Evaluating UberVINO as an e-Intermediary in the Wine Tourism Industry: Findings from Adelaide

Internet advances are changing the way consumer select, buy and consume wine and wine tourism experiences. Wine research has boomed investigating the impact of internet and social media on wine demand and supply, while research in wine tourism is lagging behind. To target and satisfy the new wine tourists, wineries increasingly use online channels and intermediaries to promote and sell their wine tourism offerings, but without any robust decision-making process, knowledge and criteria. To address this gap, this study reviews literature related to (e-)intermediaries in tourism in order to provide a theoretical understanding about the benefits, the costs and the criteria for using e-intermediaries in the wine tourism sector. The applicability and the practical implications of this theory are shown by discussing the business model and the value proposition of a new e-intermediary entering the wine distribution chain, (namely UberVINO) as well as by collecting primary data from wineries in Adelaide Hills (South Australia) whereby UberVINO was offered as a service for several months in 2017. Wineries were interviewed about the factors influencing their decision to use (or not to use) UberVINO and the criteria they (would have) used for assessing the UberVINO performance. The study revealed that despite the promised benefits of UberVINO, wineries have also expressed several concerns and risks related to financial, marketing, strategic and operational disadvantages and costs. Overall, the findings provide a useful evaluation framework and criteria based on which wineries can select and evaluate e-intermediaries for promoting and selling their offerings. The chapter concludes by providing ideas for future research and practical implications for wineries and wine destination management organizations alike.