Inertia Beverage Group and Winery Clients See Impressive Growth in 2007

NAPA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inertia Beverage Group CEO Paul Mabray announced today that gross margin sales through its REthinkEngine Direct Sales platform increased 111% in 2007, while the company increased its client base by seventy-one percent last year. The more than doubling of sales through IBG’s direct sales system also came with a 23% increase in per-client gross margin sales. The year-end numbers come on the heels of Inertia posting a July 2007 fiscal year-end increase of 134% in gross margin sales through its REthink Engine and a 67% increase in per-client gross margin sales.

“We worked very hard in 2007 to provide our clients with a comprehensive set of tools, as well as significantly stepped up support and training to help them drive more volume through their direct sales channel,” said Mabray. “By leveraging our innovations in technology, direct marketing, and partnerships, we were able to constantly evolve and improve efficiencies for both our clients’ and our internal efforts.”

Q4 2007 SALES UP 113% OVER Q4 2006 AT INERTIA

In the crucial fourth quarter of 2007, Inertia saw a 113% increase in gross margin sales over Q4 2006 through its REthink Engine direct sales platform. In addition to a strong increase in online sales for 2007, Inertia clients’ wine clubs and offline tasting room sales were up across the board, which Mabray says is directly related to a more strategic approach to sales and marketing methodology.

"We're working closely with our clients to help them leverage our REthink Engine and the customer relationship management solutions it provides, such as maintaining a single customer database, robust e-mail marketing & analysis, and Wine Club management tools,” said Mabray.

The Inertia direct sales platform is powered by the REthinkEngine, a multi-faceted, solutions-based platform that allows direct sellers to manage every aspect of both Direct-to-Consumer and Direct-to-Trade sales & marketing initiatives. In addition to traditional tools, such as product and inventory management, website content management and email marketing functionality, the platform offers strong customer relationship management tools and in-depth reporting features. An online Direct-to-Trade sales tool was introduced this past June, and a sophisticated compliance tool that will be made available industry-wide and free-of-charge is currently in the final stages of beta testing.

ABOUT INERTIA BEVERAGE GROUP

Inertia Beverage Group, based in Napa, California, is the premier provider of web-based technology used by wineries to manage direct sales and marketing. Inertia’s REthink Engine^TM technology enables direct sales and marketing efforts for over 350 wine brands, providing an integrated platform to easily manage all aspects of direct sales to both consumers and the trade. The REthink Engine platform provides wineries with tools to handle compliance, allocations, customer data, wine clubs, e-mail marketing and web content management, in an always accessible online environment. More information about Inertia Beverage Group is available at www.inertiabev.com.

Inertia Beverage Group
Kristi Taaffe, 707-603-2802
Vice President, Marketing
kristi.taaffe@inertiabev.com
or
Wark Communications
Tom Wark, 707-933-9313
tom@warkcommunications.com