Israel Romero / Thursday, December 2, 2021 / Categories: Internacionalización The Spanish gourmet market needs to invest more in its brands to gain market share in Europe. The Spanish gourmet market Made in Spain Gourmet has conducted its own study of the European gourmet market and Spain does not come off very well. Italy and France remain the Kings of Europe Made in Spain Gourmet: first‑hand, direct experience Spanish gourmet products are not known abroad, and their price is distrusted If you don’t invest in the brand, you don’t exist Europe is a huge market History shows that Spain played a leading role in the construction of Europe, being for several centuries one of the most respected powers across the old continent. But as we lost territorial dominance, we also lost importance in intra‑community trade. And unfortunately, that trend has continued to grow — but in a negative direction. Italy and France remain the Kings of Europe Throughout the 20th century, when the race to conquer the world’s gastronomic markets began, two Mediterranean countries have always been ahead of the others: France and Italy. And not only in old Europe — they have conquered other continents where we are still awaited: such as the Americas or Asia. An insulting and revealing example: in a series like Boardwalk Empire, inspired by 1920s North America, when the “Prohibition” era began, the wealthy class of New York’s East Coast and Atlantic City drank… Moet Chandon!!! Even in 2021, it remains a pipe dream to think of Catalan premium Cava as a substitute for Champagne. But we are not exactly eager to narrow that gap. Spanish extra virgin olive oil faces fierce competition from Italy, but not because their production is similar to ours or because their quality is superior to Spain’s — it is because their positioning in Europe is simply much stronger. And the best part is that a significant amount of the EVOO they export to our continent is of… Spanish origin!! Yes, Spanish. If the bottle contains 12% Italian oil (even if the remaining 88% is Spanish), it is allowed to be labeled as Italian. Fraud? Let’s call it politics. But if we want that to change, we must be the ones selling our oil directly to the European market, as Spanish. Made in Spain Gourmet: first‑hand, direct experience We have had the website operational since October 2020 — a year to take stock of our journey as the only Spanish online shop that sells exclusively Spanish gourmet products. And we have to say we are very satisfied with what we have achieved so far. Daily orders from Spain and from across Europe, repeat customers, and we have become their reference in the gourmet world. If we could sum up in one phrase what has made us a successful shop, it is the lack of awareness of Spain’s high quality. There are many Spanish gourmet products across Europe, but they are disorganized and scattered; we are always stigmatized as cheap products, always. And don’t even think about comparing us to the Italians and the French, because the perception that their products are always better means you can’t question their prices — whereas ours are questioned when they are high and the product is unknown. Spanish gourmet products are not known abroad, and their price is distrusted What we have most perceived in Europe, in conversations with potential customers who later became customers after talking with us, is that Spanish brands are simply not known. And that generates distrust around prices. Our quality is put into question compared to products that are comparable to those from other Mediterranean countries (Italy and France) because of this lack of awareness, and consumers tend not to choose the Spanish product. Much more effort is needed to explain their quality and background, and although we are persuasive and persistent, we don’t always win. In fact, some tell us we’re crazy to sell at those prices (which, by the way, are directly agreed with the Spanish producers), because Spanish products are always thought to be cheaper. We still carry that burden on our shoulders. This is most noticeable in the wine sector. Names like Rioja or Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Bierzo, Albariño or Penedés are not as powerful in Europe as Bourgogne, Bordeaux or Barolo. And even when Spanish wines are discovered, and they are repeatedly praised, there is still a long way to go to secure a place among the continental elite. And of course, without awareness, wine orders are scarce, although the potential is enormous. If you don’t invest in the brand, you don’t exist I know this may sound, first, very blunt, and second, very negative. But it’s the truth. Competition on the internet to achieve positioning has increased enormously in 2021, and without a complete, professional digital marketing plan, you’re a drop of water in an ocean. At Made in Spain Gourmet, when we created the project, we knew that without that monthly marketing budget our shop wouldn’t survive three months open. Creating attractive content on a constant basis is essential to organically position your brand on the internet. Content is essential and cannot be taken lightly. A professional plan of different types of content (about the brand, about the market, recipes, products, etc.) is required. First, this differentiates you from the competition and second, it helps you rank on Google. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Investment in SEM (paid search on Google to drive traffic to us), social media, promotions, link building, commercial actions, having a website perfectly prepared for online sales, translated into no fewer than 4–6 languages, having a payment system as open as possible to the different types of European payments (there are many and in some cases they are unlike those in Spain), and as you can see, these are tasks with no end. In other words, they will be constant and will probably increase. Investment in digital marketing is essential and will become increasingly important. For that, you must be very cautious about how and where to invest. Investing in advertising when the brand is not positioned is throwing money away. Only when the brand is well positioned and has a steady conversion of sales should you consider advertising on Facebook, Instagram, etc. Not before. Made in Spain Gourmet has not stopped investing in the brand and everything related to the digital environment from day one. That is why we are in the top position for the concept Made in Spain and on the first page for other concepts that define us (for discretion and so as not to give clues to the competition, we will not reveal the other keywords). Europe is a huge market The average order values in Spain have surprised us by consistently being between €60 and €90 on average, and there are areas such as the Canary Islands that rise to €150 per order. The variety of products customers buy from us shows there is great interest in discovering and trying our products. Because in Spain it is easier to recognize the quality of “our own.” However, orders from Europe are much more attractive in terms of average order values, which quickly rise to €150–€200 with relative ease. Quality, access to a wide variety, content about the products to learn about them, speed of delivery (3–4 days on average) and, of course, price, lead us to tell our producers to focus on this market much more than on more distant ones. Demand grows every day, and it will grow much more, but if people don’t know you, little of that will reach you. We remain far behind the two leading Mediterranean countries, and only we can close that gap. Brands that do not invest in their brand as much as in the product will not achieve the space they desire. Perfect Pairings: A Wine for Every Iberian Cured Meat Younger generations know how to enjoy gourmet cuisine. Print 2 Rate this article: No rating Please login or register to post comments.