A collaborative marketplace in the alcohol sector? [Interview with TrocWine]

Digitalisation, mobile applications, e-commerce, geolocation… the wine and spirits sector is being turned upside down by all these innovations serving new ways of consuming. In the overview we started in the autumn, we missed the collaborative platforms that are shaking up the traditional players in many sectors. Today I meet Arthur Tutin, the founder of TrocWine: the first exchange platform

Hello Arthur and first of all happy birthday as TrocWine.com blew out its first candle a little while ago. Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

i started my entrepreneurial journey in 2010 with my bachelor’s degree in hand. I launched Bee of the World, which promised to unearth and help people discover rare and untouched honeys. That’s how I got a taste for unearthing exceptional wines

And is this how you came up with the idea of TrocWine?

in part. Historically, it is indeed an idea that was in my head. I had a series of exchanges with the blogger MissVickyWine who organises Vinocamp. I presented my idea during a session in Lisbon and I received the public prize.This reinforced my idea of getting started quickly. Once the structure had been set up and the funds found, I opened TrocWine in November 2015.

TrocWine is the way to diversify one’s cellar on an isolated budget. It is also a way to return to the pillars of wine: exchange and sharing

How does TrocWine work?

a diagram is better than a long explanation.

Did you have any surprises during this first year ?

the fact that professionals (wine merchants, but also châteaux!) also use the platform to diversify their own cellar!

TrocWine in a few figures ?

• 1000 customers (90% amateurs, 5% experts, 5% neophytes)
• 1000 references of bottles (90% of which are Grands Crus and Premiers Crus)

What are TrocWine’s plans for 2017?

we have several projects in the pipeline, but for the moment I can only communicate on the development of TrocParty. Indeed, we organise events dedicated to bottle exchange, to which we add tastings, all in atypical gastronomic places. The participants will benefit each time from negotiated rates on the menu. We wish to continue the development of these events

How will wine and spirits consumption evolve over the next few years?

• People are tending to reduce the volume in favour of quality wines. This more targeted consumption will increase the number of wine lovers.
• Digital technology reduces the number of intermediaries. Direct-to-consumer consumption will take an increasingly significant share of the overall market with a likely consequence: a reduction in the price of the final product. According to the latest SoWine barometer 2016, 50% of online purchases were made directly from the producer this year!
• Specialised e-commerce will become more popular, as the success of the sites LesGrappes.com and WineRépublik.com can attest.

however, we buy a wine when we know it. Believing that a name and a photo of a label will be enough to convince the consumer to buy online is a mistake.

There is therefore a general work of all the actors to democratize wine. Digital, video, online communities… are so many communication levers and channels to evangelize the consumer

You are also one of the founding members of WineTech, a group of start-ups whose aim is to help traditional players to become digital for the benefit of the consumer. How do you see the wine and spirits sector evolving?

the objective of WineTech is twofold

• First of all, to bring wine closer to the general public via digital (application, e-commerce, blog, video, artificial intelligence, etc.). In this sense, the effort is to evangelise as I was referring to before.
• It is also a collective of innovative and concrete initiatives that work to convince traditional players to undertake their digital transformation at a lower cost. I don’t hide the fact that we are also grouping together to increase our visibility within the global French start-up ecosystem.

One last thing to add?

yes, it would be interesting for your readers to share some of the results of the latest studies. I’m thinking in particular of the IFOP survey for Vin & Société but also the latest SoWine barometer.

It’s done, thank you Arthur and enjoy!