Marketplace to Subscription: Matt Ovenden’s Playbook Shift

In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Roman Kirsch interviews Matt Ovenden, serial entrepreneur and founder of The Wine Engine and Borrow A Boat. After building Borrow A Boat into a 400,000-user platform that transformed the boat charter industry, Matt is now applying his marketplace expertise to wine subscriptions. The Wine Engine represents his shift from low-frequency, high-ticket transactions to high-frequency, subscription-based consumer marketing. Through AI-powered personalization, flexible subscription models, and a focus on making wine more accessible, Matt is challenging traditional wine clubs and major players like Vivino by creating what he calls "the Netflix of wine."

Topics Discussed:

• Building subscription-first businesses in traditional industries

• Using AI for personalization and consumer education in wine

• Transitioning from low-frequency marketplace to high-retention subscription model

• Competing against established players without massive marketing budgets

• Leveraging crowdfunding as both capital and marketing platform

• Evolution of marketing tools and team structures in the AI era

• Preparing for the shift from SEO to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)