For the third year running, the landmark sowine/ssi Barometer answers the questions posed by the wine industry: what relationship do the French have with wine?Where do they go for information? How important are new technologies? What role do social networks play and how do they influence wine purchases? How is the French relationship with wine affected by the rise in mobile technologies such as tablets and smartphones? What about online wine sales?
In brief
French wine consumers like new technologies for the easy, universal access they offer to information about wine, and their role as a platform for debate and dialogue. As sources of information proliferate, consumers compare information, concentrate their sources, encourage debate and look for dialogue, particularly on social networks. The popularity of the Internet as a source of information continues to grow. It now comes second behind word of mouth and ahead of the press. Blogs are an important source of information about wine, although people are now less inclined to trust the information found on private blogs. Social networks dedicated to wine have not yet found their place on the French market. Current mobile technologies are having a significant impact on online purchasing.
Four major trends in 2012
INTERNET RANKS FOURTH AMONG INFORMATION SOURCES
Most French consumers consider themselves to be novices where wine is concerned. They are increasingly turning to the Internet for pre-purchase information, after friends' recommendations, advice from wine merchants and other professionals, and ahead of the direct advice of producers and the print media.
INCREASED DEMAND FOR PARTICIPATIVE CONTENT
Wine drinkers and buyers are particularly interested in information shared over the Internet, especially Web 2.0 content. They increasingly want participative content and a direct link to the winegrower.
AN INCREASING NEED FOR MOBILE INFORMATION ACCESS
In 2012, mobile access to information (from tablets and smartphones) will become essential for French wine consumers: 47% of visitors to winegrowers' websites want to be able to access the site from their mobile, and for 42% of major customers being able to buy their wine using an app is essential.
CHANGING ONLINE PURCHASING PROFILES
In 2012, 12% of the French population had bought wine online (compared to 10% in 2011). People are mainly looking for low prices and good deals, but their average spend remains higher than the habitual purchase. The model of the private online wine sale is winning share from classic sale sites.
INTERNET RANKS FOURTH AMONG INFORMATION SOURCES
Most French consumers consider themselves to be novices where wine is concerned. They are increasingly turning to the Internet for pre-purchase information
- Although two thirds of the French (63%) consider themselves novices where wine is concerned (the same proportion consider that you need a certain amount of knowledge before buying wine), four fifths (80%) say that you need to find information before buying wine. Most people in France consider wine to be different from other alcoholic drinks.
- In 2012, the Internet rose to fourth place in terms of information sources (20%) prior to a wine purchase, after recommendations from friends and family, advice from wine merchants and other professionals, and ahead of the direct advice from wine producers and the print media, both mainstream and specialist. Despite this, all sources of information were extensively used, through all media. Major buyers call on a wide range of sources without necessarily using any exclusively.
- Men are more likely to use the Internet for wine information than women (26% of men and 14% of women). And the higher the income of the wine purchaser, the more likely they were to list the Internet as a source of pre-purchase information.
INCREASED DEMAND FOR PARTICIPATIVE CONTENT
Wine drinkers and buyers are particularly interested in information shared over the Internet, especially Web 2.0 content.
- In 2012, the use of blogs and forums was up sharply (with blogs up by 10% and forums 8%); most sources were French. There continued to be a definite interest in fine foods (for 43% of readers) and wine (for 23.5%). At the same time, the ratings and advice offered by professional blogs and forums maintained their authority, while private blogs lost some of their standing.
- In France, major wine customers* and consumers* are avid users of general social networks. Few belong to online wine communities, however, with barely 7% of major buyers belonging to social networks specialising in wine and 12% to wine-themed groups on general social networks.
- Demand for immersive content on producers' sites is growing. The importance of video is up from 62% to 66%, in second position behind the chance to contact the winegrower (68%). 62% of respondents agreed that "It is essential for a winegrower to have a website."
AN INCREASING NEED FOR MOBILE INFORMATION ACCESS
In 2012, mobile information access from tablets and smartphones will be essential for consumers.
- 18% of people who owned a smartphone had apps on wine or fine foods, a figure that rises to 34% for major wine buyers.
- 47% of visitors to winegrower sites want to be able to access these sites from their mobiles.
- 46% of people who own a smartphone want to be able to access wine information using a QR code on the bottle. This figure rises to 58% for major consumers and 62% for major online buyers.
- 76% of respondents claimed to trust the wine-themed mobile apps they used and 27% of people who owned a smartphone wanted to be able to order directly from their mobile, a figure that rises to 42% for major wine buyers.
CHANGING ONLINE PURCHASING PROFILES
When it comes to buying wine, people are mainly looking for low prices and good deals, but their average spend remains higher than the habitual purchase. The model of the private online wine sale is winning share from classic sale sites.
- In 2012, online business is up only slightly from last year, with only 12% of respondents buying wine online (compared to 10% in 2011). Most were male city-dwellers, and two thirds were aged over 36. Of those who used the Internet for pre-purchase information, 34.4% replied "Yes" to the question "Do you buy wine online?"
- Buyers are particularly interested in prices and promotions (84% and 85%). Online buyers were also more likely, however, to spend more and to buy more bottles per purchase. Delivery costs (87%) and secure payment (85%) were leading selection criteria for online wine merchants, ahead of economic criteria.
- Online wine merchants have seen traffic fall steadily year on year (40% in 2010, 37% in 2011 and 30% in 2012), but private sale sites (40% in 2010, 45% in 2011 and 50% in 2012) are catching up with winegrowers' sites, still on top with 57% of wine buyers opting for the producers' own sites.
The sowine/ssi Barometer is the first survey to study the influence of the Internet and new technologies on the behaviour of wine consumers in France. It was first published in 2010; this is the third edition.
Survey carried out between 1 and 6 February 2012. The sample of 1,200 people was representative of the French population, aged between 18 and 65. Representativeness was ensured by the quota method, based on sex and age criteria, by a self-administered online questionnaire (CAWI, Computer-Assisted Web Interview).
*Major consumers: those with a consumption frequency between every day and one to several times a week
*Major buyers: those with a purchasing frequency between every day and one to several times a week
SOWINE, a marketing and communication agency dedicated to wine, champagne and spirits, has, in just a few years, become a landmark in its industry. SOWINE assists clients from the strategic planning stage through to developing their communication tools. A specialist in online marketing and communicating via social networks, sowine publishes a blog on the marketing of wine, champagne and spirits: blog.sowine.com
SURVEY SAMPLING INTERNATIONAL (SSI) is the leading supplier worldwide of sampling solutions for marketing professionals. For their surveys, SSI provides access to several million respondents, both B2C and B2B, in over 50 countries worldwide, via the Internet, telephone and cellphone. www.surveysampling.com