When it comes to adopting digital tools, the wine industry remains pragmatic and down-to-earth. This was revealed by ProWein in collaboration with Geisenheim University in their joint ProWein Business Report.
According to the report, around 2,000 wine industry insiders see great potential in digital marketing tools for the future, such as customer profile analysis (62%) and customer databases (58%). Search engine marketing (49%) and support programs for Google Analytics (44%) are also in demand—tools that can directly assist with sales.
When it comes to more abstract solutions that do not directly drive sales, industry representatives are more cautious. Only 37% see AI-generated wine recommendations as offering future potential. There is even less interest in virtual reality content and digital winery tours (31%). At the foot of the list are AI-generated content (30%), paid influencers (23%), and augmented reality labels that add images or videos to wine labels in the current environment (22%).
Online sales platforms lag behind
In digital marketing and sales, it’s clear that wineries have moved away from old methods and are now turning to newer technologies. Email marketing tops the survey, currently used by 68% of respondents, with 11% planning to adopt it by 2025.
Social Media ranks second with 68% usage (+8% by 2025). Online shops follow in third place with 63% (+10% by 2025).
Paper-based mailings are on the decline, used by only just under half of the respondents. The same applies to telemarketing, with only 39% still using the phone. Online sales platforms, such as Amazon and other online retailers (28%), and direct SMS marketing (10%) are also less popular.
Financial software most commonly used
According to the survey, marketing and sales are not the areas where the wine industry has most keenly embraced digitalization. Looking at the individual areas surveyed, financial and accounting software clearly leads with 78% adoption. Direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales programs, such as CRM tools, follow closely with 57%. Only about half of the respondents are using digital marketing.
The least adopted areas are production (41%) and vineyard management (38%). However, both categories have high growth potential, with around one-fifth of respondents considering investing in them by 2025.
The ProWein Business Report is presented annually, among other events, at Meininger’s Wine Conference, which this year focused on the topic of digitalization. You can get an impression of the event here: Meininger's Wine Conference.
The next Meininger’s Wine Conference will take place on March 15, 2025, with the timely theme of: “Wine Sales 4.0 – Roadmap to the Market of the Future.” Registration is open: Conference Tickets. Further information about the program will follow shortly. KA
