I read an article by Jancis Robinson a while ago titled “What consumers want from wine producers” which I found very interesting. She discussed the rise of the ‘experience economy’ that is replacing the old ‘service economy’ that I grew up with. In this new world, one’s memory or ‘experience of a brand’ has become the product that vendors are selling. If this experience is good, the sales will follow. So the emphasis nowadays is being taken off ‘selling’ and onto ‘brand experience’. This can be witnessed in the rise of the winery ‘visitor centre and restaurant’ that’s replacing old style cellar doors around the country. They seek to leave a good brand impression rather than sell wine. The new paradigm is to offer memorable experiences to consumers who will then buy the product at some point in the future.
Fair enough but do consumers really need fancy infrastructure to remember a brand? I would have thought that an authentic wine experience and good wine was more important. Rae & I visited some very impressive wineries during our time in Spain recently and whilst we remember the amazing architecture and great food at many…we only remember (and wanted to purchase) the wine if it was good. Despite all the effort which had gone into the buildings, if the wine was disappointing, we left feeling flat. So for us, what really matters is what’s in your glass. We think that’s the most important thing for you too and there’s nothing new about that.
The article further claimed that young consumers in western cultures don’t really care HOW a wine is made, they want to know WHY it was made. Wow. That shakes up my world!
I’m not sure how or if we need to change what we’re doing as a result of these market changes but I like the discussion it creates.
Published in our newsletter, 2018.