Unable to host the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show during lockdown, the organisers decided to conduct what became the biggest wine consumer survey ever done on behalf of the South African wine industry. Called the Great BIG Wine Survey, and carried out in June 2020 with the assistance of the North West University, the survey was completed by 21 000 participants. The findings will be made available to wine producers at no cost later this month.
Called the Great BIG Wine Survey, the survey was completed by 21 000 participants.
Andrew Douglas (pictured), owner of the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show, admits that once they had gathered the data, they understood that they had something that “could have a far bigger impact that we initially realised”. And so he reached out to one of South Africa’s largest independent consumer insights agency, KLA, “to help us take the data we had and amp it up on a number of levels enabling us to provide far more in-depth insights, findings and recommendations that will obviously make a far greater impact on the wine industry for years to come”.
KLA’s Research Director, Caitlin Bauristhene, says, “We are so excited to be partnering with TOPS at SPAR Wine Show on this next chapter in the Great BIG Wine Survey journey. The resulting report will serve the industry with much needed consumer insights which will enable improved ability to deliver against customer expectations. This in turn will support continued elevation of SA wine into the future.”
“Having access to a dataset of this size and with such broad consumer examination is not something I have ever seen before in 30 years of analysing the global wine business. The power and possibility which will result from this is breath-taking.”
Douglas also reached out to Peter McAtamney, founding Principal of Wine Business Solutions (WBS), for his expert input into the research report. WBS is one of only a handful of global businesses that provides strategic advisory and management consultancy services to the wine industry.
McAtamney jumped at the opportunity, and says, “Having access to a dataset of this size and with such broad consumer examination is not something I have ever seen before in 30 years of analysing the global wine business. The power and possibility which will result from this is breath-taking. It means that South African producers, resellers and representative organisations can now leverage a level of consumer insight that will be world-leading.”
“It will make great inroads in empowering all the stakeholders of the wine industry from producers to bottle plants and packaging manufacturers, in making informed decisions beyond COVID, for many years to come.”
Douglas is excited at the development opportunity this research presents the wine industry with. He says, “This partnership between ourselves, KLA and WBS marks a huge development and opportunity for the wine industry to get the consumer information and data that we’ve been missing for a long time. It will make great inroads in empowering all the stakeholders of the wine industry from producers to bottle plants and packaging manufacturers, in making informed decisions beyond COVID, for many years to come.”
To maintain the momentum, the research will now become an annual project by the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show team, providing ongoing consumer insights to benefit the sector.
Visit the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show website wineshow.co.za to keep up to date with all the latest information.
