Introduction
Founded in 2019, Somm Cellars is a Manhattan-based high-end wine and spirits retailer known for its deeply curated portfolio and expert-led retail experience. The brand serves collectors and enthusiasts with one of the largest Burgundy selections in the U.S., alongside rare wines and spirits sourced from top producers around the world. At its core, Somm Cellars cares about trust, expertise, and delivering a refined buying experience tailored to a discerning audience.
Despite a strong brick-and-mortar presence, Somm Cellars had not yet launched an online sales channel. As customer expectations shifted toward digital access, the business saw an opportunity to expand its reach while preserving the confidence and sophistication that defined its in-store experience. The challenge was not optimizing an existing site, but building an entirely new ecommerce channel capable of supporting a complex catalog from day one.
Somm Cellars partnered with us for its ability to design, build, and launch scalable ecommerce platforms that balance brand identity, advanced functionality, and data-driven decision-making.
Since partnering with Omnycode and launching its new ecommerce platform, Somm Cellars has achieved:
- 52% increase in unique purchases quarter over quarter
- 148% growth in new sessions quarter over quarter
- 40% increase in conversion rate among users utilizing on-site search
The Challenge: Launching Ecommerce Without Diluting Brand Trust
For Somm Cellars, ecommerce represented a new frontier. With no existing website, the first digital impression needed to inspire the same confidence customers felt walking into the physical store. Any friction in navigation, product discovery, or checkout risked undermining years of brand equity built through expert service.
The complexity of the catalog heightened the challenge. Somm Cellars manages thousands of SKUs across regions, varietals, vintages, and price tiers—inventory that is typically navigated with the help of knowledgeable staff. Translating that guidance into a digital environment required more than basic navigation or filters.
“Our vision of the retail store shaped how we see the brand online and we immediately knew how important it was to get the first user experience right,”
– said Jason J., Somm Cellars.
Operational alignment was equally critical. The new channel needed to integrate cleanly with in-store point-of-sale systems, maintain inventory accuracy, and provide clear performance visibility from launch. These requirements led Somm Cellars to select Shopify Plus, which offered the scalability, reliability, and integration ecosystem needed to support both immediate revenue and long-term growth.
The Solution: Building Discovery, Scale, and Confidence from Day One
Omnycode approached the engagement as a greenfield ecommerce build, starting with how Somm Cellars’ customers search, browse, and make purchase decisions. The team designed and implemented a custom experience on Shopify Plus that emphasized clarity and restraint, allowing the depth of the catalog to feel curated rather than overwhelming.
Search was positioned as a core feature of the platform. Omnycode partnered with Athos Commerce to implement an advanced on-site search solution capable of handling complex queries across producers, regions, attributes, and vintages—mirroring the way customers ask questions in-store.
To support retention and lifetime value, Omnycode implemented lifecycle email marketing, enabling Somm Cellars to build relationships beyond the first purchase.
POS configuration ensured seamless alignment between online and physical operations, while Omnycode Insights delivered immediate visibility into traffic, conversion behavior, and revenue performance.
The Results: A High-Performing Channel From Launch
The launch of Somm Cellars’ first ecommerce channel delivered immediate results. Due to the successful marketing launch campaign, the site’s unique purchases increased by 52% in less than 3 months, while users engaging with on-site search converted 40% more frequently, validating the decision to center the experience around discovery and search-led navigation.
“We received a lot of positive feedback from our clients about our new website. Within 3 months of launching the online channel we also saw an increase in traffic which had a high conversion rate,”
– Daniel J., Somm Cellars.
Beyond early performance gains, Somm Cellars values Omnycode as a strategic partner for its ability to translate brand vision into a scalable digital platform while grounding execution in measurable outcomes. With a flexible ecommerce foundation in place, the business is positioned to expand its catalog, deepen personalization, and continue growing ecommerce as a core revenue channel.
By launching ecommerce with intention and precision, Somm Cellars has extended its in-store reputation into the digital space—creating a new sales channel that performs today and is built to scale tomorrow.