This replication paper published in BMC Research Notes, adds to previous studies (Pechey et al 2016; Pechey et al 2017) that show an effect of glass size on sales, in bar and restaurant settings in Cambridge, England. The current paper outlines four studies, in two bars and one restaurant. In each study, the establishment served wine in small (290ml), medium (350ml) or large glasses (450ml), and this was changed over fortnightly periods for a period of 18 or 26 weeks.
The results of this study were mixed: sometimes larger wine glasses increased sales but this finding was not consistent. However, there were no significant decreases in sales with larger glasses, suggesting that the increases were not just random fluctuations. These results are a partial replication of previous studies which show that larger glasses increase sales.
These findings are an important addition to the existing evidence base on the impact of wine glass size on sales – but there is considerable uncertainty around the size of this overall effect and the contexts in which it occurs.
Wine glass size and wine sales: four replication studies in one restaurant and two bars. Clarke N, Pechey R, Pilling M, Hollands GJ, Mantzari E, & Marteau TM.
