Who writes those shelf-talkers anyway? Advice for consumers and retailers

Shelf-talkers are an omnipresent part of the retail wine business. These cards underneath wine bottles provide information about the winery, tasting notes, and sometimes ratings. Often hand written, they can give a personal touch in the absence of interaction with the store staff and are, obviously, intended to influence purchasing decisions. Most people assume that the retail store staff writes these shelf-talkers. Much of the time, this is not the case.

In many stores, the distributors who provide the wines and stock the shelves write these shelf-talkers. I first realized this a number of years ago after seeing the same verbiage and handwriting describing a wine in numerous wine shops around town.

Having shelf-talkers written by distributors isn’t necessarily a problem. These people often have a better sense of a wine and winery than retail store staff. Of course, they also have a strong interest in selling the wine but so does the retail store. However, because few stores check these shelf-talkers, some people at both the retailer and distributor level take advantage and provide false or misleading information.

My favorite example of this is a shelf-talker that described a high score from a local newspaper. As I looked into this, I found that 1) the score was not given by the newspaper but was written by a blogger on the newspaper’s site 2) the score referred to a vintage wine rather than the non-vintage wine being sold and 3) the blogger had done work for the winery in question! The retailer, who may have had no awareness of any of this but obviously should have, proceeded to reference this review and score in a months-long e-mail and newsletter campaign.

This is shelf-talkers at their worst. At best, it is incompetence on the part of the distributor and retailer. At worst, it is deliberate deception.

What does this mean to you? While this may be the case of a few bad apples ruining the whole bunch, some of those apples can be quite bad. Here is advice for both consumers and retailers/distributors about shelf-talkers.

Advice for Consumers

1. If a shelf-talker gives a point score, make sure the vintage is listed and that the vintage is the same as the bottle on the shelf.

Scores on shelf-talkers often refer to the previous vintage of the wine. As the shelves are being restocked, many times the vintage changes and the shelf-talker does not.

2. If the shelf-talker gives a point score, make sure it is from a reputable source.

For me, the most reliable sources are, principally, Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, and Wine Enthusiast. Less referred to but equally reliable is Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. There are a number of other reputable publications. However, if you see a score quoted from a source you have never heard of, check into the source before buying the wine.

3. If the shelf-talker gives a point score from a reputable source and it is handwritten, check the score before buying the wine.

Many publications provide printable shelf-talkers for retailers to use. If you see a handwritten shelf-talker that refers to a publication, it’s possible the score or source may be incorrect. While many handwritten shelf-talkers legitimately refer to publication scores, some do not, misrepresenting scores, publications, or both. Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate are easily accessible on-line, although they require a subscription. Wine Enthusiast’s on-line database is free. Also, it is worth checking a winery’s website to see if the score is referred to. Of course many are out of date.

4. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

If a wine has a glowing description, a high score, and an exceedingly inexpensive price, be somewhat suspicious, especially if the wine is many years old or does not have a vintage designation. While some areas, such as Australia, France, and Argentina, pump out large volumes of high quality, inexpensive wine (in addition to low quality, inexpensive plonk!), Washington generally does not. There are, of course, exceptions from large producers who can take advantage of economies of scale. Additionally, there are numerous high quality, low-priced wines made in Washington, just few that seem ‘to good to be true.’ I should add the caveat that I expect a larger amount of reasonably high quality, low cost Washington wine to hit the shelves in the coming years due to the poor economy.

5. Make relationships with retail store staff.

Get to know the staff at the stores you frequent, and let them get to know you. This allows them to direct you toward wines you will like and away from wines you will not. Additionally, it’s easier to ask questions and trust the responses.

6. If you see a shelf-talker that is incorrect or misleading, bring it to the attention of the store staff.

It is entirely possible that the staff is unaware that a shelf-talker is incorrect or misleading. It’s worth letting them know. If the information is not corrected or if you see it happening repeatedly, take your business elsewhere.

Advice for Retailers and Distributors

1. Information on shelf-talkers must be accurate and up-to-date.

It is critical that the information in shelf-talkers is accurate. If a publication is referred to, the publication and score must be correct, and it must refer to the correct vintage. If it does not, fix it!

2. Regardless of who writes the shelf-talker, it is the retailer’s responsibility to make sure that the information is correct.

The perception is that the retailer has written the shelf-talker. The retailer is therefore risking their credibility if the information is incorrect or misleading. Retailers should pay attention to shelf-talkers in their store and look for inaccuracies. Additionally, distributors who abuse this system are risking their credibility and relationship with the retailer and do so at their own peril.

3. Do not deliberately use shelf-talkers with inaccurate or misleading information.

This would seem to be obvious. While apparently some haven’t noticed, hand held devices make it exceeding easy to check information. If you think people are not noticing if you are providing incorrect or misleading information be it scores, publications, or prices, think again.

4. Get to know your customers.

Shelf-talkers serve a purpose and always will, but they are no substitute for good, old-fashioned customer service. Wine is, unfortunately, intimidating to many consumers but part of the job of a retailer is to assist people with getting beyond this. Take the time to establish relationships with customers and let them establish relationships with you. This will help you develop long-term customers who are advocates for your brand.