Archive for July, 2008
380 Attend Compliance Conference: Video & Slides Now Available
July 16th, 2008
ShipCompliant’s 3rd annual Direct Shipping Seminar and Users Conference was the largest yet with over 380 winery staff, ShipCompliant users, and ShipCompliant partners in attendance. Our team offers sincere thanks to our customers, partners and attendees for a productive and enjoyable day. This day would not have been possible without the support of our industry partners:
Special thanks go to our speakers for providing the expert content and entertainment on the following aspects of direct shipping compliance:
- Steve Gross of Wine Institute covered a state by state review of rules and legislation for wineries and retailers focused on direct shipping and self distribution.
- Tracy Genesen of Kirkland & Ellis, LLP gave a review of recent and current litigation and its impact on direct shipping.
- Jeremy Benson of Benson Marketing covered compliant direct marketing practices such as compliance with CAN-SPAM Act and Child Protection as well as best practices around double opt-in policies, list management, successful email content, communication frequency, age verification and information privacy.
- Matthew Botting of the CA Department of ABC covered compliance issues pertaining to CA law such as license types, wine tastings, and direct shipping policies.
A false fire alarm occured during the morning session granting the standing room only attendees a unanticipated break. Despite this interruption, we were able to capture the presentations and video recording of the speaker panel. Please click on the images below to access them.
ShipCompliant technology partners impressed wineries with their integrations in the technology lab. Participating companies included:
If you attended the event and did not turn in your yellow feedback form you can fax it to (720) 528 7942. Or you can send an email with your feedback to events@six88.com.
If you missed this event and would like to attend a future direct shipping seminar, please also send an email with your contact information to events@six88.com. Thank you!
Beat the Heat. Free temperature forecasting tool for wine shippers
July 14th, 2008
During the hot summer months, wine shipping practically grinds to a halt due to high temperatures and an inability to navigate the whims of mother nature.
To address this problem, ShipCompliant has developed an innovative free temperature forecasting tool that filters your order files by temperature within the destination zip code. Up until this point, wine shippers were forced to spend hours manually researching shipping conditions, or to simply shut entire states down for months at a time.
The tool is a cinch to use. Simply follow these steps:
- Visit ShipCompliant.com and click on Free Tools
- Choose your temperature threshold: The temperature above which you do not feel comfortable shipping your wine
- Select an excel or CSV file containing wine shipments
- Tell us which column contains the destination zip code
- Download the list of orders whose destinations are under the temperature threshold
- OR download the list of all orders with corresponding temperature forecasts for the next 5 days
We look forward to hearing your feedback on this new addition to the ShipCompliant tool set. Please let us know how best to improve it. Now give it a try!
Live! 2008 ShipCompliant Users Conference
July 11th, 2008
We are streaming the morning session of the 3rd annual ShipCompliant Users Conference and Compliance Seminar. The event is completely sold out with over 300 people in attendance. Please click on the image below, register and begin viewing the largest direct to consumer event in the wine industry.
Another Paper Return Bites the Dust: Required Electronic Filing in New York (Due July 15th)
July 10th, 2008
On July 1st, 2008, New York announced that their semi-annual “New York Wine Manufacturer’s Report of All Wine Directly Sold and Shipped” is required to be filed online. Shipments made from January 1, 2008 to June 30, 2008 must be reported to the New York Liquor Authority by July 15th, 2008. Online submission of the report consists of emailing data files, in a .csv or .xls format to Direct.Shipment@abc.state.ny.us.
Even though the new reporting format was forced upon direct shippers rather abruptly, for many, filing the Wine Manufacturer’s Report electronically is a much more reasonable request than the old paper format. Because the old paper format contained only twelve rows per page on which to report detailed order information (one product per row, per shipment), the report was sometimes more than 500 pages long! That’s some serious paper waste.
Information that is reported in the new electronic format is very similar to the information reported in the old paper format. Among details to be reported via the data file: product name, COLA numbers for each product shipped, quantity shipped, price paid by the purchaser, the name and address of the purchaser, and the name and address of the common carrier.
You can view further information on the new requirement and New York’s instructions for submission on the New York State Liquor Authority’s website. Remember, the use of paper forms to submit the required information is no longer permitted. All reports containing the required information must be submitted by way of a computer data file.
Google, WITS, and PCI Compliance
July 6th, 2008
There’s a very interesting article from the New York Times yesterday that analyzes the not so subtle addition of a new link on google.com. You can now see a tiny link on the word “Privacy” at the bottom of the Google homepage.
With that one word, the Web search giant heads off the growing controversy over whether its previous practice ran afoul of a California law, the California Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003, which requires the operator of a commercial Web site that collects personal information to link to its privacy policy from its home page.
Data security and privacy are issues that are too often overlooked in the wine industry. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen clear-text credit card numbers (with expiration dates), passwords (with usernames), and dates of birth in emails, spreadsheets, and faxes. Orders are very commonly taken over the web, but then transferred non-securely to a point of sale system or order management system for credit card processing. Privacy policies are more common now, but they are sometimes missing or insufficient in this industry. Age verification for shipping orders is a relatively new requirement on the books in three different states (Michigan, Ohio, and Georgia), and wineries and wine retailers are trying to figure out how to comply with the laws while still maintaining the privacy of their customers.
On July 15th, at the 4th annual Wine Industry Technology Symposium (WITS), I will moderate a session that will cover the topics of data security, privacy, and PCI compliance. The goal of the panel will be to familiarize you with these subjects, discuss the risks, and provide tips and best practices on compliance.
As a sponsor of the 2008 WITS, ShipCompliant would like to offer you a 10% discount off the initial registration. Keep in mind, you can also receive $50 off each additional registration thereafter. Click here to register and receive your 10% off: Preferred WITS Sign-Up
View a copy of the event agenda here:
Illinois Offers a Bit of Green for Direct Wine Shippers
July 2nd, 2008
For those of you that have started shipping to Illinois under their new permit system, your first round of reporting will come due this month. Fortunately, Illinois makes it easy to report your shipments and pay taxes. Electronic filing and payment is available for the Liquor Direct Wine Shipper Return (RL-26-W), and the Sales and Use Tax Return (ST-1). As we discussed in an earlier post, electronic filing is better for the environment, and it saves you printing and mailing costs; that’s two shades of green!
Before you begin the process for Illinois electronic filing, you will need your Illinois Business Tax number (IBT), your PIN, your payment information, and you will of course need to know how much tax you owe. You should have received your PIN when you registered with the Illinois Department of Revenue. If you have not received your PIN, or do not know what it is, you can contact the Department of Revenue at 217-782-6045, and they will provide you with your PIN.
To start electronic filing for the ST-1, click here, and then click “start filing.” To begin electronic filing for the RL-26-W, click here, then click, “Start Using Webfile.” You can save progress and view submitted reports up to a year after submission.
Half-Year Hullabaloo: New Laws Take Effect in Three States Today
July 1st, 2008
Just a quick reminder of the legislative changes that take effect today, July 1st, 2008.
- Georgia’s new permit system takes effect. All wineries can now apply for a permit, regardless of distributor representation. Click here to see how to apply for a direct shipping permit.
- Ohio is increasing their capacity cap, making it possible for wineries that produce under 250,000 gallons annually to apply for a direct shipping permit.
- Washington is implementing a destination-based sales tax for all in-state entities.
