The information they use will be based on consumer reviews, not comments from traditional wine critics, Daphy adds, in this exclusive podcast with Rachel Arthur from BeverageDaily.com recorded live at the Vinisud tradeshow in Montpellier, France this week.
Google is developing glasses (see picture below) which give users the information they currently get on a smartphone. When presented with a wine shelf, the glasses will be able to scan the selection and pick out which wines the consumer will like.
Google glasses…will be something very big
“I think that Google Glass, or any other glasses, will be something very big. It will help us connect what we see with the reviews,” said Daphy, who is also co-founder of Wine Mosaic, an organization which promotes Mediterranean varieties.
“You will look at a bottle and you will instantly know if you will like it or not, depending on the reviews you left before and the reviews of other people. I think it will help you pick out the good bottle in any context.”
The glasses will narrow the selection it sees based on purchases the user has given a positive rating in the past, and reviews from other consumers posted on the internet. When you search for a wine product online, consumer reviews often make the first page of results, Daphy adds.
Consumer reviews can now make or break a wine, with the internet, social media and mobile offering anyone a platform to voice their opinion, Daphy said.
“The importance of reviews are radically changing with bloggers and the general public. It doesn’t mean old style critics are dead, but you no longer need to take a book with you to the shop. You get the information from your smartphone,” he said.
Who will you believe? The critic or the people?
“Who will you believe, the critic or the people? 100 people can’t be wrong together.”
Niche markets – wines which appeal to a certain group or receive a ‘love or hate’ response – should not fear negative reviews, Daphy said. “If you’ve got a great product, there will be a community who will defend it. But there is no place for people who make bad products, whatever your business.”
Consumers today demand instant information on the spot, widening the market for mobile apps, he adds. Users expect to be able to tap their location into their phone and find relevant information about vineyards in their locality, which has big implications for wine tourism.
Daphy believes wineries are using social media and the internet well, but must keep up with fast paced technology changes.
“For many things, wine producers are very conservative,” he said. “But I must admit, the wine business has understood there is something going on.
“They have Facebook pages and use it quite well, and have Twitter accounts. Of course you have some that are very ahead, and some that are lagging behind. But I think they get social media quite well.”