LUXURY GOES ONLINE...BUT WINE IS LEFT BEHIND. LITTLE CONTENT AND LITTLE USE OF E-COMMERCE FOR WINE COMPANY WEB SITES. THE RISK IS LOSING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EASY GLOBAL COMMUNICATION. WINENEWS SOLUTION: “WINERIES ON THE WEB” IS ON THE WAY

The world of luxury continues to increasingly use the Internet to reach consumers. A fact, probably obvious by now, but which is interesting considering the initial indifference with which the luxury world looked at the Internet. And its importance is even more significant when compared to the data from the U.S. Luxury Institute: in the U.S., 99% of those who earn more than 150,000 dollars per year have a high speed Internet connection at home.
Internet has become decidedly the most direct and fastest way to reach these consumers and not only in the U.S. It is also now a given that the Internet is the most important place for information and service searches, from the latest news to hotel and restaurant reservations. It is available almost everywhere, at home, at work, and while traveling, even in some of the most remote parts of the world. In Italy, there are 22 million regular Internet users according to the latest data by Nielsen/Net Ratings, which is almost one out of every three people.
The world of Italian wine, however (which has always been considered the Ambassador of “Italian Style” together with fashion and luxury goods), remains “impermeable” to the solicitations of the Web, starting with online commerce itself, which is currently practiced by only a small group of companies.
“Producers, – affirmed Alessandro Regoli, director of www.winenews.it, one of Italy’s most authoritative and important wine portals - apart from a few clear exceptions (like WineNew’s preparations for the 6th edition of “Wineries on the Web”, the classification of the top Italian wine web sites), often do not go any further than website-display window, without taking advantage of the communications and commercial opportunities offered by the Internet that allow, at very low costs, a window onto the global market”.
Even the majority of designer names in Italian wine have web sites that have not been updated, anchored to an old one-way concept of the Internet, in a time, however, when it is truly necessary to be interactive with clients. Some names in fashion, though, do seem to have understood this: Prada, for example, went to the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (which created its flagship stores in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) for the international version of its site, www.prada.com, and offers plenty of content, even short film clips that illustrate the production phases of their products. And Chanel, as well, has taken innovative steps with exclusive interviews with creative director Karl Lagerfeld. Contents that may seem superfluous but, which are those that create product fidelity with the public.
A good web site, in fact, must not only promote its products, but stimulate the interest of visitors, keeping up with the times, educating and offering a varied communication even for “complementary goods” that, in the case of high quality wines, can be information on their territories and suggestions for food pairings, just to name a few. The big names in French wine have understood this, above all in the Champagne sector. Like, for example, that of Veuve Cliquot (owned by LVMH), one of the top names of the world’s most loved bubbly drink: a captivating web site (www.veuve-clicquot.com) that offers a quantity of “inebriating” contents.
There is advice on how many bottles of Champagne to buy according to how many guests there will be, a virtual clock that can be downloaded onto computers, and to top it all off, there is a video in several languages that explains how to conserve, serve and pair the Champagne. Another excellent example is another web site from the LVMH group, Moet Chandon (www.moet.com), which has filled its windows with continuous and evocative bubbles, and offers services like the possibility to download free and personalized ring tones for mobile phones, screensavers, and more. And there is yet another French Champagne site worth commenting on, that of Dom Perignon (www.domperignon.com), which offers plenty of video and audio content, including exclusive interviews with the guru of fashion Karl Lagerfeld and top model Helena Christensen.
Returning to Italy, it becomes apparent how scarce interest is in offering direct sales via internet. According to a study by eMarketer for the b2c (business to consumer) sector, online sales in Europe have registered an annual growth of 25% and, within the next four years, the volume will have tripled. This year, according to the study, European sales will reach 196 billion dollars (143 billion euros), a growth of 37.2% compared to 2006, when internet sales reached 133 billion dollars (97 billion euros), and within the next four years it should reach a total of 407 billion dollars (298 billion euros).
But, for now, the Italian wine world, which is possibly satisfied with its current successes, but not being very far sighted, continues to consider the Internet as a sort of accessory, not exploiting the opportunity of being visible on computers, laptops, and palm pilots of those growing numbers of potential consumers who navigate the web for work and, or pleasure and who want to be informed in a regular manner and from any corner of the planet on all of their interests, wine included.
Federico Pizzinelli