WINE BUSINESS IS MORE AND MORE MOBILE: THE CASE HISTORY OF VENTE-PRIVEE, NUMBER 1 IN EUROPE WITH 3.3 MILLION BOTTLES SOLD IN 2013 (+32% OVER 2012) FOR A TURNOVER OF 36 MILLION EUROS (+20%) AND MORE THAN 353.000 ORDERS

3.3 million bottles sold in 2013 (+32 % on 2012) with a turnover of 36 million euros (+20%) and more than 353.000 orders. These are the numbers of vente-privee.com, a big name in the e- commerce world and the reference site in Europe for wine, too (www.vente-privee.com).
It’s a case history that tells of the very successful phenomenon of online sales of bottles of wine, which is becoming increasingly popular in Europe as well as in Italy. The country manager Andreas Schmeidler, explains, "sales have tripled in a year" (many top wineries are involved in the project, Allegrini, Cesari, Cusumano, Kellerei Kaltern, Feudi di San Gregorio a Masi, Mazzei, Tramin and Tenimenti of Alexander, to name but a few). And, a study on industry trends was presented at Prowein in Dusseldorf, demonstrating that mobile is growing steadily and that now 29% of wine sales comes from devices such as smartphones and tablets.
The study also reveals that 59% of customers who purchase via mobile are male, 58% of them are between 18 and 40 years old, are willing to spend more and consider it more chic to buy on mobile than online through pc: the average amount in the cart of "m - shoppers" is 97 euros, 12 points higher than that of "online shoppers. “The most outstanding advantage of collaborating with Vente – Privee”, adds Schmeidler, “is that wine producers can sell their products directly to the end customer who receives the product at home. This way, even small wineries can reach Italian customers as well as those of new markets in Europe. More and more companies recognize the value and benefits of working with vente- privee, which is a confirmation of the quality of the work we are doing also to spread the culture of e-commerce in this area”.
“In France, Vente – Privee”, explains Xavier Court, co-founder and head of the group’s Business Development, “has been working with the most well-known wine producers, and we are following this path with success in countries such as Italy, Spain and Germany. In order to handle the increasingly large number of orders, we have recently invested in a new 10.000 square meter distribution center in Burgundy, which specializes exclusively in wine shipments. The prospects are excellent both in terms of increasing the number of partner companies, over 60 new brand partners in Europe in 2013, and customers who purchase wine through our website. Vente - Privee is a highly effective media and the producers are aware of what a huge opportunity it is. More and more of our members go looking for wine in wineries, after having discovered them on our website”.