Opinions that shape the market

27 August, 2008

Page 27

Humans are creatures of habit, and if those habits happen to include buying your product, then you're in clover. If, however, you are not part of a habitual behaviour, you can be frozen out of a market. Therefore the flexibility of consumer behaviour can be an important factor in the attractiveness of a market for a new entrant. Every time we survey wine drinkers around the world, we ask a question about attitudes to purchase. Consumers decide which one of three statements best describes them:

"I enjoy trying new and different styles of wine on a regular basis"
"I don't mind what I buy so long as the price is right"
"I know what I like and I tend to stick to what I know"

The chart shows the proportion of consumers who agreed with the "stick to what I know" statement. While not a perfect guide, it makes for interesting reading. Germans, Dutch and Finns appear to be relatively conservative, while Brits, Irish, Americans and Norwegians are much more experimental.

Richard Halstead

operations director, Wine Intelligence

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