The Chinese market is increasingly moving towards the digital world and even the wine sector is populated by important online players. The platforms can be divided in general marketplaces, on which are sold all product categories, and vertical ones, specialized in the wine sector.
Considering merely the key players, among the first the two dominant subjects are Tmall (Alibaba group, holds approximately 58% market share) and JD.com (22%), while Yesmywine.com, Jiumei.com, GJW.com, Vinehoo.com and 99mi.com are leading the specialized sites.
Omnichannel does not mean (only) ecommerce, but describes a much more complex system, which requires a clear strategy for communication, promotion and sale of products, through an integrated action on various channels, among which brick-and-mortar store is still fundamental.
Open a virtual store or have a virtual store on Tmall or JD.com without having drawn up an omnichannel strategy first, often entails very high costs for start-up and management, which unsustainable in a medium term, especially if sales, as often happens, struggle to take off.
Therefore, it is essential to have clear ideas and a solid strategy, resulting in a business plan focused on omnichannel distribution drawn up by advisors expert on the Chinese market. In fact, there are many aspects to be taken into account: protection of the brand, import of products, warehousing and logistics, agreements with the virtual store manager and distributors (both online and offline), management of promotional activities on the internet and social media, customer care, etc.