Advintage strikes gold with tech edge

Havelock North-based online-wine retailer Advintage scored a "David and Goliath" victory at the Nexus awards held in Auckland.

The family-owned firm and their Auckland-based digital marketing agency Jericho received a Nexus Gold Award in the New Zealand Marketing Association's annual showcase.

The other finalists in their category were Telecom and Vodafone.

Advintage and Jericho were finalists in three categories, and struck Nexus Gold in the marketing products and services category. The judges commended them for developing a market-led solution that profoundly simplified the existing business model.

Already a leading e-commerce reseller, Advintage believed a technological edge was necessary for long-term success.

Advintage owner John Macpherson turned to his old Hasting Boys' High School friend Jeff Mann, of Auckland-based online marketing company Jericho, that had worked with Advintage for 12 years.

Jericho's response was an automated marketing system (AMS) that integrated all of Advintage's digital marketing, accounting and logistics.

The AMS improved order-processing and fulfilment times and allowed non-technical Advintage staff a higher level of control of their online communications.

This gave a faster route to market, and the integration of accounting and logistical operations meant Advintage staff could process and dispatch much higher volumes.

Results were immediate and dramatic. Last year, with just six staff and the retail store running as normal, Advintage sold and dispatched more than 750 cases of boutique Martinborough Pinot Noir in three days. The remaining 500 cases were processed over the following six days. The promotion provided the largest return from a 10-day single product campaign in the company's history.