BEST PRODUCTS AND COUNTRIES FOR ONLINE FOOD INDUSTRY EXPORTS. e-business Issue.

Transcription

1 emarket Services hace más fácil el uso de los mercados electrónicos para los negocios internacionales BEST PRODUCTS AND COUNTRIES FOR ONLINE FOOD INDUSTRY EXPORTS By Geraldine Luque Departamento de prensa y medios de Solostocks.com e-business Issue November 2012

2 Abstract In this article, the B2B e-marketplace Solostocks.com, which operates in 12 countries in Europe and Latin America, tells us (based on the results of its own platform) which countries are most likely to generate online sales leads in the food industry, and which products in this highly active sector are bought the most in those countries. One of the conclusions drawn from the study is that non-alcoholic beverages, oils and alcoholic beverages provide the best opportunities for e-commerce in the food and beverage industry since they generate the most B2B activity. According to Solostock s biannual indicator of activity on its international portals, nonalcoholic beverages, oils and alcoholic beverages present the best prospects for online sales in the food and beverage industry. SoloStocks has its own platform in France, Italy Germany Portugal and Poland in Europe, and is present in Latin America in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Colombia. SoloStocks is also in Morocco, a country that maintains constant trade relations with Europe. Of the 34 industries represented on SoloStocks, the food industry generates the most sales leads, 9.1% of the total. Beverages, oils and chocolates and sweets are the products in highest demand. The most active industry in generating buying leads In the first half of the year, from January to June 2012, SoloStocks received s with a total of 13,868 sales leads from food and beverage companies. That made the food and beverage industry the most active sector in generating sales leads during that period. Based on comprehensive data from all of the countries, 9.1% of all leads were from the food industry, well above industrial equipment, which with 6.9% ranked second out of the 34 industries represented. The 11 countries that are on SoloStocks have 18,490 food products. Brazil has the most for sale (4,273); and Argentina and Italy round off the top ranked countries with 2,633 and 2,558 products respectively. The best indicator of how the industry is doing abroad is the number of B2B sales leads based on those products. Brazil (with 4,724) and Argentina (2,344) still have the highest number of sales leads, while Mexico ranks third and Italy, fourth. November 2012 Page 2 of 11

3 COUNTRY % of sales leads Brazil 34,06% Argentina 16,90% Mexico 11,52% Italy 9,67% France 9,14% Colombia 6,15% Chile 4,65% Morocco 3,82% Poland 2,82% Germany 0,76% Portugal 0,49% Types of products sold According to SoloStocks own product classification, the food and beverage industry has 30 subsectors based on the nature of the product. Sales of beverages and oil are what have propelled this industry to the top of SoloStocks sales activity. Specifically, soft drinks, water and non-alcoholic beverages comprised 11.11% of industry contacts; oils, 10.86% and alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, liqueurs and spirits), 7.2%. November 2012 Page 3 of 11

4 SUBSECTOR % of sales leads Non-alcoholic beverages 11,11% Oils 10,86% Alcoholic beverages 7,02% Chocolate and Sweets 6,85% Canned foods 5,77% Frozen foods 5,17% Dairy products 4,97% Condiments, Herbs and Spices 4,81% Dried Fruits 3,44% Breads and Pastries 3,34% Meat and Cold Cuts 3,16% Food additives and Extracts 2,92% Flour and Starch 2,62% Fruits 2,54% Coffee 1,90% Cereals 1,84% Organic Foods 1,77% Ice-Creams 1,58% Dietic Food 1,57% Shellfish 1,38% Pasta 1,24% Rice 0,96% Legumes 0,88% Tea 0,79% Honey 0,71% vegetables 0,61% Infusions 0,45% Pizza 0,23% Prepared Foods 0,22% Baby Foods 0,15% Other Food and Beverages 9,12% In the following graphic, we can see the top ten of these categories and the rest of food and beverages categories are into a single group. November 2012 Page 4 of 11

