Pandemic Wine Consumption Boosts Bag-in-Box Wine Packaging

Major packaging supplier Smurfit Kappa has released a report done in cooperation with Wine Intelligence. The report found that 3.7 million new consumers in France and the UK moved to bag-in-box wine over the past six months. What was the lure?

• It lasts longer. Bag-in-box packaging is designed to preserve wine quality longer than a traditional glass bottle once opened, something that is appealing to consumers who might have fewer people drinking wine now that they are consuming at home and with limited entertaining.
• It is e-commerce ready. Shipping is less costly due to the lighter weight packaging. Additionally, it is less prone to break in transit than a glass bottle.
• It is value-based. Because it lasts longer, consumers won’t waste wine that they don’t drink quickly enough. Additionally, wine in this packaging tends to be more the affordable, mass market types at this time.

As more consumers become open to the use of this packaging, there will likely be more wine varieties offered in bag-in-box format. When consumers are able to return to large gatherings, outdoor concerts, and other wine consumption events, they will also enjoy this format’s convenience as glass packaging is not allowed in some places.

For more information and discussion of opportunities, see The Freedonia Group’s extensive collection of off-the-shelf research, including packaging industry titles such as the update of Pouches (coming soon), World Wine Packaging, and Wine: United States. Freedonia Custom Research is also available for questions requiring tailored market intelligence.