A pile of slips on Friday morning
The tasting went well. Guests liked the Chenin, and plenty of them filled in order slips before they left. On Friday morning the manager sits down with thirty slips. One says 'the white, 6'. Another has an email address nobody can read. A third has ordered the Syrah by the case, but the event price was per bottle, and the slip does not say which.
By the time the orders are keyed in, it is Tuesday, one of the wines has sold out in the shop, and a couple of guests have cooled off.
Why tasting orders go astray
The paper slip was designed for convenience at the table, not for accuracy afterwards. It separates the order from everything the shop system knows: the exact wine and vintage, the event price, the stock available, and the customer's existing record.
- Guests refer to wines by colour, grape or position in the line-up.
- Event prices and case discounts are applied by hand later.
- Stock is not reserved until the order is keyed in.
- Customer details are handwritten and sometimes unreadable.
- Nobody knows which guests ordered, so follow-up is generic.
What the lag costs
Orders are lost outright when a slip is unreadable or misplaced. Others shrink when stock runs out before they are processed. Staff time goes on deciphering handwriting. And the moment of enthusiasm, which is the whole commercial point of a tasting, has passed by the time the invoice arrives.
Ordering on the night, done properly
- The tasting's line-up is loaded before the event: each wine, vintage, event price and any case offer, taken from your product records.
- Staff or guests use a tablet or a QR code on each table to order, picking from the line-up rather than writing names.
- Guests already on your customer list are found by email or phone number; new guests enter details that are checked as they type.
- Each order reserves stock immediately, so the shop cannot sell the same bottles.
- Payment can be taken on the night, or an invoice or payment link is sent that evening.
- The manager sees a summary: what sold, who ordered, which guests did not, for a tailored follow-up.
| Paper slip problem | On the night instead |
|---|---|
| 'The white, 6' | Guest taps the exact wine and vintage |
| Bottle or case unclear | Quantity chosen in units the price applies to |
| Illegible email | Address typed and checked |
| Stock sold before processing | Reserved at the moment of ordering |
| Invoice sent days later | Payment or invoice the same evening |
If you prefer guests not to use their phones at the table, staff can take orders on a single tablet as they circulate.
Friday morning, now
The orders are already in, reserved and mostly paid. Packing can start straight away. The manager uses the summary to thank buyers and to send a short note to guests who did not order, with the line-up and prices. Nobody deciphers handwriting.
The edge cases are handled too. A guest who wants a mixed case of three wines from the line-up gets the case price you set, calculated for them rather than by someone with a calculator the next day. A couple who want to share an order and split delivery are recorded as two orders against one household. A guest who asks for a wine that was not on the table, but that you stock, can be added as a normal shop order. And if a wine sells out on the night, the screen stops offering it, so nobody is promised bottles you no longer have.
Is this how your tastings end?
- Tasting orders are written on paper slips.
- Processing them takes days after the event.
- Some orders cannot be read or matched to a wine.
- Stock runs out before tasting orders are reserved.
- Follow-up emails go to every guest in the same words.