Wine shoppers most likely to experiment

Beer and cider drinkers are more likely to opt for smaller brands while wine buyers are the most likely to experiment.

According to a global study into the shopping behavior of 13,000 consumers from the US, Canada and Europe, 40% of cider drinkers and 38% of beer buyers agreed they prefer smaller brands.

The survey, which was carried out by Arc and called the PeopleShop report, analysed 15 commonly bought grocery categories and also asked shoppers which product categories they are most likely to experiment with.

With the exception of spirits, all alcohol categories ranked highest with wine topping the list – 71% of consumers like to experiment with different wine brands, compared to cider (68%), beer (56%) and lager (56%).

In all instances, shoppers were found to be highly price sensitive and the typical shopper of wine, lager and beer were characterised by Arc as “penny pinchers” – they simply make their brand decision based on price.

Spirits and alcopop drinkers on the other hand were classed as “opportunistic adventurers” – they are still price sensitive, but they’re spontaneous shoppers and love bargains.

In a piece of research at the start of this year into UK shopping habits, it was found that British shoppers are more interested in taste when buying bitter, but promotions are the primary influence for lager drinkers, and a key cue for wine consumers.

As previously reported by the drinks business, according to the Wilson Drinks Report, 30% of adults in the UK who buy bitter/ale in the retail sector said that taste is the most important factor in their purchasing habits, while 21% admitted that it was the brand that was the leading influence.