PUNICO LIQUORI S.R.L. COMPANY

Report on the activities carried out in the framework of the activities under the OP FESR 2014/20, action 3.4.2 “Incentives to purchase support services for internationalization”

The activity carried out by the company Punico Liquori s.r.l. as part of the funded project, it consisted first of all in the preparation of a set of tools necessary to start the export business.

With the support of the temporary export manager, an accurate planning of participation in the important trade fairs included in the presented plan was developed. The preparation first consisted in the design of the exhibition stand, entrusted to a specialized company, in the identification of the stocks to be sent to the fair for tastings, in the organization of the trip with the purchase of airline tickets and in the choices relating to accommodation. of the operators who would have attended the demonstrations.

A second very important aspect consisted in the definition of the price lists for abroad, also based on the evaluation of the carriers and the relative transport costs, of the excise duties, in the selection of the privileged channels for abroad (for example ho.re.ca, traditional distribution and large-scale distribution) and in the definition of the related discount scales by channel and quantity.

The next step consisted in the preparation and redesign of the communication material to support internationalization. To this end, the website has been completely restructured and the iconographic equipment and, in particular, the pack shots have been completely revised. The new website, essential for presenting itself to foreign operators in a professional and exhaustive way, has been rebuilt in order to be user friendly, optimized for SEO with the aim of rising in the ranking in Italy and abroad, and responsive, for a correct use from any type of device, mobile phone, tablet or PC, with any resolution. Above all, the site was also published in English, in order to be understood by foreign buyers and consumers. The social media marketing strategy on the main channels was also reinforced.

One of the main aspects of communication abroad is the translation and printing of the product sheets in English and, above all, the design of a prestigious bilingual company brochure. This communication material, combined with web marketing, contributed to an effective image strategy and made it possible to provide technically detailed information to buyers before, during and after sales negotiations, on aspects such as, for example, ingredients and units. of packaging.

With this equipment, the company participated in Vinitaly 2019, enjoying great success, with a corner stand open in the area intended for producers in the wine and liqueur sector of Sicily, one of the sections most followed by visitors to the Veronese exhibition. During the event, hundreds of first-time contacts were developed and 33, more qualified, with buyers from the following countries, in addition to Italy: USA, Germany, Spain, Andorra, Slovenia, Switzerland, Estonia and China.Participation in Vinitaly also made it possible to carry out marketing analyzes directly with commercial intermediaries on the levers of the product, communication, price and distribution channels. The German and Chinese buyers have shown to appreciate in particular the three leading products of the Marsala company, namely Amaro Punico, Limoncello and Zahare, a liqueur with orange blossom flowers studied, in particular but not only, to attack the ho.re.ca. for out-of-home consumption occasions.Upon return to the headquarters, a follow-up on all the contacts developed followed, with the sending of e-mails, offers and collaboration proposals for importers and commercial agents operating in Italy and abroad.A further exhibition action, in cooperation with a business partner, took place in November 2019 at the Merano Wine Festival, one of the most important food and wine events in Europe, which is organized by Gourmet’s International in November, at the Kurhaus in the South Tyrolean city. The peculiarity of this event is that commercial operators have the opportunity to taste culinary specialties prepared by well-known chefs and paired with wines and spirits from all over the world.Also in this case, numerous contacts were developed, which were subsequently resumed with a specific follow-up activity.The information on the markets, on the potential of the products and on the opportunities for consumption in the target markets constitute one of the substantial effects of the activities carried out under the internationalization plan. They allow the company to confirm or reorient the choices made as part of the strategy to be developed abroad with its own strategic business units. In general, the interviews held with commercial intermediaries during the trade fairs showed consumption habits similar to the domestic market: the products marketed by the company, abroad as in Italy, are mainly aimed at young people who experience alcohol. substantially in two ways: smooth, frozen and / or mixed, with a consumption mainly at night that must be sought in the two major channels: take-home through supermarkets and hypermarkets and between meals through bars, pubs and discos.Unfortunately, the forced stop due to the onset of the pandemic from Covid-19 has imposed a halt to the development of the internationalization strategy and will force a thorough review of planned activities.