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BOTTLE BY BOTTLE: WINE & BEER
Shopping for beer and wine is becoming faster, more guided and less reliant on category knowledge. Across the category, occasions, recommendation systems, flavour cues and recognisable brand assets are helping shoppers make confident, lower-risk decisions.
In the latest edition of Shelf Watch, we explore how beer and wine are evolving at shelf, from the growing role of pulse periods and recommendation shortcuts to the importance of visibility, recognition and fast comprehension.
FOUR THEMES EMERGED:
Pulse periods are driving relevance
Sporting events, gifting moments and seasonal campaigns give shoppers a clear reason to buy, connecting products to a specific occasion, mission or need. From World Cup activity to Father’s Day gifting from brands such as BrewDog, the strongest executions make the reason to buy immediately clear.
Presence is doing the conversion work
Large branded blocks, repetition and secondary placements are helping brands build recognition and familiarity throughout the shopper journey. Beer brands including Tennent’s, Budweiser, Madri, Moretti and Fosters are using physical presence and scale to create visibility within busy supermarket environments.
Wine is becoming easier to choose
Retailer recommendations, accessible flavour cues and familiar shortcuts are reducing uncertainty, helping shoppers navigate the category with greater confidence. Jam Shed is a strong example of how distinctive colour, accessible flavour cues and promotional messaging can work together to create standout and encourage trial.
Every second of confusion costs conversion
Flavour, format and occasion are increasingly helping shoppers understand what a product offers and where it fits. Brands that are difficult to understand risk creating friction at the point of choice.
WHY this matters:
This isn’t a complete reinvention of the beer and wine aisle. It’s a shift towards making the category easier to navigate.
Exploration still has a role, particularly within premium and independent retail, but shoppers are increasingly being supported by clearer occasions, recognisable brand cues and simpler reasons to choose. The strongest executions remove uncertainty. They make the moment clear, help brands become easier to recognise and translate product credentials into something tangible, whether that’s a flavour, serve, occasion or format.
It’s a shift we’ve also seen across the wider drinks landscape. In our previous Shelf Watch: Bottle by Bottle – The State of Spirits, we explored how clarity, repetition and recognisable visual systems are helping spirits brands create visibility and make shopper decisions easier.
Through observations across beer and wine retail, this edition explores what’s winning at shelf, what’s blending in and where opportunities exist for drinks brands to create greater visibility, relevance and impact.
Combining Wonderworks’ shopper insight with real-world category observations, Shelf Watch provides a practical snapshot of how the beer and wine category is evolving and the opportunities emerging for brands. As a creative drinks agency, we help drinks brands understand how shoppers engage with the category and identify opportunities to create greater visibility, distinctiveness and impact through drinks marketing and brand activation.
If this has sparked your interest or you want to discuss how these insights could benefit your brand, get in touch.
We would love to talk.