China has restarted, and Alibaba’s “11.11” was a stellar success. Vino.com: “+136% on 2019”

Seventy-four billion dollars, more or less 63 billion euros is the staggering figure that the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s “11.11” initiative yielded, which for its 12th edition was no longer just one day, but it was extended to 11 days (starting November 1st ). The numbers speak for themselves, +26growth compared to 2019, which above all says how consumption in China has restarted with great fanfare, after Covid-19. “And, Italy was one of the Top 10 exporting countries to China, counting a total turnover of 381 million euros, at an event that saw over 250.000 brands and 2 million new products talk to 800 million consumers Chinese who are on our platform. 75% of them are under the age of 35, and this means that there is a bright future”, said Rodrigo Cipriani Foresio, general manager of Alibaba Group South Europe today, during a themed webinar. Among the many star players for Italy there was also wine & food, including companies such as Barilla and Ferrero and, for wine, the e-commerce platform VINO75 by Andrea Nardi Dei, which he just rebranded Vino.com, “and a pioneer of online wine in China through Alibaba”, underlined Foresio. WineNews asked Nardi Dei a specific question about how much the turnover was, and he replied, “the figures are still being processed and we prefer not to disclose them, however, to date we can say that there has been a +136% growth compared to the 2019 edition, which we achieved by changing our offer. Fewer wines, about thirty, but all high and very high range, with names such as Antinori, Fontanafredda, Frescobaldi and Folonari, which are the most popular brands alongside territories such as Amarone della Valpolicella, and wines such as Moscato d’Asti , which, in China, is one of the most popular types.
The interesting thing we are seeing is that Italian wine and wine in general, in China, is no longer just a gift, it is becoming a routine and is seen as food. Our clientele there is mainly 30-40 years old, younger than Italy and Europe, which makes us think it is essential to invest in this market, and especially on the online channel. Of course Chinese consumers need a lot more information and education about wines, compared to European consumers. Therefore, we, for instance, in our promotions, are not only focusing on cutting some of the prices, but we are also on giving gadgets and objects related to the consumption of wine, to help their knowledge and development. We also see that they like innovation and that there is a possibility of building customer loyalty, which is what we are trying to do. It is a complicated market, and it is still small, but it is growing quite rapidly. We will also be opening a window for business to business, dedicated to professionals”.