The COVID-19 crisis has provided a boost for the e-commerce market for Italian wine, with more than a quarter (27%) of overall wine consumers in Italy now purchasing wine through digital channels.
This is up from 17% in 2018, according to the Nomisma Wine Monitor. The e-commerce market for Italian wine closed 2020 with a turnover of between €150 million and €200 million, according to the study.
In comparison, the number of UK consumers purchasing wine online increased from 26% to 34% between 2018 and 2020, while in California, another key wine hub, e-commerce sales were up from 32% to 43% in the same period.
On a global level, the wine e-commerce market accounted for between 10% and 12% of total wine sales in the off-trade channel in 2020, compared to 7% in 2019.
Market Growth
Before the COVID crisis, Italy was a laggard when it came to online wine sales, with the channel accounting for only 1% of total sales, compared to 4% in the USA, 10% in the UK and 29% in China.
The main players in the Italian wine e-commerce market are so-called 'pure players', including Tannico, Vino.com, and Callmewine, which account for more than 80% of online wine sales.
Online supermarkets (such as Carrefour Online, EasyCoop, and Esselunga a Casa) and Amazon are responsible for the remaining 20%.
Significantly, digital consumers spend 59% more on wine when shopping online, paying €4.80/litre compared to €3/litre in physical stores. The majority of consumers buying wine online in Italy are men, Millennials and those with a high purchasing power.
Wine e-commerce in Italy is set for further growth in the coming years, not only due to increased consumer numbers, but also because of the increasing investment in and attention paid to this channel by wineries. Also, 24% of Italian wine users claim they will continue to buy wine online even once the pandemic is over.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
