Internet and wineries : at the beginning of a story
Wine and Internet ?
The relationship between internet and the wine sector is difficult. The “Raudin report” recently published in the Aquitaine vineyard confirms previous studies, that noted a feebleness of the wine sector with regard to Internet. Convinced of the importance of this new mode of communication, the wineries struggle to overcome all the mysteries of this virtual world. It’s recognized that be present on Internet is a basic for any winery and a few were able to adopt a strong internet strategy.
Wine and Internet : fact and figures
1- A website, a basic of any winery
Many wineries are still not present on Internet. In fact, only half have a website and for most it is only a showcase website and with the sole purpose of presenting its products. According to a study of ADEN (Association for the Development of the Digital Economy), only 15% offer the opportunity to buy products.
How to interpret these figures ? First, it must start from the basic premise that a winery operates primarily an agricultural activity and that the virtual world of the internet is still very unclear.
If internet find a place in the tourism sector (93% of companies are on Internet), there are only 7% of agricultural companies on Internet. With the development of wine tourism and international sales, many are aware that it’s necessary to have a website. 70% believe that it will help them to increase their reputation and acquire new customers.
There are a half of the wine properties that have not yet provided with a website. Besides the price (become cheap yet), the main reasons given remains a matter of time (70%) and difficult to understand a world that seems very complex (75%) for them.
This analysis is especially true even for wineries having a website : more than 70% are struggling to be visible on the internet. Despite their good intentions, we must say that many have not yet assimilated that a website is necessary but not sufficient to implement a sales strategy by internet.
2- Towards a real internet strategy for wineries
Let’s revisit the Raudin report. It indicates that among 51% of the wineries equipped with a website, only 32% of them have a Facebook page and only 10% a Twitter account. However, it is sure that the presence on social networks is today essential in order to increase renown, mainly because it helps to be better for referenced on search engines.
The advantage of Internet is to reach a maximum number of people, who can get information in real time from anywhere all around the world. Well used, it can be a much more powerful vector of communication and much less expensive than a press campaign. The use of Internet and social networks is so a good way of making progress and the actors of wine sectors should use it more.
In the same vein, we can’t forget the very low ranking on marketplaces or any other website allowing to pool offers. While 43% of respondents agree that these websites can help attract customers, only 8% are represented. But let us be optimistic since this figure doubled since 2012 and that there are not a lot of mutual websites in wineries…
I’ve talked with Estelle Pins, CEO of Wine Tour Booking. She explained that there are still too much reluctance about Internet and marketplaces in the vineyard. Indeed, they struggle to combine efforts and outsource some functions. The wineries should develop a strong customer approach and a brand strategy, while keep on working on a product approach.
As such, marketplaces are major partners to help in this development. We should note the efforts regarding the international aspect. Indeed, more than 63% of websites are translated in English and 14% in Chinese. As one in two wine tourists is international, we understand why it’s important for wineries to increase their international visibility.
However, only 56% of wineries offer visits, while most are opened to visitors. This is a part of the same statement discussed below, namely the reluctance to outsource its web approach.
If Internet is emerging as a major line of development for wineries, the situation is very mixed today. Although it becomes necessary to put the web at the heart of any strategy, by using social networks and marketplaces, only a few wine properties have adopted a policy like this…
