Grupo Modelo, the leading beer industry in Mexico, wants to be recognized as an example in service transformation. Therefore, it knows that it must constantly transform itself, just as it did during the pandemic through the digitization of its transactions.
Cassiano De Stefano, president of Grupo Modelo, was present at the Inter.Mx Expansión Summit 2022, to participate in the panel “Transformation of traditional businesses”, where he shared his experience in the execution of his digital processes, as well as in the launch of new platforms. “The transformation in Grupo Modelo is a gerund, because it is in constant progress. We always want to be better than yesterday,” he declared.
Everyone wins with digitization
Speaking of digital transformation, De Stefano mentioned his plans to digitize all his transactions and services. A first step is the relaunch of its BEES platform, a business-to-business (B2B) channel that offers its customers a digital point of sale to buy the brand’s products. “The digitization of the traditional channel is to guarantee survival and this was made clear during the pandemic,” he said.
For Grupo Modelo, the pandemic represented an opportunity to launch new sales channels and restructure processes, but small stores selling alcoholic beverages had difficulties offering their products to consumers. Faced with this situation, the director explained that now: “The future is coming out to invite the traditional channel to be part of this digital distribution chain.”
Digitization generates benefits for the company, customers and consumers. It is a positive cycle, where everyone wins. The brewery is clear about the responsibility it has with the country and with its business partners, which is why it wants to highlight the risk of not being part of this process. “If a company is not transforming itself, it is going to put its permanence at risk.”
Young people, at the center of reinvention
Much of this reinvention is young talent, who must join teams with diversity and inclusion. With this in mind, De Stefano spoke about the changes in his marketing strategy.
The first setting is to generate all digital communication internally; for this, he created an agency called Draftline. In addition, it created an area for data analysis in order to make decisions based on information and not on intuition.
For Grupo Modelo, the competition is no longer limited to other breweries or beverage companies, it is also the service companies that compete with its online store, but it considers that this is healthy competition that motivates them to renew themselves.
In order for this solidity to continue generating value, it is necessary to transform the portfolio, renew products, digitize and become a service company. The pandemic, according to the company leader, forced a deeper connection with customers and an understanding of the market, but also to be more efficient and have a solid foundation. “You have to add the parts: inertia, scale and the footprint of an almost century-old company, with the capacity, desire and desire to transform itself,” he concluded.
