a good experience purchasing their wines. This overall good experience of purchasing online will help develop a sense of customer loyalty to the brand.

Current E-Commerce Efforts At the moment, their logo and site are lacking in appeal, and do not display a good use of aesthetics. While they have their wines listed online, there is no way to purchase or order them. Generally speaking, Adams has no efforts for online e-commerce aside from directing online customers to their retail store. We believe that this is not an effective e-commerce plan, and that Adams could greatly improve by taking advantage of the potential market that is available to them through an online store. Furthermore, the Adams brand generally speaking suffers as a result of their basic and corny marketing campaign. Their logo, color-scheme, and website do little to improve a customer’s impression of their company. Creating a cohesive branding scheme that generates a positive opinion of Adams and portrays a sophisticated brand will help the business both their e-commerce and traditional commerce efforts alike. The mobile website also has some very noticeable issues. Firstly, the URL of the mobile website does not match the URL of the desktop website which is a very conflicting issue that could lead to people not making it to the correct page. Another major issue is the outdated mobile format that does not match modern responsive design. This could make information on different devices appear differently, which in turn makes it harder for the user to find what they are looking for. Lastly, the images and media that they use on the mobile website are not responsive and made for mobile viewing which makes the website look unprofessional. All of these problems can lead to Adams Vintners losing business and looking unprofessional.

E-Commerce Effort Improvements One of the first things we will be completing is revamping the design of the site and the logo. We will completely rebrand the company, creating a more sophisticated and elegant aesthetic, perfect to accompany a glass of wine. The new branding scheme will be a key step in attracting new customers and developing an effective online brand for Adams. In addition to this, we will

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change the design of the webpage, including new imagery and a different color scheme. This change from a harsh black and white to something more muted, and neutral, yet rich will reflect the luxury of wine. Much easier on the eyes of the viewers, this new branding scheme will provide a better experience for the audience, online and in brick-and-mortar stores. We believe that, while considering legalities of selling alcohol online, Adams Vintners would greatly benefit from creating an online marketplace for their craft wines. Thus, in addition to rebranding the company, we will position them in an online marketplace where customers can purchase wines online, including an online shopping cart functionality. The online market will provide Adams a place to sell their wines online and ship them to customers, with an additional possibility of ordering them online and pick them up at the store. Each are viable solutions, and would greatly add to their reach and the persons who become customers. The abysmal mobile website can use major improvements. The first issue, that can be easily fixed, is making the URL of the mobile and desktop websites the same, and something more professional such as simply www.adamsvintners.com. Next, the format of the mobile website needs to be changed to a newer, responsive design. This can be done by using bootstrap to make desktop and mobile views match and with the same type of format. Lastly, the making the images and media on the page responsive to mobile design is necessary. To do this, bootstrap image properties can easily be applied to the images to make them respond to different screen sizes and formats. All of these solutions can better the performance of the Adams Vintners mobile website and will better the experience of their website in general.

Rebranding Efforts As a company focused on the sale of wine and branded as a vintner, both of which are typically connoted with luxury, we felt that improving the brand identity was an important step in improving Adams Vintners as a company. In order to create a cohesive brand, we have revamped nearly all aspects of Adams current design scheme, including their color scheme, logo, images, site layout, navigation, and addition of online shopping their already existing site. By choosing a color scheme that spoke to the sophistication of wine while also tapping into the richness of the history of the Shirk family in Central Pennsylvania, we were able to create a new identity for Adams that is oriented toward a wine-drinking audience. Additionally, the logo was designed to give the audience a sense of what the brand is about, wine and sophistication. Including the deep maroon color that resembles merlot and imitates the stain of a wine glass, the goal of the brand is amplified down to the details of the logo, business card, letterhead, and all other brand elements. All of these elements can be located in figure 1.0 of the appendices.

