46% of wine online purchased by Generation X. Among the Millennials, red is winning

The pandemic has accelerated the growth of online wine sales in Italy which, although still having a reduced incidence compared to a large-scale distribution channel (less than 10% in comparison), it is undeniable that it now represents a channel which wine producers can no longer ignore. A trend witnessed precisely by the GDO data: after the “boom” of 2020 - influenced by the lockdown and health restrictions - also in 2021 the wine sales of e-commerce of big players (retail chains and Amazon) continued to grow, putting + 22% in value, against an average shelf sales of + 5%, as revealed by the data of the Observatory's focus on the Italian market on wine e-commerce, the result of the partnership between Nomisma Wine Monitor and Vino.com., dedicated to understanding the consumption trends and profiles of those who buy wine online both in Italy and abroad.
From the analysis of 100,000 numbered audience of online wine buyers in Italy, it emerges that between 2019 and 2021 almost 46% of all bottles purchased online refer to consumers of the so-called Generation X (i.e. born between 1965 and 1979), followed by the Baby Boomers (1946-1964) for 30% and by the Millennials (1980-1995) with another 23%. The very young (Generation Z) weighs just 1.1%, but is showing growth in purchases in the three-year period considered (they accounted for 0.6% of the total in 2019), an increasing trend also in the case of Millennials (since 19,9% to 22.8% in 2021).
In 2021, the division by type of the purchased wines highlights further food for thought. Bubbles represent a “transversal” category, in the sense that they show more or less similar incidences on total purchases by generation (ie between 26% of baby boomers and 32% of Gen Z). Red wines, on the other hand, show a higher weight in the consumption of younger people (representing 45% of bottles purchased by Millennials against 41% of baby boomers), unlike white wines which find a greater place in the purchase basket of consumers over 55. Finally, a look at the selling prices. With the pandemic, the average price of wine bottles purchased online decreased by 7% in the three-year period 2019-2021, compared to the pre-pandemic period, a reduction that mainly concerned still wines while it was opposite with bubbles (+7%).
“The relevance of the online channel for wine, both in Italy and abroad, has become unequivocal and it is on the basis of this awareness that we have decided to create, in partnership with Vino.com, an observatory dedicated to understanding consumption trends and of the profiles of those who buy wine through e-commerce”, comments Denis Pantini, Head of Agri-food and Wine Monitor Nomisma. “It is interesting to highlight how even in the face of a drop in the purchase price of bottles that have transversally affected all age groups, Millennials and Gen Z show the highest average purchase prices for all categories of wines analyzed, at a demonstration of that premiumization of consumption which finds a propulsive thrust, especially in the under 40s”, adds Pantini.
“The analysis of the three-year period indicates that if in 2020 many people turned to e-commerce for the first time, driven by necessity, now online wine shopping is a constantly evolving reality among consumers, attracted by the convenience of service, from information that guides even the less experienced audience in their choice and from the variety of the catalog”, adds Andrea Nardi Dei, CEO & founder of Vino.com. “The user-experience is increasingly fundamental in the sales process, so much so that it is also reflected in the turnover. Vino.com, in fact, also closed 2021 with growth, with a turnover of 43 million euros, achieving + 45% on the previous year. 75% of the online wine shop turnover was made in Italy, the remaining 25% abroad, especially in Germany with a 15% share, where the made in Italy wine is highly appreciated”.