We are excited to unveil My Realm, our new web portal for members. Nearly two years in the making, My Realm represents a new chapter in the Realm journey - one that that will allow us to engage with our members in more meaningful ways.
Scott: “We have seen the importance of digital customer experiences, especially over the last few years. The wine industry is extremely customer centric; however, I think we have lagged in terms of embracing and implementing new technologies. We wanted to adapt and evolve our model to be more than just releasing wine twice per year. My Realm is a new and improved digital customer experience, all inspired by the potential to build deeper relationships with our members.”
We often talk about Realm as a journey – from a struggling start-up to a thriving domaine on Wappo Hill…and hopefully beyond! My Realm is meant to serve as a sort of roadmap for our member’s own journey. In the new portal, members can participate in offerings, learn how allocations work, access tasting notes, and refer friends. We also created a way to share our gratitude with members, to recognize key milestones of their Realm journey. New members will discover an Introductory Offering upon entering their portal. This “soft release” allows them to experience a glimpse of Realm ahead of our normal Seasonal Releases.
As excited as we are about these new features, we are even more energized by what’s to come. We plan to roll out special drops of library wines and large formats, which we’ve never done before. In the coming years we will create a community section where members can converse with one another, share tasting notes and split bottle allocations. They will be able track Realm bottles in their cellar, possibly with the integration of other cellar tracking software. When the time comes to reopen the Estate, members will be able to use the portal to sign up for unique events and experiences. In short, what you see today is only the beginning of the My Realm experience.
Claire Walsh, our Director of Membership, has fearlessly led the project every step of the way. Claire calls My Realm the customer portal of her dreams.
Claire: “My Realm is meant to be a dynamic membership platform, with great features now but with the foundation to continue to evolve and innovate as we get feedback from members. As the ecommerce world evolves, Realm will evolve with it. We will continue to push the boundaries of what we think our members want to see and experience here.”
My Realm also allows us to do something we’ve wanted to do for years, which is to recognize and reward member milestones with badges and meaningful expressions of our appreciation. Milestones that trigger this recognition will vary; they could be for referring friends to Realm, for attending an event or participating in offers consistently. The badges – both in digital and physical form - are a gesture of gratitude, a way to say thank you and to inspire members to keep progressing on their Realm journey.
Like Realm itself, My Realm is a paradox: a digital space with the intention of creating relationships that are long-lived, personal, and very real. Eden Foley, our Estate Director, is celebrating her 10-year anniversary with the winery this year. More than anyone, she understands the importance of building long-term relationships with members.
Eden: “Some of the best members we have today are the ones who say, ‘I remember when I visited you guys in that small office in St. Helena’ or ‘I remember when the offering crashed and I couldn't get my allocation.' To me, that feels like a journey. And I think that's as valuable to the member as the wine itself, something they can tell their friends about, because otherwise they're just buying a bottle of fermented grape juice. Eventually we’ll have members who have been with us for twenty-five years. Maybe they’ve bought just one bottle a year, but they’re still on the list, still engaging with us. That’s the kind of member journey we want to create.”
As members begin to explore and experience My Realm, our hope is that they not only feel more connected to the wines - but also to our team, our mission, and ultimately to the Realm community around the world.
Scott: “There are people who want a deeper connection to Realm, who are willing to take the time and energy to understand the meaning behind the brand and our approach. These are the people for whom we built My Realm.”
