Smart Use of Social Media by Tesco's Wine Business

Tesco, the UK-based mega grocer and the world's second largest retailer in terms of profits, has launched an online platform intended to build a community around the grocer's wine business. The site is aptly named "Tesco Wine Community." I think this is a really great idea, given that a) Tesco has a huge customer base; b) wine is intimidating and people have lots of questions, but may be hesitant to ask them when they are in the store; c) wine is a generally (you would hope) a social product, encouraging conversation and sharing. A screenshot of the site is below and I've then listed several features and benefits that I think work particularly well:

Key Benefits / Features

• Links to other lines of Tesco's business: The site features a "Food & Wine" section, a natural pairing given the topic, but also an excellent opportunity to promote recipes and dishes using Tesco's grocery items.
• Provides immediate access to ecommerce site: The information about wine links directly to the ecommerce site of Tesco where users can easily purchase the wine they've been reading about.
• Enables users to add reviews and commentary: The Tesco wine community has a section for customers to review and rate various wines, giving Tesco a database of information & market research on products AND providing a differentiator vs. other wine outlets.
• Offers deals and perks to users: Not only does the site reward users through the ability to acquire various "status" levels, Tesco also uses the community page to advertise sales on wines and special promotions (e.g., a trip to Argentinian wine country - a blog post that received ~1,400 comments).

-Rebecca Canan
www.terroirist.com