Social Commerce in the Wine Sector: An Exploratory Research Study of the Italian Market

Piero Mastroberardino, Giuseppe Calabrese, Flora Cortese and Miriam Petracca
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Piero Mastroberardino: Department of Economics, University of Foggia, Management and Territory, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Giuseppe Calabrese: Department of Economics, University of Foggia, Management and Territory, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Flora Cortese: Law Faculty, Giustino Fortunato University, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Miriam Petracca: Law Faculty, Giustino Fortunato University, 82100 Benevento, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: The development of Web 2.0 technologies and social media, along with the emergence of wikis, blogs, online communities, and social networks, has rapidly transformed e-commerce. This phenomenon is commonly known as social commerce, an evolution of e-commerce characterized by a strong customer orientation. The aim of this paper is to understand the support of social commerce for e-commerce. We conducted an exploratory analysis of the Italian wine market via in-depth interviews with experts in the wine business: three wine producers and three companies running an online wine business. The interviews were recorded with the consent of the interviewees and transcribed, and their content was analyzed through content analysis. In particular, an analysis grid was created, following a closed procedure, with an ex-ante definition of the categories of analysis. Our results reveal that the COVID-19 outbreak has given a significant boost to digital transformation and online purchases in the wine sector. While some operators in the sector have merely undergone this change, others have been riding the wave, trying to benefit from it.

Keywords: e-commerce; social commerce; wine sector; Italian market; wine producers; online wine businesses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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