Vintner’s Daughter, the 7-year-old cult-favorite beauty brand, has added a subscription program to its e-commerce.
The program, launched in early June, offers people prioritized access to Vintner’s Daughter products, which still frequently sell out. They can also send product samples to three friends after their third subscription order and receive free full-size products for every sixth subscription order. Subscribers can choose to receive product deliveries in cadences ranging from every four weeks to every 18 weeks. It costs $225 for every delivery of the 50-milliliter Treatment Essence, $185 for the 30-milliliters Botanical Serum, and $410 for both. These prices are not different from their individual retail price. However, smaller, à la carte versions of the Essence and Serum are available for purchase, at 10 milliliters for $85 and 5 milliliters for $75, respectively.
According to founder and CEO April Gargiulo, Vintner’s Daughter’s growth has been “fueled” by word of mouth, or what she refers to as “girlfriend-to-girlfriend” recommendations. The brand does not invest in any paid marketing or advertising, as part of its grassroots and iconoclast business strategy. Part of Vintner’s Daughter’s claim to fame is due to its ultra slow-and-steady approach to product launches: Its last product, the Essence, debuted in 2019, and it has just two products in its portfolio. As such, its move to launch a subscription program is all the more curious. According to the company, the subscription program is not only meant to facilitate ease of repurchasing for existing customers but it’s also aimed at establishing a more intimate community and bringing in new shoppers.
“We wanted to bring [those elements] into the program because we know that our subscription service members are our customers who love the brand the most and are the ones who share it with their friends,” said Gargiulo. “But we’re not trying to contact their friends or get [access] to their email addresses. It’s really about allowing our subscription members to share their joy [of Vintner’s Daughter].”
Vintner’s Daughter’s core customer demo is women 25- to 55-years-old, though 10% of customers are men. Gargiulo declined to state how many subscribers the company has secured, but she said that 41% of members are subscribed to both products. Gargiulo also said that there are potential opportunities for subscriber-exclusive virtual and in-person events. Of course, the latter could take place Napa Valley, Calif., considering Vintner’s Daughter is part of the local Gargiulo Vineyards.
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“As we start to learn more from our subscription program community as to what they’re responding to and what they want more of, we’ll be able to tailor the program in a personalized way,” said Sandra Gil, Vintner’s Daughter head of brand. “[For instance,] do they want more content about April or more Napa-inspired content? Do we send them videos about how to apply the product or [ask them] what they’re experiencing?”
Gargiulo said that, eventually, the program may need to be capped due to production restraints, but that’s far off. For now, Vintner’s Daughter is continuing to promote it through its own social channels and email marketing. Vintner’s Daughter sends up to two marketing emails a week and typically calls out the subscription option in an email every other week. Vintner’s Daughter also maintains a network of 10 ambassadors, which is refreshed annually. As part of the community, they are the first to learn about brand news, plus they receive free products =every 10 weeks. In the past, this has included people like Erica Chidi (@EricaChidi), co-founder and CEO of women’s wellness brand Loom, who has over 63,000 Instagram followers.
“It’s about trying to make customer experiences more fruitful,” said Gargiulo. “I also can’t wait to find out from subscribers what other products they would want.”
