Consumers’ attitudes towards purchasing wine : the link between purchasing channels and perceived benefits.

Abstract

This thesis aims to investigate different motivations of adopting an online versus in-store channel when buying wine. Specifically, it examines consumers perceptions of these channels based upon the benefits they associate with each one. Four literature streams were used to represent perceived benefits associated with sourcing products online and in-store: price, trust, convenience and available information. A further two literature streams were chosen to represent influences that aid consumers to buy wine: labelling/packaging and branding, to determine whether the consumer’s perceived importance of them have an influence on the purchasing channel they choose. In order to understand why consumers adopt an online versus in-store channel when buying wine, an online survey was created using Qualtrics, with the sample being recruited through Mechanical Turk. The scales used in the survey were adapted from literature streams that concerned channel adoption and motivations to buy wine. A total of 248 responses were collected and analysed using multivariate procedures, including cluster analysis which was used to identify distinct groups of consumers.

The results revealed there to be three segments of wine consumers when considering channel choice behaviour; modern consumers, visual consumers, and neutral consumers. Online convenience and available information online were significant influences in adopting an online channel to purchase wine. It was also found that visual attributes such as labelling/packaging are influences in aiding wine purchases, as well as adopting an in-store channel to buy.