Wine Label Market Research: The Eyes Have It

Since moving to Philadelphia a few years ago, I have become enamored with the city’s spectacular restaurant scene. But as a transplant, I didn’t realize before moving here just how many Philly eateries are solely BYOB. Because it’s a rare occasion to actually be able to order a glass of wine off of a menu, going out to dinner often involves a stop at a local liquor store to select a bottle to bring along.

I’m just about the furthest thing from a wine expert so, like most novices, I often just reach for the bottle with the most eye-catching label and call it a day. Because so many wine sales are based off of the label alone, brands and wine label printers need to be vigilant in how they craft their labels, ensuring they catch consumers’ eyes quickly and for extended periods of time.

I recently stumbled across this post on the “The Academic Wino,” a blog written by Becca Yeamans-Irwin that provides insight into the latest wine research. The post discusses the use of eye-tracking technology in wine market research, and how consumers’ reactions to different wine labels influence their purchasing decisions.

Yeamans-Irwin details the methods and results of a study published in the International Journal of Wine Business Research, in which eye-tracking technology was used on self-proclaimed wine novices as they viewed multiple wine labels. In various segments of the study, the participants then indicated their preferred labels and the price they would be willing to pay based on the label.

Among some of the key results from the study, Yeamans-Irwin reports that the label consumers preferred the most was the one they looked at the longest. She also writes that the study revealed that graphics or “pictorial” elements of the label were where consumers focused most of the time, only viewing the text-based portions of the label 2% of the time.

Perhaps more importantly to brand owners, Yeamans-Irwin writes that the study indicated that the more attractive a consumer found a wine label to be, the higher they estimated the price to be, indicating that consumers may be willing to pay more for attractive packaging.

Eye-tracking technology can provide additional insights beyond the wine market, however. As the craft beer industry continues its unprecedented boom, it’s important for brands and converters to understand consumer behavior in this market as well. In August of 2015, Avery Dennison released a white paper detailing the results of a study it sponsored in conjunction with the Package InSight program at Clemson University.

Eye-tracking technology was utilized to measure consumer behavior when presented with six beer label substrates. Photo via Avery Dennison.

This study also utilized eye-tracking technology and placed participants in a realistic retail environment. Participants were tasked with viewing a craft beer shelf that featured 10 different 22-oz. beer bottles. Throughout the study, a beer bottle featuring the same label, but printed on a different Avery Dennison substrate, was rotated through the shelf. The six substrates tested paper, matte film, white-gloss film, metallized film, wood veneer and clear film.

According to the study, the white-gloss film, wood veneer and metallized film labels attracted consumers’ eyes the fastest. However, when quantifying the amount of time consumers focused on a specific label, clear film performed the best, with wood veneer placing last. The study also reported the average number of times a consumer viewed a specific label. Using this metric, clear film and glossy film received the most return glances, with matte film receiving the least. The white paper reports that the longer a consumer viewed a label and the more frequently a consumer viewed a label led to better performance in terms of product selection.

Packaging Perspective: Competition on wine shelves has been fierce for decades, with countless varieties, regions and brands to choose from. Because most consumers are not experts, their purchasing decisions are often based on the label that most stands out to them.

Beer is quickly joining the artisanal fray and craft beer drinkers are often eager to try something new. When considering a new type of craft beer to purchase, it's the label that provides the consumer with the information they'll need to know to trigger a purchase. The challenge lies in drawing their eyes to the label altogether.

With capabilities like eye-tracking technology now available to measure quantifiable metrics that can help determine the labels that are the most eye-catching to consumers, brands and converters would be wise to consider digging into some of the research available to make a more educated decision on how to land in consumers’ shopping carts. Future sales may depend on it.