Effective wine labels play on customer interests

When a customer encounters a wine label for the first time, he or she will come to some conclusions about the vineyard responsible. Even in this era of accessible information, there is an undeniable power in crafting good-looking product labels for wines. Failure to impress shoppers with imagery and messaging could prove a costly decision for any producer. After all, there is plenty of competition out there for consumer dollars.

Probing audience interests
The battle for customer attention means winemakers should be aware of what people like to see on labels. Newsweek recently compiled the results of consumer research to determine how to win shoppers over. The conclusions included some oddly specific tidbits, such as the fact that survey respondents claim it’s not particularly advantageous to have an animal on a wine label – but four of the top five wines in the U.S. have animals as part of their branding. Therefore, the jury remains out on whether such a mascot helps sell a brand.

Even once the front of a wine bottle catches a customer’s eye, the back has a role to play as well. According to Newsweek, 49 percent of wine drinkers are interested in what’s printed on the reverse of the bottle. People want to see a written description of a wine’s flavor profile. Since there’s no way to pop the bottle open and try some wine in the store, this information is as close as potential customers will get to knowing how the brand tastes – unless they’re at a wine tasting!

New grape varietals incoming
Some elements of wine labeling are absolutely unique to this industry. For instance, the Minneapolis Star Tribune recently noted that 51 different varieties of grapes are almost ready for approval by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the government department that decides which types of descriptors are acceptable on wine labels. Vintners whose offerings use one of those grapes may want to take advantage of the upcoming rule change to proudly wear their varietals on their sleeves.

High-quality labeling a must
When you’re thinking about the above issues and designing your next round of wine labels, you have to be sure you don’t sabotage your brand’s appeal with a poor printing job. While clear and crisp label printing can project professionalism and assurance, technical problems could could create the opposite impression. That’s why it’s so important to have top-quality hardware such as the Primera LX900 Color Label Printer on your side. Find out more on our U.S. page or Canadian site.