WINETECH Technical Yearbook 2020

INTRODUCTION Buying wine still causes a headache for many South African consumers. With an array of choice and wine often shared socially, consumers are hesitant to spend money on unfamiliar wines. In 2018, Dr Nadia van der Colff completed a PhD study about consumers’ wine purchase behaviour at the South African Grape and Wine Research Institute, in conjunction with the Department of Business Management, Stellenbosch University. In-depth in­ terviews were held with consumers, followed by a survey which was completed by more than 2 000 South African wine consumers. As the majority of wine is purchased from South African supermarkets, this study focussed on consumers’ buying process in the retail environment. A varietal-specific approach was followed that investigated perceptions and buying behaviour within the South African white wine category. Chenin blanc is South Africa’s most planted wine grape variety, yet in the 750 mL white wine bottle category, substantially more Sauvignon blanc is sold (SAWIS, 2017). From the research, recommendations were made to improve the position of Chenin blanc in the South African market. In this study, more than 80% of respondents indicated to rely on a familiar brand name when buying South African white wine (Van der Colff, 2019). Results provided

further insights, indicating that consumers might attach brand status to wine varieties.

BACKGROUND ON BRAND LOYALTY – A CONSUMER PERSPECTIVE

A brand is a name, symbol, design or a combination of the aforementioned and is used to identify and differentiate a product within a category (Johansson & Carlson, 2015). Brand loyalty is a known risk-reducing strategy that consumers use during the intimidating wine buying process. Consumers, therefore, rely on a few well-known brand names that reduce their uncertainty and eventually becomes a safe, routine item in the shopping cart. Brand loyalty, however, does not happen in the blink of an eye. The very first step to brand loyalty is satisfied consumers. To satisfy a consumer, requires that important product attributes and the consumer’s experience with the product, meet or exceed pre-established expectations (figure 1). Expectations are mostly shaped by previous experiences and in the case of wine, consistency of sensory characteristics associated with a specific variety or brand, is critically important. Therefore, a process of learning, with repetitive positive experiences should occur over time before a brand can eventually be trusted. Brand loyalty is the ultimate position for any producer as loyal consumers often show resistance towards

Wine consumers are creatures of brand habits

APRIL 2020

NADIA VAN DER COLFF 1 , CHRIS PENTZ 2 & HÉLÈNE NIEUWOUDT 3 : 1 Consumer Solutions, Stellenbosch; 2 Department of Business Management, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch; 3 Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch KEYWORDS: Consumer decision-making; wine purchases; brand loyalty; South African white wine category

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