X‐it: Gen‐X and Older Wine Drinker Comparisons in New Zealand

Abstract

Some wine marketing studies make reference to the importance of Generation‐X as the next wave of wine drinkers, but draw attention to a glaring fact; this next generation is consuming less wine than national averages. Whilst considerable amounts of information about Generation‐X exist, few studies have addressed their underlying wine purchasing behaviours. A mock label for a red and white wine was developed and respondents were asked to indicate their probability of purchase and the price they would pay. A range of wine purchasing behaviour questions were included. A questionnaire was randomly presented in a mail survey to 1,144 New Zealand respondents drawn from a national wine mailing list (n=640) and an academic institution (n=504). No follow‐up was undertaken and a 28% response rate was achieved. Generation‐X wine consumers exhibited more differences than similarities to the older age cohort, with many differences being statistically significant. Whilst Generation‐X purchase wines in a similar fashion, they are mainly light purchasers of bottled wine. Generation‐X respondents showed a stronger likelihood of purchasing a never‐before‐seen wine and place a different emphasis on wine label information. More research on Generation‐X and their behaviours as wine consumers is required.

Citation

Thomas, A. and Pickering, G. (2005), "X‐it: Gen‐X and Older Wine Drinker Comparisons in New Zealand", International Journal of Wine Marketing, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 30-48. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb008787