The following article is brought to you by Jacob's Creek.
The importance of having the right range
Offering your customers the right range is a fundamental part of driving your business and satisfying your customer's tastes and varied drinking occasions.
Consumers today are accustomed to choosing from over 700 wines in the off-trade, and are demanding better choice, quality and value for money.
Ensuring your wine range offers consumers a balanced choice of wines to meet their needs will ultimately lead to increased wine sales and profits.
Display is also important, your range needs to be visible, and wines clearly displayed to encourage bar call for popular varietals such as Chardonnay, Shiraz and Merlot.
Advertising your range either on a chalk board or wine list is an effective way to encourage customers to trade up to buying a bottle of wine rather than by the glass.
However, take care, a wine list that's too complicated with obscure wine labels and producers can be as much of a turn off as a wine list just showing house red and house white.
Meeting consumer needs
Research commissioned by Jacob's Creek highlighted that, "79% of all consumers are more likely to select a product they are familiar with as they guarantee quality, reassurance and value for money." (Research International 2001) Consumer recognised brands are now more widely sold in the on-trade, as customers expect to pay a fair mark up when in a pub or restaurant environment.
According to Carrie Atherton, Manager of the Grafton Arms, a busy central London pub, "Price isn't the issue, consumers are happy to pay for a drink as long as they get good quality. In fact brands like Jacob's Creek and Stella Artois actually give confidence to consumers, reassuring them we are running a professional operation."
Tim Foster, Category Manager for Wines, Pernod Ricard UK commented, "It's all about offering a quality range of wines that cater for all different tastes. Introducing a price ladder and offering an entry level/house wine, a selection of popular brands and a few more premium wines can be an excellent way to increase overall wine sales."
Wine recommendations
The most popular white varietal is Chardonnay, with Sauvignon Blanc now the fastest growing.
The most popular reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz Cabernet and Merlot, with Shiraz being the fastest growing. (TNS superpanel July '02) The inclusion of a reserve or oak aged premium wine ensures that the consumer is offered the opportunity to trade up for the right occasion.
The key is to offer a wide range of popular wine varietals, but also to include something a little different to add interest to the range. These can include varietals such as a Riesling or Sparkling wine, which is a category currently showing fantastic on-trade growth of 31.9%. (AC Nielsen Feb '03)
Pernod Ricard UK is a member of The Portman Group - encouraging responsible drinking.
Key messages
- Customer led ranging is fundamentally about providing a wine range that ensures your customer's tastes and varied drinking occasions are satisfied
- The ideal range should offer your consumers a choice of different price points, varietals, brands and countries of origin
- A wine range should neither be too complicated or too simple, some guidelines for a balanced wine range are listed below.
Wine range guidelines