5 10 subcategories with the highest number of sales leads Other Food and Beverages 37% Non-alcoholic beverages 11% Oils 11% Breads and Pastries 3% Dried Fruits 3% Condiments, Herbs and Spices 5% Dairy products 5% Frozen foods 5% Alcoholic beverages 7% Chocolate and Sweets 7% Canned foods 6% Most sought after products by country Having a platform for each of the countries where SoloStocks is present allows you to offer food products that are best sellers in each of those countries. Germany In Germany, the majority of B2B sales leads (45%) were generated by non-alcoholic beverages, followed by oils (15%), dairy products (14%) and alcoholic beverages (13%). The most sought after products indicate that German buyers are interested in dairy products: yogurt, cheese, milk and margarine are in highest demand. Italian mineral water, due to the reputation of its best known brands, is also high on the list. November 2012 Page 5 of 11

6 Greek Yogurt 4,76% Italian Mineral Water 3,97% Whole bean coffe 3,17% Aged Gouda cheese 2,38% Soybean margarine 2,07% Milk chocolate 1,98% Dairy products 1,76% Milk 1,59% Cheese 1,27% Iberico Ham 1,15% Argentina Oils received the highest number of sales leads in the first half of 2012, 26% of the country s total sales leads. Alcoholic beverages followed with 11%, meat and cold cuts, 8%, dairy products (6%), dried fruits (5%), canned foods (4%) and condiments, herbs and spices, 3.5%. German beer was the most highly sought product on SoloStocks Argentina during that period. Other products of interest included frozen pies and meat, chocolate candy and dried fruit. Local cheese varieties like Pategras and Fynbo were also in demand on SoloStocks. German beers 3,73% Customized chocolates 3,53% Frozen Pies 3,11% Dried fruits 2,90% Packham pear 2,70% Pategrás cheese 2,49% Wholesale meat 2,28% Soy milk pwder 2,07% Chocolate cigars 1,87% Fymbo cheese 1,66% November 2012 Page 6 of 11

7 Brazil The highest number of B2B sales leads (10%) was in the subcategory non-alcoholic beverages. The most sought after products in this category were energy drinks, followed by frozen products and condiments, herbs and spices (9% each). Among the products most in demand were natural products like propolis, chia seeds and soy, as well as alcoholic beverages used in tropical cocktails (cachaca and vodka). Propolis 14,23% Soy extract 6,39% Hot chocolate 4,95% Chia seeds 3,98% White corn semolina 3,62% Cachaca 2,77% Vanilin 2,65% Meat croquettes 2,53% Energetic beverages 2,41% Vodka 2,17% Chile The companies with most sales leads in Chile were from the subsector frozen products (21%). Dietetic foods (15%) and oils (10%) also generated leads. Local shellfish was above all, the most sought after product. Highest in demand were razor clams (10%), Chilean ribbed mussels (10%), Chilean blue mussels in fourth place with 5%, and jackknife clams placed eighth. Other options offering the most opportunities for Spanish producers and exporters are powdered milk, oils and gum. Razor clams 10,48% Chilean ribbed mussels 10,29% Powdered milk 8,27% Chilean blue mussels 5,15% Oil 4,04% Gum 3,49% Butter 2,76% Jackknife clams 2,57% Unsweetened jam 2,21% Tenderloin 2,02% November 2012 Page 7 of 11

8 Colombia The products that prompted the highest number of food industry sales leads in Colombia were oils (19% of the total). Frozen foods followed with 12%, and directly behind were additives and flavorings, condiments, canned foods and flour and starches. Above all, fruits and vegetables and typical Colombian products like Colombiharina, a processed food and Mogolla rolls were among the most sought after products. Chonto tomatoes 6,61% Energy drinks 5,95% Colombiharina 5,07% Scallions 4,19% Chicken feet 2,86% Mogolla 2,64% Sorbid acid 2,42% Passion fruit jam 2,20% Sour soup fruit 1,98% Paprika 1,76% France Again we find two of the most active sectors with the highest number of food industry sales leads offering companies the most opportunities: non-alcoholic beverages with 35%, and oils (18%). Chocolates and sweets are in third place among the most sought after products: candies nougat and chocolate cream are on the top ten list. Among the products in highest demand on SoloStocks France are brand name soft drinks (Oasis and Coca-cola), dried fruit like dried apricot s and Corinthian currants, and sunflower oil. Candys 4,09% Chocolates 3,59% Oasis soft drink 2,35% Coca-cola 1,73% Dried apricots 1,61% Nougat 1,49% Chocolate cream 1,36% Corinthian currants 1,12% Sunflower oil 0,99% Tunisian spices 0,87% November 2012 Page 8 of 11

