Update: Temecula Valley Wine & Agricultural Heritage District Tax

Update 6/28/2023: We have successfully resolved the bug regarding the Temecula tax applying to non-taxable products. With the fix in place, you can now confidently utilize the Temecula tax feature without any concerns about incorrect tax calculations for non-taxable products.

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On April 1, 2021, a hybrid tax was implemented for all wineries within the Temecula Valley Wine & Agricultural Heritage District (TVWAHD). This five-year term stipulates that 1% of all gross sales be funneled into advertising for the valley.

If your winery is based in the Temecula region, you must collect the TVWAHD tax. We have recently enhanced our application to allow the collection of this tax. This tax will be applied on top of other applicable taxes. In addition, the TVWAHD itself is subject to sale tax. Please see the instructions below on how to enable it.

How to Enable TVWAHD Tax:

• Start by logging into the admin panel and clicking on Settings > Website Settings. Click on the Store tab and expand the “State Profile” section to access the following screen:

• Add “TVWAHD” and select the “Is TVWAHD?” checkbox 
• Then, navigate to Store > State Profile and select California. Click Edit in the Wines section and set the tax rate for the TVWAHD 

• Customers will now see this tax applied when they checkout their order 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with support@winedirect.com.

Fix: Multiple Refunds with Zeamster

If you use Zeamster as your default payment gateway, you may have noticed that our system and the gateway allowed you to attempt subsequent refunds on an order if it was already refunded.

We have implemented a fix for this issue, and no action is required on your end.

We appreciate your patience as our team worked diligently for a swift solution. WineDirect is committed to providing a seamless buying experience for you and your customers.

Update: New iPad iOS Update (16.2, 16.3 & 16.4)

If you currently use the WineDirect POS app, you may have recently noticed new iPad updates being released. We successfully ran a complete WineDirect POS app test cycle with the new iPad iOS updates (16.2, 16.3 & 16.4). We recommend upgrading your iPad device(s) at your convenience. 

You can update your iPad device(s) manually by: Going to Settings > General > Software Update.

For more information about the iPad iOS updates, please check out the documentation here. Thank you for your patience and your continued support!

Fix: Temporarily Disable Blog Comments

If you currently have blog comments enabled on your website, you may have noticed an increase in spam comments. You may have also seen issues with email deliverability specifically related to notification emails.

Spam is one of the leading factors which can negatively affect our reputation with Google, thus hurting email deliverability. We will temporarily disable blog comments while we work toward a fix. This fix will help provide more reliable email deliverability rates, block incoming spam, and allow us to continue to offer a best-in-class experience.

We appreciate your patience. If you have any questions, please feel free to reply to this email or directly at edwin.lo@winedirect.com.

Update: GetOrderDetail method has been enhanced

If you currently use our WebServices 3.0, you may be using the 'GetOrderDetail()' function to get order information. We have recently enhanced the function to also return the 'Sent to Fulfillment date.' This enhancement helps wineries have greater visibility into fulfillment/shipping key dates.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with support@winedirect.com.

Fix: Rate Limiting Update February 2023

If you have previously tried to return a large data set via our webservices, you may have noticed an error with the request. This was caused by our infrastructure being overwhelmed by repeated requests and our rate limits not functioning correctly. After successfully testing the update in our staging environment, we will re-implemented our rate limits to help prevent these errors and improve overall platform performance. These rate limits are:

• Number of maximum concurrent requests per username per second: 6 requests

• Number of maximum requests per username at the last minute: 300 requests

We are giving advanced notice today since these rate limit changes may affect some wineries. We intend to implement this change on March 1st at around 5:00 a.m. PST.

For more information about rate limits, check out the documentation.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact support@winedirect.com, and we will be happy to assist.

We're Upgrading Your Support Experience

We are excited to announce enhancements to your support experience at WineDirect! With the new support tools, you can expect a seamless and fast support experience. Your inquiries will be routed directly to the best person available to assist, providing you with quick and accurate solutions.

Key Benefits:

• Streamlined user experience 
• Centralized hub for all support interactions
• Faster resolution time since our team can collaborate seamlessly

The new support tools bring you the convenience of getting help right where you need it - directly within the WineDirect platform. To get started now, simply click on the pink chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of this page. Keep your eyes peeled on the WineDirect Administration Panel, as well, as we will be rolling this feature out to wineries in the coming days.

As part of this upgrade, access to the legacy ticketing system will be discontinued. Archived tickets will remain accessible to clients through March 1st, 2023. Should you wish to back up the details of any support tickets, simply access the legacy support portal from the WineDirect Administration Panel: Click Support>View All Cases>Click on any case 'Detail' button and screenshot the relevant information.

We are confident that this upgrade will bring you a more efficient and satisfying support experience, and we can't wait for you to try it out. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@winedirect.com.

New Feature: Stronger Password Policy for Winery Customers

Online security continues to be a top concern for wineries. WineDirect is always looking at the latest security trends to keep wineries and their customers safe.

We are excited to announce our new, more secure password policy for your winery customers. Having a strong and unique password can drastically help protect them against malicious attempts. New passwords must:

• Be at least 12 characters long.
• Contain letters, numbers and special characters (~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/)

This update will only affect new passwords created for new users or users who change their password or edit their profile; current passwords will not be affected.

Here is where the new password policy is live and where it is planned to be implemented next.

Phase One (currently live):

• Front-end websites
• Forgot password
• Edit profile

Phase Two (ETA: Q1 2023):

• Point-of-Sale (POS)

Please check our security documentation for more information about WineDirect's security measures.

Update: WineDirect Platform Stability - December 2022

The 2022 Holidays were busy for wineries. WineDirect is delighted to report almost zero downtime across all our applications! Our commitment to platform stability has never been stronger as we understand how crucial continuous uptime is for your winery. From your website to point of sale, having reliable connectivity is critical for the day-to-day activities you rely on to sell DTC.

We are pleased to provide the following summary report on application uptime for December 2022:

“For wineries, the holiday season is the most critical time of year. Our engineering team and automated systems enabled our clients to get through this busy season without downtime, even during peak hours. We remain dedicated to constructing a strong and dependable platform for all wineries.” 

- Edwin Lo, WineDirect Product Owner

Thank you for trusting us with your DTC operations. Check out the WineDirect Status page for the latest up-to-date system status.

New: Strong Cyber Weekend Results for 2022

The post-Thanksgiving weekend is such a key time for wineries, with everyone pulling together to reach their sales goals while providing a great experience for consumers. Despite challenging market conditions, your hard work paid off. While sales declined compared to last years' post pandemic spending sprees, same-store sales across all DTC channels increased +6% compared to 2020 and a strong +20% compared to pre-pandemic 2019. 

 

WineDirect Platform Stability: Black Friday Through Cyber Monday

Our Classic platform performance also continued to be a standout - our continuing commitment to enhancing our architecture has resulted in lightning-fast transaction speed and stability, even in the face of extremely high demand.

These enhancements are just the beginning of what's in store as we count down the days until All-New WineDirect is available for all wineries in early 2023. We are incredibly grateful to have you join us for this next step forward. 🥂