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When translating the newly designed color scheme and logo to the website, it is especially important to maintain the aesthetic throughout. Currently, the generic and borderline tacky website for Adams, seen in figure 4.0 of the appendices, does not do the brand justice. By using imagery that is clean and professional on all pages, including the homepage, the company will create a greater appeal to their brand, and a greater appeal for their products. This will be especially important on the newly introduced product pages, as the users will be drawn to purchase products that they are visually attracted to, an important asset as they cannot use their taste buds to judge products while online shopping. Additionally, we revised the website by developing new wireframes that accommodates online shopping and affords much easier use than the current site. Wireframes can be located in figure 2.0 of the appendices. The website’s current descriptions available for the various wines that are being sold at Adams Vintners desperately need to be reevaluated and updated in order to create an effective ecommerce effort. Currently, many of these descriptions are riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes that could potentially confuse and lead the customers away. We have included original captions and rewritten some to provide examples of what is necessary to create a more cohesive and strong brand, which can be found in figure 3.0 of the appendices.

Conclusion A successful rebranding of Adams Vintners is a very possible undertaking for the company. Simply changing the URL to their website will allow for more customers to understand what Adams is truly about, rather than waiting for the website to load before they know what the store is marketing. Updating their logo is a very necessary change to reinforce that the winery carries a certain type of elegance that can be achieved by all customers that partake in the Adams Vintners brand. The descriptions of the wines, and other general aspects of the winery, will further reinforce this new branding by allowing the customer to better understand the types of products being sold. These updated descriptions will also provoke the clientele to become more excited about the brand they are partaking in. Finally, updating the website and gaining footwork on providing e-commerce to the customers of Adams Vintners is imperative for allowing the brand to gain better recognition as well as the potential for increased sales. By simply following the outline provided and updating the aspects considered, Adams Vintners would grow increasingly more successful, and the potential of a transition to the e-commerce platform would be incredibly beneficial to the company.

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Appendices Figure 1.0 - Updated Branding Scheme

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Figure 2.0 – Site Wireframes

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Figure 3.0 - Updated Descriptions

Adams Elite Wine Original Description “Cask-aged to perfection. A true favorite of the wine aficionado. Our vintner shops across the entire United States to source the grapes to match our wine making process that is quickly making ADAMS one of most sought after wineries in Pennsylvania.”

It becomes easy to see that there are many grammar and spelling mistakes that need to be corrected. The last thing that an e-commerce website needs is for poor descriptions to turn away potential customers because they may choose to order somewhere else where the product descriptions are easier to understand. Adams Elite Wine Updated Description “This cask-aged beverage is a true favorite of the wine aficionado. Our Vintner shops found across the entire United States are used to source the grapes to match our wine making process. This has allowed ADAMS to become one of the most sought after wineries in Pennsylvania.”

A simple update like this allows for an easier read and also gives the customer a better understanding of what goes into the wine and why ADAMS has been developing into an excellent source for wine. Adams Labs Wine List Original Description “We are constantly trying new recipes, flavorings and techniques. You never know what we’re up to. Our most populars will make it into production, so come in and try what’s going on and buy a bottle of your favorite.”

Another potential update that would need to occur coincides with the ADAMS Labs section of the list of wines. In this section the Research & Development teams describes the potential of new wines being tested out at ADAMS Vintners. However, the current description feels lack-luster and can prove a challenge to understand. The current description sounds unenthused about the product that they are trying to promote which could potentially lead to customers feeling just as unenthused and refusing to patronize ADAMS Vintners again. An updated description of this very important team could provide a more exciting look into finding the new flavors for wine and excite the customer into purchasing more.

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Adams Labs Wine List Updated Description “We are dedicated to finding the next best recipe, flavor, and technique to help craft our wine. You never know what new flavor we’ve been creating! Our most popular flavors will make it into production. Come on in and try some of our new selections and buy a bottle of your favorite ones!” Adding in exclamation points instead of constantly having periods shows that the company itself is excited about the product and the customer should be as well. The verbs and adjectives have also been updated to show a better sense of elegance that should accompany a winery, but also showing that it can be enjoyed by any wine loving person. Subtly hinting towards the customer to purchase a new flavor of wine to ensure that it stays in production is also a marketing style that will encourage more frequent patronization of the store so that the customers do not miss out on any new potential flavors.

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Figure 4.0 – Original Site