MoneyINC Logo
25+
Years of
Trust
13,000+
Articles
Written 
10M+
Annual 
Readers
300+
Global
Mentions

20 Things You Didn't Know About Naked Wines

Naked Wines is a brand that has indeed taken the world by storm with their affordable pricing and excellent quality. They've become a force to be reckoned with in the wine industry. If you've enjoyed their products and would like to know a little more about their history and wine making processes then you're in the right place. We've done our research on the company and learned some very interesting facts that the average consumer may not be aware of. Here are 20 things that you didn't know about Naked Wines.

1. They're Angel funded

Naked wines customers are called angels. These are the people who fund independent winemakers such as Naked wines. The beverages are sold in an online platform and although there are a few of their products available in retail outlets, the majority of them are sold strictly online. This is what makes it possible for them to offer the wines at such amazing low prices. They don't have the overhead that many other wine producers must deal with.

2. Naked Wines was founded in 2008

In December of 2008, the Naked Wines company was established. It was founded by owner Rowan Gormley. Naked Wines is a UK based company.

3. Naked Wines supports three major markets

The company doesn't ship wines to every country in the world, in fact, there are only three markets that they've chosen to enter with their online sale of wines. Naked Wines serves the United Kingdom, the country of its origin, as well as the United States and Australia. We've not yet heard if they are planning to expand their online retail services to other countries as of this time.

4. Their business model is based on a social network principle

Naked Wines has a very unique business model. They encourage their customers to sample their wines and then to review them as well as interacting with other Naked Wines customers in an online environment. They ask for customers to present reviews on the wines that they consume on a Likert type scale that rates various elements of their experience with the products on a scale of 0 to 5. This information is aggregated and placed on a separate page on the company's website for the specific wine being reviewed to give interested parties the review information before they make the decision whether or not to give it a try. It's a good way to find out if others who tried with wine would buy it again.

5. Naked Wines has an archangels group

In keeping with their established business model, Naked Wines has set up a smaller customer group that they call the Archangels. These customers are those who have agreed to maintain active engagement on the site to assist other customers in completing reviews of all of the wines that are offered by Naked Wines.

6. They are an award winning company

Naked Wines has been recognized for its outstanding accomplishments in the online retail industry as well as within the category of wine suppliers. It was the recipient of the Online Business of the Year distinction at the National Business Awards of 2011. It was also named by the London Stock Exchange Group as one of the top 1000 companies to inspire Britain and was awarded the Top Online retailer award in December of 2013.

7. Rowan Gormley sold Naked Wines in an acquisition request

Rowan Gormley, the founder of the Naked Wines company agreed to a proposal to allow Majestic Wine to acquire the company. The deal was struck with the provision that Mr. Gormley would e appointed CEO of the group that was significantly enlarged by the acquisition.

8. Naked Wines engaged in a funding campaign in 2013

In the fall of 2013, Naked Wines launched a fun raising campaign that was intended to raise funds for fine wines. It was called the Naked Fine Wine Bond. They raised a total of 5 million in British pounds and the proceeds of their endeavor was used to offer consumers a seven percent gross in cash interest or ten percent gross in wine credits to their account with Naked Wines.

9. They developed a new retail model in 2010

Naked Wines came up with a unique pricing model in the early spring of 2010. They modeled it after the platform used in airline pricing and they revealed the new system at the London International Wine Fair, calling it Advance Bookings. This allowed the company to provide their customers with even greater discounts for ordering wines in advance.

10. Naked Wines instituted a MarketPlace approach in 2011

Yet once again, Naked Wines changed their purchasing model. In May of 2011 they switched to a more direct approach. Their new model allowed both established and prospective Naked Winemakers to promote their wines to the Naked Wines' customer base at a discounted price.

11. Naked Wines opens bidding on cases of wine

If a customer finds a proposed case of wine that they want, they can bid on it. There is usually a pre-determined future delivery date attached to each of these offer. The wines are shipped and delivered when the market exceeds a set minimum volume.This is one of those situations where a little bit of patience is required. Naked wines makes a profit from the wineries offering their wines for sale in this format at a rate of ten percent in commission fees.

12. Naked Wines offers several perks for members

If you decide to become one of the Naked Wine customers referred to as Angels, you will qualify for several great perks. The wines are highly rated and they are delivered right to your door. You can save between 40 to 60 percent on your orders. Angels invest $40 per month into what is called a Naked piggy bank and it's available to spend on any of the wines you want at any time. This is how their Angel program works. They even get samples of new wines to try.

13. The Angels program isn't always available

One of the drawbacks about the Angels program is that it is often closed to new members. You will need to put your name on a waiting list and when a slot opens up they will extend the invitation to you. It's a fairly exclusive club and they only allow so many Angels to be enrolled at one time.

