Beringer Debuts Wine Tasting Strips

Napa, Calif. — Treasury Wine Estates’ Beringer Vineyards has introduced a new innovation in wine sampling. Through a technology similar to what’s used in breath-freshening strips, Beringer’s new flavor strips give shoppers a nonalcoholic way to taste a wine’s flavor before they buy.The in-store solution launched in April to address two issues: the intimidation factor that non-wine drinkers feel when they enter the wine aisle, and the challenges associated with in-store sampling of alcoholic products. According to Tammy Ackerman, senior brand manager for Beringer, one in five drinkers is overwhelmed when shopping for wine.So overwhelmed, in fact, that Beringer’s consumer research found that those who don’t often drink wine tend to shun the category entirely for fear of wasting money on something they might not like. “Even at the $5 price point, consumers said that they didn’t want to make a mistake,” Ackerman says. “They’d rather just not buy wine at all. So it’s a missed opportunity for the category if we’re not going to create a solution for them.”According to Beringer, one study found that 94% of women say that sampling is more effective than advertising. Another study found that 83% of shoppers said that an item they have sampled has become a repeat purchase. Based on that research, the brand felt confident that sampling was effective in attracting new customers.But Beringer also knew sampling to be expensive and difficult to execute nationally, given the tremendous variation in state alcohol laws. “A normal sampling demo is four to six hours,” says Ackerman. “You’re hitting maybe 100 people. Those 100 people are more likely to buy, but you can’t scale that appropriately.”“Even at the $5 price point, consumers said that they didn’t want to make a mistake. They’d rather just not buy wine at all.”— Tammy AckermanBeringer and its shopper marketing agency, Plano, Texas-based Twinoaks, started brainstorming for ways to provide consumers with more access to sampling. And that’s when Twinoaks pitched the idea of flavor strips. “We knew it was not going to be an easy thing to replicate,” says Ackerman. “But we felt like it was something we could do.”Bringing the idea to life took more than a year, with most of that time devoted to testing and analyzing the flavor profiles for the Chardonnay, White Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon strips. Then, in April 2015, the brand partnered with Kroger for a 60-day trial of the taste stations in more than 1,000 stores across 20 states.The taste stations featured simple messaging: “Sample, Taste and Enjoy,” and offered a refillable dispenser containing foil pouches that hold the flavor strips. Also included was a slot to dispose of the pouches after tasting.The messaging also made it clear that the samples were nonalcoholic. The backs of the packets provided tasting instructions along with educational messaging about the wines and styles.Because Beringer wanted to test the effectiveness of the taste stations on their own merits, the brand didn’t use other campaigns, signage or promotional tactics outside of the taste stations on shelves to drive consumers into stores. “We know that in most categories, upward of 90% of purchases come from the shelf,” says Steve DeVore, managing director of Twinoaks. “In terms of where most of the sales come from, to impact the aisle is huge. If you do the shelf right, you don’t have to do a lot outside of the aisle or outside of the store because that’s where the people are.”Nevertheless, Beringer saw the idea gain significant unsolicited coverage both from bloggers and from mainstream media beyond the trade publications that normally cover the brand. “It’s sort of the way that you’d hope things would come to fruition,” Ackerman says. “This just naturally happened on its own.”Beringer will measure the campaign’s success based on incremental sales lift compared to control stores, brand growth and success in bringing in new consumers. “Initial reports are saying that in all three categories, there has been significant growth,” Ackerman says. “We’re very pleased with the initial results.”While the development of the taste strips was a considerable investment, Ackerman also said that the taste strips allow for a 70% decrease in cost-per-consumer engagement when compared with traditional sampling.Based on the program results, Beringer will consider whether to move forward with placement of the taste stations at other retailers. The brand also sees potential for the flavor strips to be distributed outside of stores and at events such as concerts.Beringer partnered with Acorn Design and Manufacturing, Colebrook, Pennsylvania, to create the dispensing fixtures. Contract manufacturer Accupac, Mainland, Pennsylvania, developed the taste strips. News America Marketing, New York, executed the installation and maintenance of the taste stations in stores.

Beringer Debuts Wine Tasting Strips

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