A new customer audit tool was developed by Byron Marlowe, WSU Tri-Cities professor and director of wine and business management at the WSU Wine Science Center, located in the Tri-Cities Research District. The customer audit is designed to help wineries re-open and recover during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By identifying components of what Marlowe calls the four ‘Ps’—product, price, place and promotion—the customer audit enhances the customer experience when visiting a winery. In addition to the four ‘Ps’, the audit tracks customer experience through what Marlowe calls the four ‘Es’—educational experience, esthetic experience, entertainment and escapist experience. The audit is available online for free here.