14. They sell wines from different countries

Naked Wines offers wines from a variety of winemakers throughout the world. There are numerous brands sold through the online platform from wine makers in the United States, from Italy and from Germany. This gives customers some great choices from international winemakers from a variety of different regions. They are also accepting new Wine makers into their collection of sellers so it's a good idea to check back and see what new products they have to offer. There is a wonderfully diverse selection when you are looking for a new wine to try or if you're looking for a specific variety. You may even find your next favorite type of wine through Naked Wines and their group of dedicated wine makers.

15. Naked Wines is good for new winemakers

The Winemakers who join forces with Naked Wines have access to the resources that allow them to experiment with new innovations in the wine making industry. This gives them support for trying out new ideas and then connecting the wine makers directly to the consumers. The reviewing process also gives them some relevant feedback on the quality and desirability of the products that they are providing. It's a winning situation for everyone involved from Naked Wines and their ten percent commission on all of the products sold to the wine makers who have more freedom for trying new things and an outlet to sell their wines, to the consumers who in some cases have the opportunity to be the very first to sample a new product that is being reviewed.

16. Naked Wines brings consumers into their formulation for success

The Wine industry has for years thrived with a large consumer base who maintain a high demand for old established wines as well as newer and more innovative products. When Naked Wines came on the scene, they built a major collaborative organization that fully involves customers in the wine industry through their angel and archangel programs. The reviewers play a major role in letting the consumer base know which wines are worth giving a try and which fail to meet their standards. This is something that has never been done on such a grand scale within the wine industry. It takes surveys over the top. There are relatively few sites that you can access that have dedicated a page to specific wines to let you know how they fare in consumer ratings. It's a brilliant design when you consider its simplicity yet how much it benefits Naked Wines along with the wine makers who are trying to get their newer products on the radar and recognized.

17. You can also get your orders shipped the next day

Earlier we discussed that there are occasions where you can bid on a case of wine and it will be shipped to you at a predetermined date in the future. This is true for some of the newer wines that are slated to be offered but there is still a big selection available for immediate shipping. We didn't want to leave you with the impression that you will have to wait for weeks or even months to order and receive fine wines from the Naked Wines website.

18. The selection can be overwhelming

While it's a very good thing that Naked Wines has such a massive inventory of wines available, it can be difficult to get through them all. There are really that many wines offered for sale through their website. They've made it easier though by breaking the wines down into categories which makes it a lot easier to find a specific type of wine and then preview the wonderfully diverse offerings that they maintain within the category. We're not going to lie to you, you can spend a lot of time browsing through their lists of wines and reading the reviews, but it's a great idea to pour a glass of wine and relax while you're browsing through the selections.

19. Their investor base is huge

We learned that the investor base of angel customers who make a $40 per month investment in the company is absolutely massive. There are more than 100,000 investors currently signed up with the angel program. There is also a big waiting list for others who want to also join as part of this unique group of consumers.

20. They're a haven for Indie Wine makers

Indie Wine makers who are just getting their start in the industry and have some unique wines that they want to share with the world have an amazing opportunity to advance their business with Naked Wines. There are 159 independent wine makers signed up with them currently and we've read their advertisements that suggest that there is room for others to join. This is just one more way that Naked Wines is disrupting the wine industry through a clever online format that allows for customers to find new and unique wine brands and special recipes that others may not yet have access to. The companies that come on board with Naked Wines are provided with helpful resource that helps them to take their novel ideas and turn them into realities. It's not a company that uses their consumer base as guinea pigs though. The wines are reputed for being of fine quality so there is not worry that your purchase will end in utter disappointment. Overall, Naked Wines is not only good for the consumers, it's a great addition to the wine industry overall because it gives some great new companies the chance to explore their full potential.

Dana Hanson

Written by Dana Hanson

Dana has extensive professional writing experience including technical and report writing, informational articles, persuasive articles, contrast and comparison, grant applications, and advertisement. She also enjoys creative writing, content writing on nearly any topic (particularly business and lifestyle), because as a lifelong learner, she loves to do research and possess a high skill level in this area. Her academic degrees include AA social Sci/BA English/MEd Adult Ed & Community & Human Resource Development and ABD in PhD studies in Indust & Org Psychology.

Read more posts by Dana Hanson

Related Articles

Stay ahead of the curve with our most recent guides and articles on , freshly curated by our diligent editorial team for your immediate perusal.
As featured on:

Wealth Insight!
Subscribe to our Exclusive Newsletter

Dive into the world of wealth and extravagance with Money Inc! Discover stock tips, businesses, luxury items, and travel experiences curated for the affluent observer.
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram