SUSTAINABILITY AND OMNICHANNEL STRATEGIES IN THE ITALIAN WINE INDUSTRY

The sustainability issue in the Italian wine industry is increasingly gaining momentum. The general principles about sustainability, given by the Organisation of vine and Wine (OIV) in the 2016, are about environmental, social, economic and cultural stances. Indeed, sustainability is not only the respect of the environment, the reduction of wastes and pollution and the biodiversity, but it is also linked to social, cultural and economic dimensions. The intangible aspects such as the culture, the landscape, the history, the traditions and the human capital that is contained in a bottle of wine are the basis for sustainable quality, from the vineyards to the wine. Wineries today leverage on sustainability in order to obtain a competitive advantage, efficiency and brand image. However consumers are still not always aware about the characteristics of a sustainable product and thus they are not always willing to pay a higher price for it. The aim of the paper is to investigate how in particular small and medium Italian wineries implement sustainable practices and the impact of omnichannel strategies on the communication of sustainability issues to consumers. In order to pursue this aim we collected data through a survey involving more than 100 Italian small and medium wineries and 15 direct in-depth interviews to wineries’ managers and key informants. Findings suggest that the sustainability challenge is becoming a “must have” for small and medium Italian wineries and that their focus is increasingly on the relationship with the different stakeholders but in particular with the consumers in order to co-define and a co-create value. Wineries still prefer to communicate the nature of their products through the physical contact and for this reason they organize activities in the cellar and promote the discovery of the “terroir” with winery tours, wine 34 tastings and lunches with local products. Nevertheless, the most advanced ones have started to introduce the use of social media and have launched e-commerce platforms. Interestingly, the integration of off-line and on- line strategies is impacting both on the development of sustainable practices and their diffusion among consumers through the creation of a unique and seamless experience.