As the no and low alcohol beverage sector continues to expand, wine offerings in this category are a bit more complex. Our executive vice president Shira Horn writes about how wine has been impacted by a rise in consumer interest in no-low alcoholic beverages in her latest piece for Beverage Daily, Understanding the No-Low Wine Category.
This emerging and evolving space means that brands must keep a close eye on consumer audience preferences and habits. In her article, Shira rounds up our own recent market insights, plus secondary studies to try to help build understanding surrounding no and low alcoholic wine demands.
Multiple studies have shown that consumers aged 35 and younger are curbing their alcohol intake and that they are more willing to spend more for beverages with “organic origins, lower carbs and calories, and ‘natural’ profiles”. While the majority of wine drinkers fall into the aged 55 and older category (more than 50%), there is opportunity to capture the younger markets. Shira writes “Our recent study into the no-low trend found that 28% of consumers are very interested in no-low wine options. And, for Millennial women, red and white wine are top, go-to alcoholic beverage options when drinking.”
Hurdles in the no and low alcohol wine category are not small, with the dealcoholization process directly affecting aroma and taste. Multiple steps must be completed during production to imbue these qualities in the finished product. Packaging is also a consideration as low and no alcohol wine has a shorter shelf life. Shira suggests tapping into some of our recent research into alternative packaging in this arena, which “found that 65% of study participants preferred no-low options in a single-serve glass bottle, followed by single-serve cans (62%).”
Product managers, beverage producers and wine brands looking to innovate in this space need to base any actions in solid consumer research. The prospective customer base for no and low alcohol wine is complex, and utilizing research to illuminate additional insight into demand and sentiment, plus packaging preferences, before launch will help to ensure success. Shira maintains that “this category requires dedicated, in-the-moment market research and insights more than any of the other categories in the burgeoning no-low alcohol space.”
Read the complete article here: https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2022/01/20/Understanding-the-No-Low-Wine-Category
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