Wine consumption and purchase behaviour in high and low involvement situations: a comparison of Gen Y and older consumers

Abstract

Purpose:– To explore the wine consumption behaviour of Gen Y in comparison to older wine consumers in a New Zealand context, with a focus on the influence of situational involvement on wine behaviour. Design/methodology/approach:– A quantitative survey was conducted with a random sample of residents of Christchurch, New Zealand in 2008. The results were analysed using marginal frequency analysis. Findings:– Gen Y wine consumers are less likely than older consumers to drink wine in either low or high involvement situations. Price is a more important product cue for Gen Y than for older consumers, and the younger cohort spend more on a bottle of wine. Country of origin is a significantly more important influence on wine purchasing for older consumers in both high and low involvement situations. Practical implications:– It would be counterproductive for wine marketers to target Gen Y wine consumers with cut-price wine and more effort is required to encourage them to ‘drink local’.