Application of digital marketing in wine sales

Kako bi se povećala prodaja vina i postigao što bolji plasman na tržištu bitno je poznavati potrebe potrošača te kako oni reagiraju na različite marketinške aktivnosti. Cilj ovog rada bio je utvrditi koliko vinarije iskorištavaju mogućnosti i alate digitalnog marketinga te s druge strane koliko potrošači primjećuju marketinške sadržaje pojedinih vinarija. Provedeno je anketno istraživanje na uzorku od 152 potrošača i 50 vinarija na području Republike Hrvatske. Velika većina vinarija služi se alatima i mogućnostima digitalnog marketinga kao što su posjedovanje web stranice i profila na društvenim mrežama. Unatoč tome smatraju da ne ulažu dovoljno vremena i novaca u digitalni marketing. Sukladno tome, istraživanje je pokazalo da manji udio potrošača posjećuje i prati vinarije na društvenim mrežama. U digitalnom marketingu vinarija, potrošači najbitnijim smatraju dostupnost informacija i realan prikaz vinarije. Također im je bitno povjerenje te ukoliko vjeruju izvoru informacija to će uvelike utjecati na njihovu odluku o kupnji. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju da je korona kriza rezultirala padom prodaje vina kod većine vinarija te su bili primorani promijeniti načine poslovanja. U radu su pružena rješenja koja bi mogla pomoći vinarijama u prikupljanju pratitelja odnosno potencijalnih kupaca i postizanju bolje interakcije s njima.In order to increase wine sales and achieve the best possible market placement, it is essential to know the needs of consumers as they react to different marketing strategies. The aim of this paper was to determine how many wineries use the tools and opportunities of digital marketing while also researching how much consumers notice the marketing content of individual wineries. A survey was conducted on a sample of 152 consumers and 50 wineries in the Republic of Croatia. Most wineries use digital marketing tools and capabilities such as having websites and social media profiles. Despite this, many feel that they are not investing enough time and money into digital marketing. Accordingly, the survey showed that only a small share of consumers visit and follow wineries on social media. In the digital marketing of wineries, consumers consider the availability of information and a realistic presentation of the winery as the most important features. Trust was also shown to be an important factor. If the consumers believe the source of information that will greatly influence their purchase decision. The results of the research show that the corona crisis resulted in a drop in wine sales at most wineries which resulted in them changing their way of doing business. The paper provides solutions that could help wineries in attracting followers, i.e., potential customers and achieve better interactions with them