Consumer research carried out for the WSTA on online wine purchasing as well as their usual market data is presented in this report. Highlights are: the UK drinks market is increasingly falling into 3 distinct channels: traditional off trade; on trade; & online/mail order. Nielsen MAT off trade data for 12m ending 30 Oct/2010 shows total alcohol up 4.3% (value) & 1.4% (volume). Champagne & sparkling wines were amongst the strongest performing categories & still wine also achieved value growth despite a small loss of volume. Spirits also did well with value growth significantly exceeding volume gains. Data showed that online sales achieve a significantly higher average bottle price than sales through stores. The biggest barriers to buying wine online identified are: the belief that online wine is more expensive, & consumers' reluctance to either wait or pay for delivery. Although only 14% of British adult drinkers currently buy wine online, 33% said they would consider buying online in the furutre, representing a significant opportunity for all online retailers.
