Winegraph is the largest wine search and recommendation service company in South Korea, with more than 70,000 members on their app. They offer detailed wine information on about 20,000 wines, such as origin, price, taste notes, and even consumer reviews. 

To implement new wine recommendation systems and provide consumers with better tools, they have started opening wine stores called Vinum Stores, with the goal in mind to make wine selling and buying an easy process for everyone.

There are different types of customers of wine. In Winegraph’s and their Vinum Store case, and thanks to their app, 30% of them first check the product through the app and come pick it up at the store. But for a large part, they still come without a clear idea of what they need. 

The recurrent challenge of wine sellers has been to provide enough information to the buyer without being too intrusive, in which case, in the worst-case scenario, the consumer may abandon purchase.

Since choosing wine still requires a certain amount of information, this challenge is all-the-more important.

Since they already possess all the information, Winegraph decided to use InforTab and its NFC technology in the Vinum Stores to allow buyers to quickly access wine information by themselves, making buying simpler and a more relaxed process. They can also see member reviews and other useful information to facilitate purchase decisions.

The app is packed with much more information than a human can memorize, making it actually the most effective way of transmitting information. 

The Vinum Stores currently have 600 InforTab tags installed, which now also feature a QR code scannable to access wine information in case consumers don’t have the app installed on their phones.

The NFC feature has allowed buyers to more easily shop: as a result, more than 90% of customers are now aware of the feature and are using it when browsing wine inventory on shelf. 

Looking at the reviews from peers on the app, they can have feedback from similar consumers, which has increased consumer satisfaction. The use of Infortab has in turn enhanced resource allocation, as Winegraph says it made profitable effects within half a year. 

Now, convenience stores are also adopting electronic shelf labels and the NFC feature, very convenient where wine information is not available otherwise. 

Following the good results, Winegraph plans on multiplying success cases through VInum Stores and partnering up with major South Korean retailers in 2022 to deploy this system in super and hypermarkets.