The wine sector has always been seen as a traditional sector, but in recent years technology and innovations introduced in the wine sector have managed to change this perception. The use of new interactive technologies, such as Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality, have generated new methods of promotion and sales, managing to create new channels and forms of communication with the wine consumer and attract new segments of the population such as the young public.
A great example of success implementing Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in the wine sector is Grandes Vinos, a winery based in the region of Cariñena that throughout its long history has always tried to combine its experience and tradition in the cultivation with the latest innovations that have been emerging in the market, the result of the use of new emerging technologies.
On our last visit to the winery, we had the opportunity to chat with Manuel García, its marketing director, who has been the validator and promoter of the use of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in the company, putting his trust in DeuSens Hyperexperience since 2015.
Technology and innovation applied to the tradition of wine
It is clear that the wine sector can be considered a traditional sector, due to the deep-rooted custom of producing and consuming wine that exists in our country, in all its possible varieties and forms. But, despite this marked traditional character that surrounds the sector, this like all others, does not escape the passage of time and the arrival of new technologies that serve to innovate and improve the work process from the vineyard to the point of sale.
Manuel himself told us that "Grandes Vinos is a story of union that was born in 1997 uniting 700 families of wine growers in the Campo de Cariñena region. We have always tried to innovate, to be at the forefront in all fields, from the vineyard, the winery and of course also in marketing and commercialization."
Our CEO, Álvaro Monzón, also wanted to emphasize that "one of the things we like most about working with Grandes Vinos is that, in this 6-year relationship, it has been demonstrated how in a sector as traditional as the wine industry, innovative and different things can be done, which also reap success.
Use of Virtual Reality in the wine industry
The first major Hyperexperience conducted between DeuSens and Grandes Vinos took place in 2015, a time when Virtual Reality was barely known only within the entertainment world, and not at all being used in the business environment. Despite this, Manuel knew how to see the potential of this technology and wanted to give it a chance to incorporate it into the company.
Manuel told us about this fact saying that "in 2015 we met DeuSens and we already started with Virtual Reality experiences, at that time with a roller coaster that went through the vineyards and then already the following year with Augmented Reality experiences especially in the brands of El Circo and Beso de Vino. "
This is how in 2015 we developed a roller coaster in Virtual Reality that toured the vineyards and the interior of the winery of Grandes Vinos with the aim of showing its facilities and its brand value in a different, more entertaining and above all memorable way. This Hyperexperience was used by Grandes Vinos in several fairs of its sector, with the aim of attracting and surprising potential customers at its stand and also positioning itself as a pioneering and disruptive company by being the first winery to bring this technology to a fair. Regarding the use of this Virtual Reality Hyperexperience, Manuel assured that "the WOW effect we achieved was very important, we took it to several fairs and it was super noticeable. "
Manuel himself also told us that "we are very fond of all the projects but perhaps the roller coaster in Virtual Reality, being the first, was the novelty and very shocking". Álvaro also commented that "the first project we developed together with Grandes Vinos was exciting for both parties. "
Without a doubt, Virtual Reality has always proven itself as a technology capable of generating tremendously realistic sensations in the users who try it. This is because it replaces the visual and auditory stimuli through the Virtual Reality device needed to use it, managing to teleport the user to any other place or reality, in this case to the Grandes Vinos vineyards and winery. Manuel quickly realized this capability of Virtual Reality and commented that "it was quite curious to see how many of the people who tried the Hyperexperience had to hold on to the chair feeling a sense of vertigo, even though we made the roller coaster a bit soft so as not to scare anyone. "
Augmented Reality applied to wine bottles
After the notorious success generated through the use of Virtual Reality, in 2017 Grandes Vinos decided to also start implementing Augmented Reality in its wine bottle marketing process.
In this case, with the aim of attracting young audiences, less connected to wine culture but fully connected to the latest technologies, they decided to create Augmented Reality Hyperexperiences applied to the wine bottles of their brands El Circo and Beso de Vino, aimed at this typology of customer.
In this way, by using a Smartphone, users pointing at the wine bottles, which acted as a marker, could visualize interactive 3D animations through Augmented Reality, which integrated them into the real space. The different varieties of the brands El Circo and Beso de Vino, had different animations through which a storytelling that aimed to surprise and connect more with the target audience was generated.
Manuel detailed how these Augmented Reality animations are: "Circus is a range of varietals in which each variety is a circus performer. What you see thanks to Augmented Reality is a tent in which the artists are doing their different games, acrobatics, jumps and juggling, making an incredible show. In the case of Beso de Vino, the character Antonio, who is the protagonist of the brand, has been doing various things, from harvesting and bottling his own wine, to traveling the world and jumping in a plane in Moscow to share it with consumers in that country, and today what he is doing is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Real Zaragoza Cup, in a tribute experience to the team of which we are sponsors with Beso de Vino. "
The importance of innovating in the wine sector
One aspect that has been key in the journey of Grandes Vinos has been, as Manuel himself has already mentioned, to be able to innovate in all aspects of the company. In the marketing and commercialization section, the irruption of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality by the hand of DeuSens has been decisive to achieve that brand differentiation so necessary and valued and that all companies seek to achieve.
In this regard, Manuel comments that "the truth is that the wine sector is super fragmented and there are thousands of wineries, thousands of brands, and we have to differentiate ourselves. I have to say that I think we are still one step ahead of them, that our experiences are more like Hyperexperiences and I think we have to keep leading, innovating and bringing out different things to stay one step ahead of them, because the truth is that Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are here to stay, also in the wine sector. "
If there is something that the use of these new technologies can achieve is differentiation and brand impact, surprising the consumer and bringing extra value to the user experience. Its use has become popular in recent years, not only in the wine sector where Grandes Vinos is a benchmark for innovation, but in many other sectors, such as in Industry 4.0 businesses, in mass consumption sectors, or even generating new training and learning methods.
Many people consider, despite the fact that its use can generate multiple advantages at a business level, that the cost of implementing technologies such as Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality is still too high to which Manuel comments that "people ask me and still surprise me, since I do not consider these experiences at all expensive since their value for money is excellent and they generate a lot more than what they cost. "
The future of the relationship between DeuSens and Grandes Vinos
Our business journey has always been tremendously linked to Grandes Vinos. It all started by being our first customer 6 years ago and since then has accompanied us during our growth, betting on new technologies that were emerging and always relying on Hyperexperience as its method of technological innovation and differentiation from all its competitors.
About the business relationship we share, Manuel emphasized that "the truth is that the relationship has been very good, it is practically like another department of the company and it is no longer a relationship of supplier but of partner and colleagues. DeuSens has always put on the hat of Grandes Vinos to do the projects well, there have been many hours of work and many anecdotes. We are very fond of all the projects."
On the other hand, about the future of this business relationship that unites us, Álvaro commented that "we have some project in mind together with Grandes Vinos, but we cannot reveal much at the moment. What we can say is that it is going to be as always: innovative, different and eager to surprise the market."
Technological trends in the wine sector
As we have already mentioned, the wine sector has not been left behind, even though it is considered a traditional sector, and has evolved and innovated a great deal in recent years. By way of summary, here is a list of the major innovations that wineries are incorporating throughout the process, from production to the marketing of wine:
Capturing consumer data using an interactive photocall
