Gin: What drives consumer purchasing behaviour?

Abstract

This study seeks to explore the gin attributes shaping consumer behaviour and purchasing preferences in Aotearoa New Zealand, to provide insights for gin manufacturers and marketers alike in a rapidly growing industry. Guided by the literature and two expert panels, we identified five core attributes of gin (taste/flavour; packaging; price; brand image; availability) and tested these using a conceptual framework of effective marketing strategies in the gin industry. A Semantic Similarity Cluster analysis (HDBScan algorithm) of 200 recent (January 2024 to June 2025) Reddit posts (and 2,398 resulting comments) in the r/Gin sub-reddit was performed to confirm whether consumer word of mouth is consistent with the proposed gin attributes. Further, Qualtrics software and survey methodology, we are collecting data from Aotearoa New Zealand respondents over the age of 18 to rank these attributes based on their preferences for purchasing and consuming gin, and to test and refine our conceptual model. This research contributes to a broader understanding of consumer behaviour in the Aotearoa New Zealand gin market, so marketers can better understand and cater to consumer preferences, gin distilleries can align their practices and processes accordingly, and consumers can adequately communicate what they find valuable