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Intro
Recently, export support in Estonia has focused on the Scandinavian and German markets while the Russian market has received less attention. The main reasons for this are instability in international relations, and differences in market regulations. There is no common export marketing strategy for the Russian market.
Russian consumers often acquire and use recreational crafts in other countries, mostly in the EU, which is what differentiates Russia as a target market. This considerably lowers any risks related to international relations and makes the Russian market attractive for Estonian recreational craft manufacturers. At the same time, we do not clearly know what influences the purchase decisions of the Russian consumer, and what kind of information channels they use.
Seminar
The aim of the seminar was to give an overview of the present state of the Russian recreational craft market, the consumers, and of the channels by which the consumers obtain information about recreational crafts. At the end of the seminar, a living lab workshop took place where experts of the Russian market, the media and representatives of the tourism sector and local governments tried to answer the question “what kind of Estonian recreational crafts could be successful on the Russian market, and what are the advantages of Estonian manufacturers over Russian and Finnish manufacturers?”
Presentations
Estonian Export in 2016 – Situation and Trends – Marko Rillo
Boat media and promotion in Russia – Andrey Petrov
Boat sales and RIBs market in Russia – Danila Timoshin
Russian tourists in Estonia – what attracts them – Tõnu Steinberg
Russian flags in Estonian SL marinas – Villu Vatsfeld
Russian flags in Finnish marinas – Kalevi Westersund
Introduction to recreational craft manufacturing regulations in Russia – in English and in Russian
Workshop: Conclusions
Advantages of the Estonian recreational craft manufacturers as compared to Finnish manufacturers are:
◦ knowledge of the local language,
◦ an understanding of the cultural background,
◦ better value for money in products,
◦ flexibility.
Due to tradition and the characteristics of local waters, mainly motor boats and smaller yachts are bought in Russia. Although sailing is popular amongst younger people, the older generations mostly look to motor boats. Participants agreed that 8 to 9-metre aluminium and composite motor boats have the best outlook on the Russian market, especially RIB-type boats.
Seminar participants also stressed that one of Estonian boatyards’ competitive advantages could be launching of ‘smart’ boats using technical solutions that are also developed in Estonia (i.e. apps for checking in at harbours or requesting availability).
As a target group for products, the middle-class hobby fisher was defined, who appreciates quality, and to some extent, specialty. Also, marketing cruise motor yachts to the Russian upper middle class was considered promising, however, only combined with a user conditions package at Estonian harbours. This target group is not big per se, but the scale differences in Estonia and Russia should be considered here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]