Consumer Attitude and Behavior toward Wine Purchases: Everyday and Special Occasion Wines

- [Kathy] This video will showcase survey participant purchasing patterns of everyday and special occasion wines.

Prior to purchasing a bottle of wine consumers consider the type of occasion during which the wine will be served.

Survey participants were asked if there was difference in the type of wine they purchased for everyday consumption versus those purchased for special occasions.

72% of respondents said they do purchase different wines for everyday consumption and special occasions.

When comparing the prices paid for a 750-milliliter bottle of wine for both everyday consumption and special occasions consumers purchased more expensive bottles of wine for special occasions as might be expected.

For everyday consumption nearly a third of participants reported spending $8 to $10.99 on a bottle of wine with slightly fewer purchasing wine priced between $11 and $14.99.

The reasoning behind the difference in price paid for everyday and special occasion wines may be due to consumer willingness to spend more money on a 750-milliliter bottle of this beverage to share with guests when celebrating a special event or to impress them.

If your tasting room visitors seem to be expressing resistance towards your premium purchased wine consider suggesting situations like entertaining and celebrations in which your wine can be served.

Product suggestions like this not only promote your goods but they also provide consumers with suggestions that meet their needs.

The majority of consumers, 50.4%, indicated that they do not tend to purchase wines that are sweeter or drier for everyday consumption compared to wines they purchase for special occasions.

For those who do have a preference 33.9% of participants tend to purchase wines that are sweeter for everyday consumption compared to wines they purchase for special occasions and 15.7% of participants tend to purchase drier wines for everyday consumption as compared to special occasions.

Wine is available in many shapes and sizes.

According to Tincknell and Tincknell, a wine consulting firm, 6% of all wines sold in the US in 2011 was not in glass containers.

Also, sales of three-liter boxed wines increased 16% from 2010 to 2011.

Container types may have a growing impact on wine purchasing and may shift certain segments of consumers away from purchasing traditional bottles to instead purchase wine packed in newer, nontraditional containers.

When participants were asked to compare their purchases of wine in 750-milliliter glass bottles with that of boxed wine more than half of survey participants exhibited no difference in container type for everyday wines versus wines purchased for special occasions.

Closure types purchased were also studied in this survey.

These include synthetic closures, screw caps, cork closures, and others.

Again, the majority of participants responded that there were no differences in closure type purchased for the two different occasions.

Wineries will first need to determine what their customers want to see if they are specifically interested in one particular packaging type.

This can be done by surveying your customers and then potentially testing a certain packaging type to help determine actual demand.

Overall, the majority of consumers in the mid Atlantic did not have a preference for many of the attributes tested.

However, as alternative packaging becomes more popular among 21 to 34-year-olds, also known as millennials, exploring different container types may be of value to your winery.