Women Tend to Choose Feminine Wine Labels

The Power of Wine Labels in Consumer Decisions

In the wine industry, labels are much more than just a visual identifier. They significantly influence a consumer’s expectations about the sensory experience a wine will offer.

Studies show that the design of a wine label, especially regarding gender cues, plays a pivotal role in shaping the purchasing decisions of women.

Given that over 59% of U.S. wine consumers are women, wine producers must consider the impact of label design to attract this influential market segment.

Recent research sheds light on how gendered cues on labels influence women’s attitudes, sensory expectations, and purchase intentions. The researchers wrote about their study and findings in the International Journal of Hospitality Management (citation below).

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Feminine Wine Labels: A Strong Influence on Women Consumers

According to a series of studies conducted by Washington State University, women are more likely to choose feminine wine labels over masculine ones.

Labels with feminine imagery—such as flowers or female portraits—are seen as more appealing to women. This preference is particularly pronounced in women who identify strongly with other women, a phenomenon referred to as “in-group identification.”

Women with higher levels of this identification were more likely to favor wines with feminine labels and expected a better overall sensory experience from such wines.

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Gender Stereotypes and Wine Label Preferences

Gender cues often play on stereotypes, with masculine labels featuring imagery such as wolves or male portraits, while feminine labels showcase flowers or softer designs.

In experiments involving more than 460 women, those who viewed feminine wine labels showed higher purchase intentions and expected the wine to be more enjoyable across various sensory dimensions, including taste, aroma, and aftertaste.

Interestingly, these expectations remained high even when the participants were more knowledgeable about wine.

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Impact of Wine Knowledge vs. Feminine Wine Labels

Although wine knowledge influenced how women anticipated the sensory experience, it did not alter their purchasing intentions.

Regardless of whether women were experienced wine drinkers or novices, feminine wine labels had a powerful effect on consumer behavior, that is, on their likelihood of buying a specific product.

The study revealed that gender cues can even outweigh expertise, demonstrating that emotional and visual appeal can dominate over knowledge in the decision-making process.

However, when women participated in blind taste tests, the results became more complex. When tasting the same wine packaged with masculine and feminine labels, women who tasted the feminine-labeled wine rated it lower than those tasting the masculine-labeled wine.

This may be due to an incongruence between the expected and actual flavor profile of the wine, suggesting that overly feminine labels may set sensory expectations that the wine itself does not meet.

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Practical Implications for the Wine Industry

These findings suggest that winemakers should reconsider their approach to label design.

As 82% of U.S. winemakers are men, a masculine bias still dominates wine branding.

• Feminine Wine Labels – Employ More Female Designers

Yet, with women making up the majority of wine consumers, it’s crucial to incorporate more gender-inclusive strategies into label design.

Including women in the label design process, piloting labels for customer feedback, and aligning sensory cues with the actual wine characteristics can help tap into this important market segment.

By understanding the nuanced preferences of women consumers, the wine industry can better cater to their tastes, improving both marketing effectiveness and customer satisfaction.

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Women Dominate the Market in Many Countries

Here’s a concise summary of the percentage of female wine consumers in seven major economies (Sources: Statista, Global Data, Euromonitor, Wine Awards, Wine Intelligence, & Gambero Rosso International):

1. United States:
   Women make up around 59% of wine consumers, playing a dominant role in the wine market.
2. Italy:
   Women account for 55% of wine drinkers, surpassing men for the first time​.
3. France:
   Women represent approximately 50% of wine consumers, making them equally significant as men in the market .
4. Australia:
   Women are key wine consumers, particularly in the sustainable and organic wine sectors, accounting for around 50%​.
5. United Kingdom:
   Women represent about 53% of wine drinkers, leading the market in the UK​.
6. Germany:
   In Germany, women make up 50% of the wine-drinking population.
7. Canada:
   Women represent around 55% of wine consumers, with a growing presence in the premium wine segment​.

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Citation

Cai, R., Deng, D. S., Chi, C. G. Q., & Harrington, R. J. (2024). The eyes have it: How do gender cues in wine labels influence U.S. women wine consumers? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 123, 103930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103930