Web Update Pt. 4: Advanced Search

We have received a lot of requests for better search options, and we have been working hard over the last few months to provide exactly that.  I am happy to say that advanced search functionality has been added to our site.  You can now perform advanced searches using the search bar on the left, or by clicking the ‘Advanced Search’ link below ‘Keyword Search.’

I hope that you find this new feature, along with the fuzzy searching that we added to the site over the summer, helps you find the wines you are looking for.

Web Update pt. 3: Checkout

Finally, in order to work with these added features, we had to rebuild our checkout as well.  The improvements should make the process more intuitive and more user friendly with buttons to load saved addresses, the ability to incorporate one or multiple gift cards, etc., while still maintaining a clear, easy-to-read layout.

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Web Update pt. 2: New Shopping Cart

Now that I have explained how you begin your order for single- and multiple-recipient orders, step two takes you to the cart.  Since we were adding a lot of new functionality on our site, we rebuilt the shopping cart to give you more options, and to make manipulating and adjusting your order(s) easier and more intuitive.  Below is a quick primer on the different actions you can now perform in your cart, from moving items around, to adding and removing recipients.

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Web Update pt. 1: Multiple Recipients

I’m very pleased to introduce some exciting new features on our website.  I’ve alluded to them in the past, and several of them have finally come to fruition.  These next three posts will highlight three new features, which we believe will make your shopping experience much easier.  

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Tech update - Search and URLs

A Wine Messenger tech update.  As I have mentioned in other recent tech posts, we have a lot of initiatives underway, and two of them have reached a point where I can mention them and hopefully begin getting user feedback.

One of the main things we have been working on is improving search capabilities, and one of the ways we doing this is through better keyword search functionality.  While before, sadly, many search terms returned incorrect or null results, our keyword search is now much more versatile and able to handle longer, more complex and specific search criteria.  Give it a try, and let us know what you think, and what you’d like to see improved.  You can find the keyword search bar in the left navigation bar on our homepage. 

We have also made it easier to share your favorite wines.  Before, when you would copy and paste a URL to a friend it would contain a lot of “=, /, ? and &” symbols along with number sequences - not very descriptive, and certainly not helpful for your friends.  Now they look something like this: http://www.winemessenger.com/wine/Chateau-Clarke-(Baron-Edmond-de-Rothschild)-Listrac-Medoc-2003.  Clear, concise and very easy to figure out what you are sending. 

I’m very pleased to see how well both upgrades have turned out, and while we’re still working out a few kinks, they are much easier to use and make navigating the site much better.  I hope you feel the same!

winemessenger.com primer

When we redesigned the website almost two years ago, we did not have a blog to describe all of the new features.  Since then we’ve made some improvements, and I thought I would take a moment to cover a few key aspects of the website.

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Our Semi-annual Sale has Begun!

Another short post to let you all know that our Semi-annual sale is back again.  The summer installment, as with the winter, is designed to clear out some space for new wines that we have coming in from now up to the holidays.  While we have other special discounts throughout the year, these two sales are definitely when the largest variety of wines are discounted.  So take this opportunity to check out what we have on sale, perhaps you’ll find some old favorites or something new and interesting that you have yet to try.  Quantities of many of the wines are exceedingly limited, so don’t wait too long, and if we’ve already run out of a wine you wanted, I apologize in advance.

New Tracking Features

Just a quick tech update.  For our web customers, you can now track your packages online via our website.  Simply log in and click on My Account.  There you will see an order history link, which now includes tracking numbers on recent purchases. 

The functionality is all in place, and we will be working in the next several weeks to improve the look and feel of the tool, so any comments or requests would be appreciated.  In addition, we are in final testing for a number of additional services, including more tracking features and a host web features.  A number of people have made comments requesting specific services, and we are definitely trying to incorporate as many as we can into our new additions, so stay tuned.

A little back office grillin'

We just had a small office barbecue with the standard grill fare: burgers; hot dogs; Italian sausages; salad; pasta salad; grilled veggies; and grilled pineapple for dessert.  We drank two wines with our meal, the Il Velluto Amarone, and the Redgate Rosé.  While the Amarone was good, especially with the sausage, the dried/cooked fruit character and high alcohol content made it less appealing on this warm, muggy New York afternoon, I think I’ll wait til fall before having more...  Instead, the clear winner was the delightfully chilled rosé.  It went with just about everything, offered good fruit and, while it is not a red, still had plenty of body and character.  Honestly, if you aren’t a white wine drinker, then this summer you should seriously consider a good  rosé or a lightly chilled Beaujolais.

Anyway, I've posted a few photos on Flickr.   

Quick Wine Messenger Update

Not much to report, but I did want to say that we've been working for much of the week on our next brochures, and I have to say that I'm pretty excited.  We're introducing seven new wines in our next two brochures from Italy and France that will be perfect this summer and fall.  It will be a few weeks before you receive them, though, as Brochure 14 is just landing now, and we're sending a special postcard next. 

Thibaut has gone back to France on holiday, and to do some in-depth research on the bizarre weather France has experienced so far this year.  Perhaps when he returns he'll offer a little insight.

Have a good weekend, and if you ever have comments on wine selection or our mailings, please don't hesitate to contact us - info (at) winemessenger.com.