Why retailers and wine associations choose Bottlebooks over building in-house

This post is originally in English.  This might be an automated translation. 

When it comes to collecting and managing product information, the right tools can make all the difference. Retailers and event organizers often face a choice between using an existing SaaS cloud platform like Bottlebooks or investing time and resources into building their own custom software solution. Here’s why choosing Bottlebooks is a smart move, along with a few topics you might have questions about as you explore your options.

Advantages of using Bottlebooks

1. Network: The top wineries in the world are already using Bottlebooks.  They store and share product information with events including ProWein and the London Wine Fair, associations, retailers, importers and more. Answering your information requests can take just a few minutes for them. For those new to Bottlebooks, the process is as easy as answering any online form. Our industry leading data wizard collects 100,000 products from over 10,000 wineries per year. 

2. Cost Savings: Developing and maintaining a custom internal system can be costly in terms of initial development, updates, and ongoing maintenance. Bottlebooks, as a SaaS solution can be more affordable and predictable, freeing up your budget for other growth opportunities.

3. Time Efficiency: Speed matters in today’s market. Implementing Bottlebooks is significantly faster than building a solution from scratch. Retailers/distributors and events can start collecting and managing data almost immediately, giving them a head start in organizing their product information.

4. Growth: Whether you’re dealing with a handful of products or thousands, Bottlebooks is designed to scale with your needs, allowing you to handle larger volumes of data without costly infrastructure upgrades.

5. Free updates and improvements: In the fast-changing world of software, staying up-to-date is crucial. Bottlebooks regularly releases new features and improvements, based on the best practices from across the industry. This ensures you benefit from the latest technology without the need for extra investment or development resources. 

6. Fast and Friendly Support: We are quick to respond to any issue. We speak over ten languages and will support you and your team.

7. Industry-Specific Expertise: Bottlebooks understands the drinks and wine industry inside out. This means we appreciate the nuances and challenges of the market, and our updates reflect the latest trends and needs of the industry. With Bottlebooks, you’re always working with a solution designed to evolve with the drinks world.

8. Standardization: One of the biggest challenges in product information management is ensuring consistency. Bottlebooks provides standardized templates and data fields, making it easier for users to collect consistent information from a wide variety of suppliers, helping you avoid data headaches down the line.

9. Data Integration: We understand that integration with existing systems is crucial and Bottlebooks offers various solutions: export your data quickly or draw directly from our API to easily connect with your current CRM, ERP, or other software.

   
   

Your concerns and questions

There are a number of legitimate concerns you might have about using an external SaaS vendor like Bottlebooks.

1. I am concerned about using external systems.  From your email, newsletter, social media, you are likely already using external systems for the reasons outlined above. Software has changed a lot over the past few years and nothing has underlined that as much as the switch to cloud solutions that prove more features and the latest technology.

2. What if I want to add customisation?  While Bottlebooks is a ready-made platform, we offer a range of customization options to cater to specific needs and workflows. Although it may not match the full flexibility of a custom-built solution, we strive to accommodate unique business processes through configurable features and settings.

3. Will our data be stuck with Bottlebooks? In Bottlebooks, you own your data. Bottlebooks offers data export options and works with customers to ensure a smooth transition if needed. At any point, you can export an Excel with all your information. Keep in mind that inhouse solutions can also trap data in out of date software that is expensive to transfer to newer systems.

4. I don’t want to be dependent on Bottlebooks. Relying on a SaaS provider like Bottlebooks means entrusting us with uptime and data security. We take this responsibility seriously, offering robust data privacy measures, high availability, and a transparent roadmap to ensure our platform evolves in alignment with customer needs.

5. The subscription costs over time will be costly. While subscription fees can accumulate, we are committed to providing a high return on investment through continuous improvements, new features, and dedicated support. Consider that every few years an inhouse solution will need updates every year and every 5 years will likely need to be completely overhauled. 

Choosing Bottlebooks

With Bottlebooks you gain a partner that understands the unique challenges of the drinks industry while offering a ready-made, scalable solution. Our platform combines deep industry expertise with the latest technology, allowing retailers and events to focus on what they do best—delivering great products and experiences to their customers.

If you’re weighing your options or have any questions about how Bottlebooks can fit into your business, we’re here to help! Reach out to us today, and let’s explore how we can take your product information management to the next level.

Bottlebooks is a SaaS platform (Software as a Service), a cloud-based solution where a third-party provider hosts the software, making it accessible online. Users can access it from anywhere with an internet connection, and the provider handles updates, maintenance, and security. SaaS typically uses a subscription-based pricing model, offering predictable costs and eliminating the need for significant upfront investments.

In contrast, in-house software is hosted on the organization’s own servers or servers in the cloud, requiring a larger initial investment in hardware and software licenses, as well as ongoing maintenance by an internal IT team. It offers more control and customization but is less flexible than SaaS, with limited remote access and a more complex scaling process.