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IWC claims retailers can raise millions of pounds in extra sales by using medal stickers

Published:  30 January, 2015

Using award winning wine stickers on bottles can boost total wine sales by up to 15% in retail outlets, equating to millions of pounds in extra sales, according to research released today by the International Wine Challenge.

Using award winning wine stickers on bottles can boost total wine sales by up to 15% in retail outlets, equating to millions of pounds in extra sales, according to research released today by the International Wine Challenge.

In a study assessing sales of wines in Morrisons and Marks & Spencer over a four week period carrying either Gold, Silver, Bronze or commended IWC stickers it found that there was not only a marked jump in sales for those wines but it encouraged shoppers to spend a little extra to get their hands on an award-winning wine and helped overall wine sales.

The research analysed sales patterns of 100 different award winning wine across the two retailers as part of the four week study.

M&S, which is the current IWC Supermarket of the Year saw a 20% jump in sales on medal winning wine during the study. Garry Brooking, trading manager for wine at M&S, said: "The study has shown that highlighting the medal winners in store helped customers to make informed purchase decisions and confidently broaden their buying choices. We are now looking to roll this initiative out to all of our stores."

In Morrison's, stickers were applied to IWC medal winners from the supermarket's own label range. The retailer saw not only an uplift in sales of the stickered wines but there was also strong evidence the stickers encouraged customers to trade up to more premium wines.

Mark Jarman, head of wine operations, Morrisons Supermarket, said: "We welcome any opportunity to make it easier for our customers to choose the right wine for them and enhance their shopping experience, so we were delighted to be asked to put the IWC stickers to the test. The trial demonstrated that stickering the IWC award on bottles had a positive impact on sales with an average volume uplift of around 10% on the award winning own brand wines. The most exciting finding from the trial was evidence that highlighting the awards gave our customers the confidence to spend a little more per bottle and try different medal winning wines. This is a great endorsement of the IWC and provides compelling rationale for stickering award winning wines at source."

Representatives from the International Wine Challenge visited stores applying appropriate medal stickers to their respective wine ranges.To ensure the results were accurate, multiple stores were tested and compared with a series of control stores in similar location and with similar shopper demographics.

Both supermarkets typically display the IWC logo on their point of sale advertisement, but the trial showed how much more impact retailers can have by using eye-catching medal stickers.

Chris Ashton, IWC event director, added: "This study has proven beyond doubt that the International Wine Challenge medal stickers help shopper navigate the wine aisle, and have greater confidence when making their wine choices. Producers and retailers both have a fantastic opportunity to capitalise on their IWC wins by using our magic stickers to encourage shoppers to select better wines and spend a little extra in the aisles. These findings could potentially be worth millions to the wine industry."

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