Wine consumers prefer to buy in a shop rather than on the net
Although the headline emphasised the preference for the internet (14.4%) over wine guides (8.1%) and specialist magazines (4.6%) when deciding what wine to buy, by far the most influential remains the advice your friends (57.3%) followed by advice from wine merchants (41.7%) and 19.8% for on-trade professionals (sommeliers, restaurateurs, etc.). The least influential is general interest magazines (2.6%). Going to producers' wine fairs (16.4%) is quite popular. However, asking nobody’s advice (16.7%) remains a more popular option than surfing the net. It is clear that wine buyers prefer not to pay for advice on what to buy!
1003 people, aged between 18 and 65 and representative of the French population were questioned on line and the survey was carried out between 22nd and 29th January.
The survey has some very interesting findings on what surfers look for and what's important on wine producers websites.
Importance élevée accordée à certains critères d’information sur un site de producteur (Importance given to finding the following information or facility on a producer's site. Listed in order of importance:)
(Details about the terroir, the vineyards and the appellation.)
81.4 Trouver de l’information sur le prix
(Contact details and where the wines can be bought.)
72.9 Trouver de l’information sur la gamme des vins
68.4 Trouver de l’information sur les accords mets/vins
(News about the domaine or the brand.)
58.2 Trouver des fiches techniques de dégustation
58.2 Acheter en ligne directement du producteur
(To be able to buy on line direct from the producer.)
57.1 Trouver de l’information sur le producteur/famille et le patrimoine
(Details about the producer and their family/ heritage.)
55.4 Trouver de l’information sur les techniques d’élaboration
55.4 Trouver de l’information sur les techniques d’élaboration
Importance accordée à certains critères techniques sur un site de producteur
(Videos)
61.0 L’opportunité d’échanger avec le producteur
61.0 L’opportunité d’échanger avec le producteur
47.5 Le design/L’esthétisme
(Design and aesthetics)
If these results look obvious then it is something that all too many producers forget when designing their sites. People want sites that load quickly and are easy to find your way around. The last thing they want is flashy design – long and tedious intros, etc. Of course ease of navigation is down to good design but it is good, practical design but not flashy and, often expensive, design that gets in the way and turns people away. With the web you often don't notice good design but you certainly notice the bad and it's infuriating!
If these results look obvious then it is something that all too many producers forget when designing their sites. People want sites that load quickly and are easy to find your way around. The last thing they want is flashy design – long and tedious intros, etc. Of course ease of navigation is down to good design but it is good, practical design but not flashy and, often expensive, design that gets in the way and turns people away. With the web you often don't notice good design but you certainly notice the bad and it's infuriating!
What people actually buy
Even though a number of people use the net to decide on what wine to buy, they still tend to go to physical shops to buy their wines. 61% of those who do their research on line actually buy the wine from a shop. However, those who do buy on-line, purchase four times as much as in a traditional shop or supermarket and the average price of a bottle is 12.30€ compared to 6.50€.
Even though a number of people use the net to decide on what wine to buy, they still tend to go to physical shops to buy their wines. 61% of those who do their research on line actually buy the wine from a shop. However, those who do buy on-line, purchase four times as much as in a traditional shop or supermarket and the average price of a bottle is 12.30€ compared to 6.50€.
