In Part 2, we focused on improving your product feed. Once your data is in good shape, the next question is where to send it.
In this third part, we’ll outline a practical channel mix for wine and spirits merchants and how to think about each option.
1. The Baseline: Google Merchant Center
Every serious wine merchant should, at minimum:
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Upload a product feed to Google Merchant Center (GMC)
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Enable free listings so products can appear across Google surfaces
Even with no paid spend, this:
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Increases visibility when shoppers compare products
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Gives you exposure in Shopping results where competitors may not appear
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Lays the groundwork for future paid campaigns
If you’re willing to spend even a small amount, a very low default bid across your catalog can already put you ahead of many competitors who have no structured Shopping strategy.
2. Microsoft (Bing) Merchant Center
After Google, Microsoft Merchant Center is usually the next logical step:
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Feed structure and policies are similar to GMC.
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Setup is straightforward when you already have a well-structured Google feed.
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Volume is smaller, but intent is often strong.
For most merchants, mirroring the core Shopping setup from Google to Microsoft yields incremental, usually profitable traffic with minimal additional work.
3. Specialty Channels: Wine-Searcher, Vivino, and Others
Beyond the big search platforms, specialty channels can be worth testing—but they require discipline.
Wine-Searcher
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Extremely price-sensitive audience.
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If your pricing is meaningfully above market, expect low conversion.
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They do offer a free upload option, which is low risk from a testing standpoint.
Vivino
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Strong focus on ratings and discovery.
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Better fit if your catalog aligns well with how their users browse and review.
General guidance:
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Start with a limited subset of products or locations.
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Run a clearly defined test window (e.g., 60–90 days).
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Track ROAS and margin carefully.
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Expand or exit based on data, not hope.
A feed partner can make it easy to spin up and adjust these channel feeds without manual exports.
4. Local Inventory Ads (LIA) for Stores
If you operate physical stores, Local Inventory Ads are often one of the most valuable additions to your channel mix.
LIA campaigns:
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Show nearby shoppers that a product is “available nearby” at your store
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Link to directions and store details, especially on mobile
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Help convert buyers who prefer same-day pickup or want to avoid shipping
To run LIA effectively, you need:
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An accurate local inventory feed synchronized with in-store stock
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Landing pages that meet Google’s LIA requirements
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Clear mapping between products, locations, and availability
In practice, that often means:
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Maintaining a separate local feed alongside your standard Shopping feed
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Tagging products with store identifiers or location groupings
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Ensuring your ecommerce platform and inventory system stay in sync
For wine merchants that have already invested in ecommerce and inventory, LIA is often one of the highest-ROI ways to drive in-store revenue from online demand.
What’s Next
At this point, you’ve tightened your budget, improved your feed, and chosen sensible channels.
In the final part of this series, we’ll cover the area that can override all of that work if ignored: rules, regulations, and account safety.