(Linkedin) - Even though Meiomi Pinot Noir and Apothic Red are wines known in the Alcoholic Beverage industry as two of the largest and most prolific breakout success stories, this post applies to any industry, and the newfound ability to tap into a firsthand consumer data source specific to a niche category.

For context, Meiomi Pinot Noir is a $20 wine by a "virtual winery" (that is, not produced within the traditional winery-and-vineyard setup, but instead, sourcing grapes from where ever Joe Wagner wanted and blending them in order to achieve a specific flavor profile), growing 10x to more than 500,000 cases within five years and achieving 50% annual sales growth before being acquired by Constellation Brands for $315 million in 2015. Apothic Red is also virtual, and has exhibited rocket ship growth over its 6-year life span since being created out of thin air by E. & J. Gallo Winery, growing to $141 million in retail sales in 2015.

What if you could identify the next Meiomi before you had to fork over $315 million? Or, what if you knew the ingredients in the secret sauce in order to create the next Apothic?

Sounds great, right?

"Yes! Tell me how," you'd say.

Here's the thing... Consumers are already telling us exactly what they want, multiple times every day, in the most accurate context, on the most prolific communication device in history: By using apps on their smartphone.