1. Will the proposed questionnaire and research design achieve the research objectives?

2. What alternative questions could be used to assess attitudes and intentions-to-buy? Which approach would yield the most valid responses?

Wine Horizons was a medium-sized New York State winery that emphasized sparkling wines. The company was not known to the public as a producer of good-quality domestic champagne because all of their output was sold to well-known hotels and restaurants, which put their own labels on the bottles. However, their still (nonsparkling) wines were sold under the Wine Horizons label and were moderately well known.

The management of the company had been planning for some time to launch a line of champagnes under their own brand name. They were seriously considering whether the launch should be based on a packaging innovation. The specific proposal was to package their champagne in six-packs of 7-ounce bottles in an easy-to-carry container, at a retail price of approximately $9.00.

The 7-ounce quantity was chosen because it was the equivalent of two average-sized champagne glasses, thus making one bottle a convenient serving for one or two people. This size and price were expected to make the champagne an attractive alternative to imported beers in a variety of social situations.

Before a decision could be made, the management team had to be satisfied that there was an adequate market for the new packaging. They also wanted to know the occasions during which the target market would be likely to use the product, and whether these people would expect to find it in the imported beer or wine section of their retail outlet. To answer these questions, the firm Ritchey and Associates was retained to conduct a market study. A meeting to review their attitude questionnaire was just beginning.

Developments in the Wine Industry

The wine industry had enjoyed significant growth in recent years. The growth of white wines had been especially strong, but sparkling wines had also experienced an upward trend. Champagne sales had grown, but less than sparkling wines in general. The reason for the increased popularity of white wines was not known, but many in the industry believed it was due to a general trend toward “lightness” on the part of consumers, as reflected in their increased use of light beers, light wine, bottled mineral water, health foods, and low-tar cigarettes. Whatever the reason, wine was being chosen more frequently as a beverage alternative to beer and liquor in various formal and informal social situations. It was also believed that champagne was not sharing in wine’s growth because of the difficulty in keeping champagne fresh after the bottle was opened—a large, opened bottle of champagne would lose all its carbonation in a few hours and “go flat.”

Two wineries had recently begun test-marketing wine in small packages. One winery was offering chablis, rosé, and burgundy in six-packs of cans, with each can containing six ounces of wine. Another winery was test-marketing chablis in six-packs of 6.5-ounce bottles. The new packaging seemed to be selling reasonably well in test areas, and retailers reportedly had a favorable attitude toward the new packaging. Compared with “single” small bottles or cans of wine—which were considered a nuisance—retailers felt that the six-packs were more profitable and more convenient to stack and display.

The Research Study

The objectives of the study were to (1) measure consumers’ acceptance of wine in six-packs, (2) identify the type of person who was a potential purchaser and user of champagne in six-packs, (3) determine where in the store he or she would expect to find such champagne, and (4) determine the size of the potential market. The sample would be champagne drinkers who were 21 years of age or older. Also, the research would be limited to markets where the six-packs of wine were already being tested. It was further decided that the data would be collected with personal interviews using a shopping mall intercept method. This would permit the interviewer to show a picture of the proposed six-pack and to use cards to list answer categories in complex questions. Only malls that contained liquor stores would be selected. The interviewers would be located in the vicinity of the liquor store and would attempt to interview adults leaving the stores.

A six-part questionnaire (see Marketing Research in Action 12.5) was designed to obtain the desired information. The major issues to be resolved were whether this questionnaire and the mall intercept design would identify potential users and yield a valid estimate of the potential market for the six-packs.