Israel Romero / Monday, January 17, 2022 / Categories: Blog How to Successfully Sell in Europe: The Made-in-Spain Gourmet Recipe Selling Successfully in Europe Many producers would like to sell more across Europe. But the vast majority succumb to distributors as the only option for internationalization. Europe is our common market, and there are other formulas. Made in Spain Gourmet has its own. Internationalize or die The recommender: a key figure A long-term effort Every week we receive countless proposals from Spanish producers who want to put their products on our platform MadeinSpain.store. There is a common denominator: we have a very attractive website in terms of the categories and products we offer. Some identify with those brands, and others aspire to be alongside them because the quality of their products is similar. Bingo! That is one of our objectives: to be the home for the best Spanish gourmet brands and products. And now comes the question — when we ask them if they want to sell in Europe, everyone says yes, and some claim they already do, with some success, even if it is through distributors. But the vast majority do not yet do it, or their presence is very sporadic. What is certain is that the sensitivity with which we work is hard to find elsewhere. Explaining the differences compared to other products, their strengths, and doing so with that good gourmand approach — someone who knows these products, who buys them regularly and understands their real price, what it costs to produce them, and how good and distinctive they are. Internationalize or die Essential, necessary and indispensable… or we will die trying. That is the obsession we want to convey to producers 24/7. The product and, above all, the brand need to be known and recognized in the international market. If not, we will always fall into the trap of others selling our products. And who should be the people best able to convey our differentiating points to the market? Currently, almost exclusively they are the distributors and importers in each country. But are we sure that this is the best option? Absolutely not. And we say this from the experience we already have in our business and others related to building trust through people and what we communicate. Spain is still not a country recognized in terms of branding in Europe, and that prestige is not achieved overnight. It requires time and a long journey (brand recognition, excellent positioning in key stores, lots of international media content about the brand, and a strong digital marketing presence). We lag far behind Italy and France in positioning — not in quality — and that is because their marketing investment is much more consistent and, above all, coherent, since they back their own brands. How? By investing in the brand at a digital level. Because without investing in your own brand digitally, it is very difficult to grow in the international market. The recommender: a key figure The gourmet market is different, very demanding, and reaching the end customer is far from easy — quite the opposite. The figure of the recommender becomes indispensable for being recognized as a brand and being purchased by the final customer or consumer. Recommendation is so important because the gourmet market is highly fragmented, and it is very hard to know all the gourmet brands. That’s where people who recommend products based on their gastronomic criteria play a major role. That is why, at Made in Spain Gourmet, we believed from the beginning that we should be the ones recommending Spanish gourmet products to all European consumers. For their quality, their packaging, their storytelling, and because of our relationship with the owners. In this way, we committed to taking responsibility as recommenders for the products featured on our website, thus giving our personal guarantee to all of them. A long-term effort Despite knowing everything we must do, the work is arduous and long-term. You must create an extensive content plan, including articles, videos, social media posts, Google Ads, and a weekly — or at most every two weeks — newsletter, because otherwise you won’t notice the change in trend. Remember that the website should be in several languages (the more, the better) to make the message as easy as possible, and payment methods too — the more options, the easier it is to obtain a positive conversion. We recommend external help from professional companies expert in digital marketing, but only if they demonstrate knowledge of the gastronomic and European markets, because what would be done in Spain alone does not necessarily work across Europe. Remember that European consumers rank France or Italy far ahead of Spain in country-brand positioning, so if we want to close the gap we must get closer to the end consumer — how? Online. Does this really work? In one year we are already selling in 12 countries of the European Union, and each month surpasses the previous one in demand for Spanish gourmet products across Europe. But there is still much to do. 2022 will be a year of constant reinvestment to continue growing in our old Europe. And let us not forget that, thanks to all the investment in digital marketing, Spain is a country that every day buys more and better online. Yes, it really works. A Very Made-in-Spain Gourmet Pairing: Jamón, Cava, and Fino Legumes: time-honored ingredients that are back in style Print 3 Rate this article: No rating Tags: gourmetMade in SpainSpaininternationalization Please login or register to post comments.