French wine drinkers use the net rather than print

Importance of wine blogs

Here are some interesting findings I received this afternoon about French wine drinkers using the internet to research what wines to buy. 45% of those who use the internet check on blogs and 87% trust the information they find there. I fancy that this is a very high score for trust-worthiness.

Although the internet is widely used for research, French wine drinkers still prefer to make their purchases in a shop.

**

SOWINE/ SSI Barometer 2010: internet, social networks & wine

The French use online media twice as much as print media to research their wine purchases.

The SOWINE / SSI barometer 2010 shows that new technologies, Internet and social networks play a pivotal role in determining wine consumer behaviour in France.

French consumers are thirsting for information!

Research conducted by SOWINE and SSI shows that 70% of French consumers consider wine to be a "special" product, different from other alcohols, although 63% deem themselves to be new or inexperienced consumers. 78% of respondents consider it necessary to do some research before buying their wine.

The survey also reveals that when preparing a wine purchase, consumers use the Internet as a primary source of information, ahead of purchasing printed guides or press magazines.

Wine and food: the most popular topic among blog readers and forum users

In addition to winemakers' websites, consumers also pay considerable heed to information found on blogs and forums. 45% of readers and users specifically log on to blogs and forums that cover wine and food: 87% trust the information they find there.

Wine purchasers are more active on social networks

The survey shows that wine purchasers are frequent users of social networks (26% more than average), either to find information, advise others, or simply to chat.

Average purchases are almost four times larger on the Internet

The barometer highlights the differences between wine purchasing behaviour online and offline. Average web purchases are almost four times as large as conventional purchases. However, 60% of consumers who research their wine purchases on the Internet actually end up buying in a real shop. This all goes to prove the importance of new technologies in purchasing decisions, wherever the product is finally bought!

SOWINE is a marketing consultancy that specialises in wines, champagnes and spirits.

Press contact:

Sylvain Dadé co-founder & partner SOWINE agency

Tel: +33 (0)1 77 62 39 74 Web www.sowine.com