One of the lasting effects of the pandemic is that more people are spending time at home—making the most of experiences they previously enjoyed out and about by making the most of them in-house. Enjoying a fine glass of wine is one of those experiences.
Wine refrigerators and wine cellars are growing in popularity, making wine accessories such as coasters, bottle openers, totes, and glass charms a necessity.
Melanie Dobosh at Beacon Promotions acknowledges that wine coasters have been a huge driver to the company in the wine accessory market segment. “The home bar has been booming in popularity with more people spending time at home,” she notes. “We predict this to be a big part of this product category, selling steady throughout the year. To pair perfectly with coasters and this wine accessory segment, our bottle openers and corkscrews have also been trending steadily in our orders and requests.”
Zoogee World’s Richard Ouellette agrees, adding that the wine bottling industry has major marketing dollars attributed to the success of their beverage products and often promotional add-ons or related promotional products are used to encourage point of sale purchases. “There are numerous related industries such as wine tasting events and major sporting events which are sponsored by the beverage industry also using beverage related promotional products to further promote their message,” he comments.
Beacon Promotions has seen a steady climb throughout this year in wine accessories orders and requests. “As we move into Q4 we are very busy and expect the high demand to continue as we move through to the end of the year,” Dobosh explains. “Business and communities continue to re-open across the continent as we get back to a sense of ‘normalcy.’ This is a clear factor in the increase in demand throughout 2021. Global supply chain issues are top of mind with business in all industries, and here at Beacon we are well stocked in our coaster selection as we move into the holiday gifting season.”
According to Ouellette at Zoogee World, the company’s wine glass charm promotional products have been very popular with the beer and wine producing companies because of their low-cost customization. He adds that Zoogee targets corporate events, fundraising events, and even individual ceremonies such as weddings, retirements, and commemorations which have wine available at their events and use the wine glass charms for promotional or nostalgia giveaways.
This year’s new and best-selling wine accessories are guaranteed to please the finest palates! Dobosh at Beacon Promotions reports the majority of the company’s coasters are new this year, joining best sellers such as its ceramic and marble assortment. “The white marble coaster set with wood stand and the round coaster set with stand are gaining traction as we head into the gifting season,” she comments. The company’s classic corkscrew has always been a good performer and continues to prove its popularity, she adds.
Americanna also has a Bamboo Coaster Set that Josette Bosse deems perfect to go with a bottle of wine. “Just tie the coaster set over the neck of the bottle and it’s a perfect housewarming, thank you, or congratulations gift!” she enthuses. The set features a linen bag that contains four bamboo coasters.
Zoogee World’s full-color domed wine glass charms (particularly item PWC-1) are by far its most popular beverage industry product, Ouellette maintains. “We can provide customization without any set-up or die charges as well as our professional executive style clamshell packaging which can also be customized to provide additional marketing or event information,” he details.
At Southern Plus, Grethe Adams reports the company has a number of wine totes that also double as gift bags, pointing to the popular kitting trend that makes an incredible first impression to a recipient by offering an upscale, retail-looking design.
While Ouellette at Zoogee World encourages distributors to work with major bottling or beverage manufacturers in addition to keeping an eye out for special event opportunities, especially as more companies are getting busier, Dobosh at Beacon Promotions adds that capitalizing on the “home bar” mentality is definitely an avenue worth exploring. “Many end users were used to going out to restaurants, bars, and vineyards to socially enjoy their favorite bottle of merlot,” she comments. “However, in our new post-pandemic landscape there are more people enjoying wine with friends at home—making memories.”