Wine in a Can: How the Wine Industry Can Learn from RTDs
Globally, alcohol trade is down. Whether you put it down to a renewed focus on health, penny-pinching or a growing attachment to being at home on their phones, people everywhere are buying less alcohol. But there’s one sector which is bucking this trend: the single serve, ready-to-drink market.
Attracted by convenience, price point and sustainability factors, consumers are all over the single serve wine trend. In fact, the canned wine market is set to increase in valuation of $280 million in 2023 to $870 million in 2033, at a CAGR of 12%. Wineries can no longer afford to be ignoring this market.
So, what’s the big secret? Let’s take a look into the RTD market to see what wineries can learn…
‘Casual cool’ is the way forward
Wine is no longer reserved for lavish dinners or quiet nights in. Canned and single serve wine options - like beers and functional drinks - are popular because they meet people where they’re at. Consumers want drinks that they can enjoy at the cinema, whilst having a picnic, or on the way to a gig. Casual cool is in.
Single serve cans are less commitment
Paying top dollar for a bottle of wine feels intimidating, because consumers don’t want to spend their hard-earned cash on a bottle that they may or may not like. Single serve breaks down barriers, both in terms of budget and in terms of taste.
Wine in a can provides the consumer with the option to try your wine without committing to the full spend of a bottle. It also acknowledges the shift in spending for a younger audience, who, if they are spending, tend to splurge on smaller-ticket luxuries than their parents. Selling premium wine in a smaller serving opens your product to a younger, wider market.
Wine should be approachable and fun
Many consumers feel left out of the wine industry as they don’t have the education to know what’s what. Talk of terroirs, harvest years and different grapes can feel unapproachable and out of reach.
But you know what does work? Marketing wine for specific occasions. Highlighting the functional benefits of your wine, or easy pairings for consumers to try. Show your consumer easy ways to get started in the world of wine, at their own pace.
Social media marketing can play a huge role in this education, with videos in particular being a great way to highlight how your wine fits into consumers’ lifestyles.
Consumers care about sustainability, and wine in a can has great credentials
78% of consumers say they care about sustainability, and the use of recyclable aluminium for canned wine will be a massive perk for many. The difficulty of recycling glass bottles, and the huge amounts of energy used to create them, are a point of consideration for increasingly eco-conscious individuals.
Wine naturally ticks many of the boxes for eco-conscious consumers, so making benefits obvious to consumers should be a no-brainer. Forget talking about the seven generations of your vineyard, and instead highlight that your wine is organic, plant-based, with minimal additives and no added sugar.
TLDR: Single serve wine cans are in
Watching the RTD and wine-in-a-can market boom is evidence that if you are willing to connect to consumers in a fresh, innovative and approachable way, you can boost sales. You don’t have to do things in the way that they’ve always been done.
If you’re ready for change but wondering where to start, book in for a strategy hour with me. We’ll discuss how to use these learnings to devise a marketing strategy that works for you.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/consumers-care-about-sustainability-and-back-it-up-with-their-wallets
Article written by Amy Collins, founder of BonBien Translations.