9 Italy From January to June 2012 nearly 40% of the sales leads on SoloStocks Italy were in the beverage category, with non-alcoholic beverages generating 19.4% of the leads and alcoholic beverages another 19.2%. Chocolates and sweets followed with 16%, and also of note were canned foods (9%), oils (7%) and dairy products (7%). Among the most sought after products were different varieties of cheeses and of lettuce, ice cream and energy drinks, which are in demand in practically all of the countries. Ice-creams 6,33% Read leaf lettuce 4,69% Dietic candy 4,29% Energy drinks 3,47% Cantadou spreadable cheese 2,86% Handcrafted candies 2,24% Shropshire cheese 2,04% Mimolette cheese 1,84% Oak leaf lettuce 1,63% Amaro liquor 1,63% Morocco The majority of food industry sales leads in Morocco were in the canned foods category (29%). Ice cream got 13%, chocolates and sweets 9%, and dairy products another 9%. Ice cream and yogurt, with 10% of the searches, were among the products that received the most sales leads, while the rest of the products saw modest demand. Ice-creams 5,17% Yogurt 4,80% Tuna 3,69% Merendina cupcakes 2,58% Cookies 2,21% Drinkable yogurt 1,85% Slush syrup 1,48% Dextrose 1,23% Tomato paste 1,04% Coarse salt 0,85% November 2012 Page 9 of 11

10 Mexico Most of the food industry sales leads on SoloStocks Mexico were for dried fruits (15% of the total). Condiments, herbs and spices followed with 11%, and organic foods with 7%. Behind them were bread and pastries (6%), chocolate and sweets (5%) and legumes. Non-alcoholic beverages received 3.5% of the food industry sales leads while alcoholic beverages got only 1.7%, far behind other countries. Geoduck clams 8,17% Flour 6,09% Probiotic drinks 5,74% Spicy chili sauce 4,00% Peanuts 3,83% Amaranth drink 3,48% Pizza cones 3,30% Bottled coconut water 2,96% Sparkling red wine 2,43% Tequila 2,26% Poland From January to June 2012, non-alcoholic beverages received the most food industry sales leads in SoloStocks Poland (35%), followed by coffee with 16% and oils (15%). Dried fruits were among the most highly sought after products: sunflower seeds were most in demand (13% of the searches). Cashews (11%), almonds (6%) and raisins (2.4%) also appear on the list of top 10 most sought after products. Sunflower seeds 13,23% Cashews 10,85% Aloe Vera drink 6,07% California almonds 4,34% Pomegranate juice 3,90% Custard 3,25% Round grain rice 2,82% Meat 2,60% Raisins 2,39% Energy drinks 1,95% November 2012 Page 10 of 11

11 Portugal Companies in Portugal focused their interest mainly on meat products, cold cuts and derivatives. The subcategory meat and cold cuts received nearly 31% of food industry sales leads; oils (19%) and beverages followed (non-alcoholic, 16% and alcoholic, 13%). This trend is reflected in the most sought after products. We find that there is interest in several types of cold cuts: jerky, pepperoni, blood sausage, bacon and pork loin sausage; and that tea and wine are in demand, as are pastry products like strawberry cake and crepe mix. Jerky 9,09% Tea 4,55% Pepperoni 3,79% Strawberry cake mix 3,03% Crepe mix 3,03% Blood sausage 2,27% Smoked bacon 1,52% Reserved wines 1,38% Pork loin sausage 1,11% Canned tuna 0,96% About the author This article was written by Geraldine Luque of the SoloStocks press and media department. With more than a million published products in 12 countries and 6 languages, SoloStocks is an online sales channel for manufacturers, distributors, resellers, wholesalers and companies. SoloStocks was started in 1999 in partnership with Grupo Intercom (creators of Infojobs, Softonic and e-magister). It recently launched a service with flash offers for companies that can find discounted products they need for their business and for their private use. November 2012 Page 11 of 11