STZ UNVEILS “PROJECT GENOME.”

Constellation has its own way of dividing up consumers. Leslie Joseph, vp of consumer research at Constellation Wines, told listeners at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium about Project Genome, a research project that unveiled consumers’ drinking and buying habits.

The project divided consumers into six segments and two groups. The “sexy” group is composed of wine enthusiasts, image seekers and shoppers. Enthusiasts made up 12% of the surveyed group and consider themselves to be knowledgeable about wine and enjoy sharing with friends and family. Image seekers (20%) look for wines with sophisticated and/or fun labels, while the savvy shoppers (15%) look for value.

The “block and tackle group” includes traditionalists (16%), who are more likely to buy wines with which they are familiar, while satisfied sippers (14%) are perfectly happy with what they’ve been drinking and make loyal customers.

The largest segment out of the “block and tackle” bunch, at 23%, is the “overwhelmed” group. What should be the wine industry’s targeted segment, they are intimidated by wine shopping and worry about making a mistake. This group usually goes after a label they recognize but is open to advice.