The Influence of COVID-19 on Online Sales in the Wine Sector: A Portuguese Case Study

Abstract

COVID-19 reinforced the adoption of an online sales strategy, with e-commerce proven to be an asset in achieving positive results. Based on this premise, a case study was developed in the wine sector, to identify a strategic model for the implementation and management of a virtual store. The simultaneous presence of businesses in the largest number of distribution channels is the differentiating factor in the wine sector, as it currently has an extremely attractive market dynamics for its stakeholders. A qualitative methodological case study was developed analyzing the wine sector e-commerce in the context of a theoretical model. The conclusions highlight an increase of online sales in the wine sector in Portugal, and consequently, the importance of creating a virtual store. The growth of the B2C online sales channel indicates there is ‘divergence’ from the traditional offline B2B sales channel. There is resistance by the B2B sales model to adopt online B2C, but despite this, the wine sector favoring e-commerce has seen a boost in sales profits. Pandemic restrictions reduced consumer physical contact which is a limitation of this single case study.