Researching the Wine Consumer

Abstract

This chapter is about determining the characteristics of wine consumers. The purpose is to show how these determinations are made and how they can be used in wine marketing. The empirical focus is on the American consumer, but the methodology and implications are transferable to other markets. The first principle guiding consumer research and marketing strategy is that there is neither just one type of consumer nor an average consumer. If someone refers to the wine consumer as having this or that characteristic, the information is relatively useless. This chapter is less a comprehensive survey of the different types of wine consumers than an approach and an attitude toward market research and data interpretation. Using this approach, a winery should be able to define the characteristics of potential buyers for its products and what marketing strategies may trigger consumer purchases. The data quoted in this chapter without attribution have been summarized from company research results as well as from various surveys and reports available to the company in 1997. These include IRI and Nielsen household panel data, the Gomberg—Fredrikson Report, and Merrill Research—Wine Marketing Council Report (1997). The data indicate past market conditions, but are useful for illustrating the types and approximate sizes of various market segments that are the target of market action.