The profile of wine online sales has changed dramatically across the last six weeks as consumers ready themselves for Christmas. Wine online is changing from being very price driven and mass market, to more discerning and quality led.
Fine red wine online growth is slightly ahead of white wine online growth, but with a 9% shift from standard to fine wine, this is a noticeable trend. This trend has bemused some online wine merchants, but people do funny things in a recession. So what is going on in the online space you may ask ?
Online wine sales have been growing steadily for the last five years as the bricks and mortar retailers have been reducing the number of lines they stock. Also as online retail has grown and consumers trust the online space to a greater extent, purchasing from online wine merchants has become more convenient. After all you don’t have to carry the bottles home.
The second trend that is happening is the trend of having less treats during a recession but spending more on them when you do. As a result consumers are trading up to better quality wines online. At the same time online wine merchants are offering 6 bottle cases rather than 12 bottle cases because consumers are consuming less, but want a more premium wine online.
This trend is also having a positive knock on effect for old world wines, as it seems consumers chasing the finer wine choice are buying French, Spanish and Italian wines ahead of Australian and New Zealand wines.
Online wine merchants like their bricks and mortar piers are also promoting the concept of quality over quantity to ensure responsible drinking trends are being adopted. There are several key wine online merchants running socially responsible campaigns to accelerate this trend.
The trend of fine wines online is predicted to accelerate as we move into the Christmas holidays, which can only be good for wine producers as well as consumers. There is a new generation of online wine merchants who are trying to demystify wine online, and provide choice, as well as create a shop window for small family vineyards. These merchants are also using the concept of food and wine matching to drive trial of new varietals and wines from different places such as Lebanon.
Of course the market will not change from standard to fine wines but choice will continue to drive wine online, and the real benefit of wine online, is to discover products that you have never seen in the real world.
As we move out of Christmas into the New Year certain consumers may change their buying habits from buying champagne online to other fizz brands. We strongly believe Prosecco online will start to nibble away at Champagne sales as people move away from the bling to taste. The UK does love it’s Champagne, but Prosecco could be the new fizz of 2010.
The Purveyor is a retailer of online wines, spirits and champagnes online. At the Purveyor you can buy wine online in 6 bottle or 12 bottle cases or as a single gift. The Purveyor has a vast selection of red and white wine online as well as over 250 spirits online.
