The wine consumer's behaviour in selected stores of Italian major retailing chains

Abstract

Purpose

The principal aim of this article is to examine attitudes of Italian consumers in relation to wine, identifying specific types of wine buyers.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 442 Italian wine consumers has been surveyed and three measurement instruments have been developed for grouping the observations by means of multivariate statistical analysis. The study then investigates both the consumer and product characteristics that significantly differentiate between the derived clusters of buyers and finally provides an external validity check.

Findings

Although the study is exploratory in nature, there is evidence that four wine‐related consumer segments exist in our sample. These segments are habitual wine buyers, rational buyers, interested consumers, and professionals of promotions.

Originality/value

For wine marketers, the results of this research clearly support the need for a targeted approach to their consumer market. The study identifies the principal consequences of the results in order to provide both retailers and producers some useful marketing suggestions.

Citation

Seghieri, C., Casini, L. and Torrisi, F. (2007), "The wine consumer's behaviour in selected stores of Italian major retailing chains", International Journal of Wine Business Research, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 139-151. https://doi.org/10.1108/17511060710758696