Wine Biz: About that can....it's not a trend. Just ask consumers.

A lot of canned wines in the news these days, including topics addressing consumer tasting preferences, trade response, journalist views and more. The battle continues, but for those who believe wine cans are a recent debate, it is not so.

Nearly nine years ago I attended a European trade show with my team, where we found a wine in a can. The taste was fun and fruity, while the package/branding reflected a light hearted approach. It resonated with me and the team, as there was an immediate grasp of the US demographic target market for this product. It screamed market opportunity.

The holdup for the import deal had to do with US regulations on approved can/bottle sizes. We wanted cans that could be sold individually, and the French producer was not willing to make the change. The feedback from their ownership was that there was no market indication that the US market would be receptive to wine in cans, so it didn't warrant the investment. They were correct, because at that time the category did not exist, and most trade buyers would have completely discarded the product's potential for success.

But then, there is the consumer, who is light years ahead of the trade. Trouble is, they know what they want, only when they see it. Just consider impulse shopping for products on instagram. If you don't believe this, ask your kids.

Ask Steve Jobs. “Some people say, ‘Give customers what they want.’ But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, ‘If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, “A faster horse!”‘ People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.”

The wine and spirits industry is busy reading big data tea leaves, and that has its place. However, there is no clear formulaic path to success. Hence the constant need for brand innovation and consumer communication. There is more to this, of course, but rest assured, wine cans are here to stay. The real question is what are consumers ready for next, and who is brave enough to innovate and capture their imagination?

On that note, we have developed a new project, and happy to discuss the opportunity with the right potential partner. DM directly.

About the Author:?Foundation Marketing Group's (FMG)?CEO Monika Elling entered the wine and spirits industry in 2001 and has worked on the supply, import and wholesale sides of the business, creating brands, developing and implementing market strategies for global companies.