Which wine do you prefer? An analysis on consumer behaviour and brain activity during a wine tasting experience
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics
ISSN: 1355-5855
Article publication date: 2 October 2019
Issue publication date: 23 June 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess whether or not electroencephalography (EEG) provides a valuable and substantial contribution to the prediction of consumer behaviour and their preferences during product consumption. In this study, the authors especially focus on individual preferences during a wine tasting experience.
Design/methodology/approach
A consumer neuroscience experiment was carried out with 26 participants that evaluated different red wines while their brain activity was recorded with EEG. A within-subjects design was employed and the experiment was carried out in two sessions. All participants took part in a blind taste session (no label session), in which information about the wine was not disclosed, and a normal taste session (label session), during which the bottle and its label were visible.
Findings
The findings suggest that EEG is a useful tool to study brain activity during product experience. EEG has high temporal resolution, low costs, small dimensions and superior manoeuvrability compared to other consumer neuroscience tools. However, it is noticed that there is a lack of solid theoretical background regarding brain areas (e.g. frontal cortex) and brain activity (e.g. brain waves) related to consumer preferences during product experience. This lack of knowledge causes several difficulties in replicating and validating the findings of other consumer neuroscience experiments for studying consumer behaviour.
Originality/value
The experiment presented in this paper is an exploratory study. It provides insights into the possible contribution of EEG data to the prediction of consumer behaviour during product experience.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all of those who took part in our study. The authors also would thank Prof. Dr Petra C. de Weerd-Nederhof for her support.
Citation
Alvino, L., van der Lubbe, R., Joosten, R.A.M. and Constantinides, E. (2020), "Which wine do you prefer? An analysis on consumer behaviour and brain activity during a wine tasting experience", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 1149-1170. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-04-2019-0240
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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