The factors influencing consumers’ behavior regarding champagne consumption in Portugal

Abstract

Managers of Champagne Houses and wineries are interested in understanding and predicting how consumer preferences will vary as a function of changes in their products’ attributes and, thus, how they can positively affect consumers’ perceptions and behavior. The main purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the buying behavior of champagne consumers in Portugal, namely of the most predominant purchase decision variables that guide their consumption patterns and how the level of consumer involvement and the usage situation influence that impact. Particularly, the study identifies extrinsic attributes of champagne purchase decisions in various situational contexts, mapping those influencers on the choice of bottle in that particular environment. Using a choice set of ten reference attributes, the Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) method was applied in a survey with 206 Portuguese champagne buyers, to infer what attributes influenced consumer choice of the last bottle of champagne they purchased. The findings in this paper provide a valuable contribution to champagne winegrowers and Houses in their marketing efforts, particularly as they establish a hierarchical relationship among extrinsic attributes that influence Portuguese consumers’ behavior at the moment of purchasing a bottle of champagne and find relevant associations between those attributes and six classification variables, which can help optimize a champagne’s competitive positioning and brands to overtake the challenges they face in the Portuguese market.

Date of Award	14 Oct 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Joana Machado (Supervisor)