Multi-variable analyses of marketing by wine producers

Domán, Szilvia

Keywords: wine distribution, sales problems, cluster analysis, plant size

The following conclusions are clear from the evaluation:
Being aware of the challenges facing national wine producing enterprises we can state that none of the answers are universally valid for all the enterprises as this field is far too heterogeneous.
It is appropriate to deal separately with the three typical categories of wine producing enterprises whose current positions, market behaviours, and perspectives are extremely different and thus their strategies may also differ.
The situation for medium-sized enterprises seems to be critical, since they are too big to exploit marketing channels used by small enterprises (which channels seem likely to survive), but too small to appear in large supermarket chains where large scale enterprises are usually represented. The uncertainty of the wholesale and retail trade as well as their underdeveloped networks would pose too great a risk for them, consequently holding these enterprises back from the developments necessary for expansion.
The situation is not too promising for small enterprises, since an increase in their production would not offer them a more favourable position while changes in consumer demand and preferences make classical marketing channels (sales directly to taverns and consumers) uncertain.
As a consequence, cooperation of a different depth, content and form is suggested for small and medium-sized enterprises, in which flexibility deriving from their small scale may be combined with the advantages of network functions (co-ordinated appearance in the market, technological developments, innovations, procurements, etc.). For the development of network co-operation, governmental assistance (national, regional and local) is inevitable, primarily in providing favourable initial conditions.

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