According to new consumer research from Wine Intelligence conducted in the US it’s the Generation Treaters we need to be pandering to in 2021. The new consumer segment is leading change in consumer behaviour in the wine category.
Mainly Millennials, they are responsible for volume peaks in wine but not value. They drink quite a lot, but they don’t spend much per bottle. They also don’t know much about wine and rely on technology, friends and appealing labels and packaging design to guide their choices.
Wine Intelligence US Portraits segmentation for 2021 reveals this new segment are educated, urban based, working in the new economy and starting to settle down and raise families.
Their drinking habits have transitioned from on-premise and big nights on the town to drinking at home in an everyday setting.
In a pre-Covid era they would still be going out to bars and restaurants but today they are likely to be working from home and less inclined to spend money on evenings out and holidays. Instead, they are buying wine more regularly, drinking more often and experimenting with new styles and varieties without the knowledge of what it is they are drinking.
Covid-19 has accelerated this shift in consumer categories but it is not all of the reason. The US wine market is evolving to see the Boomers overtaken by Gen-X and Millennials who now greatly influence what is sold and how.
Generation Treaters are also leading the charge with the increasingly popular low-alcohol, lower calorie, health and well-being conscious drinking sector where the growth of hard seltzer has flourished.
Unlike previous generations, this new consumer segment is strongly engaged with sustainability and aesthetics and less swayed by low price. They are looking for more than just savings in the products they purchase including story, provenance, the people behind the brand, integrity and the look of the bottle itself.
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