Wine, the future is out of home (combined with online): the route traced by Signorvino

The boom of wine e-commerce in Covid’s time is under everyone’s eyes. And that this channel has a radiant future waiting for it, is told by the many millionaire investments attracted by the most important Italian and international platforms told in these months. And yet, there is an equally strong conviction that catering, eating out and sharing “in presence” remain the pillars of the wine world, especially the one with the highest added value. That’s why there are those who, despite the obvious difficulties related to the pandemic, continue to invest in the “in store” wine experience, combining it with an e-commerce service. Like Signorvino, the largest wine chain in Italy founded by Sandro Veronesi (patron of Calzedonia), which, right in the months of Covid, continued to open stores (21 now in total, with new openings, from July 2020 to today, in Parma, then in Rome in Viale Maximo, and again in Milan, on the Navigli, to the very recent opening in Fidenza, while a new opening in Rome, in Piazza Barberini, is already scheduled, as well as a new store in Milan Porta Garibaldi), a sign of confidence in the restarting process, as well as of the conviction that the experience of wine matched to food, shared live in the historical places of “public” conviviality, such as restaurants and clubs, is an essential key for the future of wine, which cannot depend on a growing (also in quality) domestic consumption only.
And it is precisely the combination of a new online service (with an O2O approach, On Line To Off Line, which covers 16% of purchases compared to 84% of traditional in-store sales, and which envisages the possibility of booking your order at the physical point of sale and then going to pick it up in person) and the “in-store” experience, which remains the cornerstone, that has allowed Signorvino to suffer less damage, even though it has been considerable, from the restrictions linked to the Pandemic, as brand manager Luca Pizzighella said: “while the restaurant industry as a whole has suffered losses of -60%, we have seen a drop of -40% in a year in which the out-of-home sector has been at a standstill for a long time or with strong restrictions. However, the pandemic has accelerated the trend of higher spending per bottle, a process of premiumization generated by the greater purchasing power brought about by the closure of restaurants”. In terms of trend, Signorvino stores, in 2020 saw red wines excel with a value incidence on sales at 45%, ahead of sparkling wines (30%). Among the great red denominations, at the top is Amarone della Valpolicella, which represents 9% of the volumes marketed, against 4% for Barolo and 3% for Brunello di Montalcino, looking at the three most important denominations of Italian wine.