Kathleen M. Kelley

U.S. wine consumer preferences for bottle characteristics, back label extrinsic cues and wine composition

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what factors and assortment of factors on wine back labels, representative of those found in the US market, appealed to consumers. Moreover, what changes to wine bottle characteristics and standard wine composition appealed and could affect their purchasing decision. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through an online survey of 910 wine consumers who resided in Metropolitan Philadelphia and New York City. Findings – Based on conjoint analysis, averaged importance for food-wine-pairing information on wine bottle back labels was greater than both how to contact and connect with the winery and winery background information. Within the pairing information factor, description of food-wine-pairings and symbols of food-wine-pairings received positive utility values, indicating consumers preferred these options more than having no pairing information present. Consumers who purchased wine at least once a week were more positively impacted by the alt...

Service performance quality evaluation and satisfaction in a USA wine festivalscape

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the links between perceived festival service performance quality, satisfaction, buying wine at the event, and the first-time/repeat tourist dynamic. Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted on 368 attendees at a major wine festival in the northeast USA using intercept face-to-face interviews. Findings – The facility-related quality aspects are a stronger predictor of buying behaviour than activity-related aspects and amenities. A relationship between performance quality perception and satisfaction could not be found. 35-year and older repeat visitors are the highest yielding festival visitor group from a financial viewpoint. First-timers are far more short-term oriented than repeat visitors when making the final decision to attend the festival event. Research limitations/implications – It is very important to achieve a high degree of repeat festival attendance as this directly influenced the financial gains in selling more wine. The nature ...

Agritourism consumers’ participation in wine tasting events: An econometric analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine the likelihood of a USA Mid-Atlantic region consumers’ willingness to partake in a wine tasting event, an example of an agritourism activity, based on their responses to an Internet survey conducted from June 22 to 29, 2010. Design/methodology/approach – Potential participants were screened and asked to participate if they resided in one of the states targeted (Delaware, New Jersey or Pennsylvania); were aged 21 years and older; were the primary food shopper for the household; and had previously attended an agritourism and/or direct marketing events or activities. Findings – A logit model was developed based on responses from 972 consumers who participated in the 15-minute Internet survey to predict participation in wine tasting activity. Consumers who are more likely to attend an on-farm wine tasting event include those who learn about agritourism events through newspapers, think that the variety and price of produce is better at direct markets than sup...

Usage rate segmentation: enriching the US wine market profile

The purpose of this research is to enrich our knowledge of the US wine market and provide insights into how usage rate segmentation can be enhanced by select innovative perspectives of current offerings. Data were collected through a 15-minute online survey of 910 US wine drinkers randomly selected from a panel of consumers. It was found that the “super core” segment not only drank wine more frequently, but also were more likely to drink other types of alcohol presented (beer, distilled spirits, and ready-to-drink cocktails), and at a greater frequency, “at least once a week” and “about once a week”, than “marginal” drinkers. Differences between usage rate segments existed between sex and age generations. Female millennial “super core” consumers would increase wine consumption if the number of calories were reduced to fewer than 80 per 5 oz serving. Practical implications for a winery or wine retailer might include the potential to add these beverages to their product offering or bundling these beverages to create packages (allowing for mass customization, which is used often in retail) and appropriately marketing these offerings to their customers. Changes that may invoke a positive response are wine made from “sustainably farmed” or “naturally farmed” grapes, and certified carbon-free wine. From an originality viewpoint, this study is the first to investigate how usage rate segmentation can be enriched by means of variable cross-extension and examination.