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Harpers London Wine Fair debate: how consumers can power growth in your business

Published:  09 May, 2014

How major brands and retailers are succeeding in making their customers their biggest business assets through peer to peer recommendations, social media, online clubs and communities will be the focus of the Harpers Debate at this year's London Wine Fair.

Harpers will look to draw on the advice and experience of both those in the trade and outside branding, publishing and social media experts to analyse the whole area of what has become known as "peer to peer" communications and what it can mean for your business.

Major grocery and retail brands are already putting consumers at the heart of their business strategies, even asking their "fans" on Facebook pages and Twitter followers to help them decide which new products they should release.

Get it right and the impact can be enormous not only in ensuring your brand or business is following the direction your customers want it to take, but in terms of the contact and loyalty it can drive with your customers.

This debate will look at how peer to peer recommendations and consumer feedback is being used in the wine industry with first hand experience from inside the trade from key figures at Laithwaites' and Naked Wines on how they are using their customers to shape their forward strategy.

Naked Wines' trading model is even based on consumers investing up front in the wines the business then goes on to source and sell back to them.

The debate will also hear from branding and social media consultants who have worked with major brands on driving a consumer, peer to peer strategy. These include Harpers columnist, Mark Fiddes of IdeaMotel, who has worked on brand development projects for the likes of Jaguar, Nivea and Oreo, and Neil Hallmark Manifest London, which has helped maverick brewer, BrewDog, go as far as get its customers to invest in its business through crowd funding schemes.

It will also look at how publishing companies are now working with brands and retailers to maximise their relationships with their customers through building online communities and forums.

The debate will also look at how retailers, both big and small, are adapting the traditional wine club model to get those members far more actively involved in the business.

Speakers confirmed include Robin Langton, buyer, Laithwaites', Ray O'Connor, wine director at Naked Wines, Mark Fiddes, founder, IdeaMotel, and Manifest Communications.

The debate takes place on June 2 at the London Wine Fair in Olympia between 11am and 12.30pm.

To register then please email Richard.siddle@wrbm,com.

The full wording of the debate is:

"How to make your customers your most important business assets: hear from experts from both inside and outside the wine industry how retailers, wine brands and producers are using their customers to sell, promote and drive their business strategy through peer to peer recommendations, social media, online clubs and communities."

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