Matt Wood is a member management specialists and also assists winery teams with top-notch communication strategies. Matt has been engaged with the US wine industry since he moved to Napa in the early 1990’s.
Working first with Mark Pope on the second issue of the bounty Hunter Catalogue, he developed their wine club program, while learning about direct to consumer wine sales from scratch.
Moving into the wine industry proper in 1997 he joined Franciscan as a tasting room host. Soon Matt became the Wine Club Manager, then also assumed the duties of Tasting Room Manager.
With the acquisition of Franciscan by Constellation Brands, Matt assumed responsibility for the DTC operations at Simi Winery, followed in 2000 by Ravenswood winery. As Constellation continued to acquire wineries in the early part of the century, Matt’s responsibility grew to cover all aspects of DTC sales as Vice President of DTC Operations.
A move to 1-800 Flowers exposed Matt to more traditional catalog marketing and a much more robust e-commerce model.
Following immediately was the role of VP DTC Sales with Foley Family Wines, where Matt streamlined operations, developed brand appropriate selling strategies and drove a rapid increase in profitability.
After Foley, Matt became CEO of Domaine Chandon and Newton Vineyards, responsible for all winery operations and winery profitability. Matt drove marketing and operational changes which led to record profits in 2014 and 2015.
Matt has demonstrated a thorough understanding of the consumer and how to provide the correct mix of products and offers to engage with them successfully. With exposure to many brands he has developed programs appropriate to $10 wines and $250 wines. Matt stays close to buying trends to understand where the consumer is headed and ensures his programs create and cultivate brand loyalists. Matt has been at the cutting edge of technology; helping to develop an App based loyalty program, using tools like text messaging and has helped many wine brands think out of the box. He challenges current wisdom and seeks to empower clients to meet the future needs of their consumers.
As a member of the DTC Consultant Network, Matt brings a tremendous amount of expertise in all facets of direct wine sales. Matt provides membership program consulting and consumer communications strategies to clients throughout the US. To schedule an introductory call click HERE and to learn more about the DTC Coaching Program, click HERE.