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Kingsland research sheds light on influences on millennial wine purchasing habits

Published:  18 October, 2016

New WinePRO research from Kingsland Drinks has revealed more about where millennials take their cues from when shopping for wine

New WinePRO research from Kingsland Drinks has revealed more about where millennials take their cues from when shopping for wine.

The company's in-house analytics platform, designed as a tool to help its customers develop a deeper understanding of consumer purchasing habits, reveals that while over 55's hold 80% of the UK's wealth and wield reliable buying power, millennials are much more engaged by innovation and influenced by different cues.

"It is no industry secret that the trend-following tastes of millennials can be tricky for wine producers to pin-point, with today's young wine shopper rarely equipped with the knowledge of a seasoned wine connoisseur," said Neil Anderson, marketing director of Kingsland Drinks.

"Instead they are taking influence from targeted marketing campaigns, word of mouth and overall popularity within their age group. Intelligence from WinePRO, indicates that millennials are most likely to purchase wine for social occasions and tend to lean towards sweeter tasting styles."

The research divides consumers into eight distinct 'portraits', also breaking down drinking occasion by 'role' - situations flagged as 'you', 'me'. 'we' and 'us' - to help identify when and in what social occasions and groupings the portrait groups are most likely to open and enjoy wine.

Among the findings were that 'generation treaters', often younger consumers that purchase for 'me' and who take cues from targeted marketing, social media, word of mouth and peer recommendations, make up 28% of overall on and off-trade spend.

However, the same group accounts for 38% of on-trade spend, suggesting a big opportunity to further engage these drinkers with the right products in restaurants and bars.

Another group labelled 'adventurous explorers', typically consisting of young drinkers, are much more about 'we' and 'us' occasions, accounting for 11% of UK wine drinkers, but 30% of spend.

With the largest chunk of 'mainstream-at-homers', leaning towards the older generations of wine consumers, accounting for 23% of regular wine drinkers, but only 17.5% of spend, the opportunities presented by the former two groups over the more established and traditional wine buyers is clear.

With reference to the report, Anderson, cited innovations, such as fruit fusions, softer sparkling styles and nostalgic branding, as key to attracting this influential demographic.

A fuller report on the Kingsland WinePRO findings will appear in the November issue of Harpers.

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