Is craft beer consumption genderless? Exploratory evidence from Italy and Germany

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the gendered nature of craft beer (CB) consumption in Italy and Germany.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through online surveys in Italy (N = 210) and Germany (N = 211). Based on an enhanced version of the theory of planned behaviour, mean value difference tests and moderated regression analyses with gender as a moderator were performed to test gender effects on CB consumption behaviour.FindingsThe study results provide evidence that the gap in CB consumption behaviour is not very pronounced. In the German sample, gender did not moderate the effects of the model components on behavioural intent. However, the study found significant mean differences in all model variables. In the Italian sample, gender moderated the effects of several components of the theory of planned behaviour on behavioural intention. Hence, CB consumption appears to represent an opportunity for Italian women to negotiate their womanhood in a historically masculine-dominated space.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of these data are the focus on two specific countries, the use of small-sized samples and the prediction of behavioural intentions instead of actual behaviour.Practical implicationsThe study may help marketing managers develop appropriate marketing strategies based on a better understanding of gender-specific needs in CB consumption.Originality/valueThis investigation provides the first comparative analysis of gender-specific behavioural patterns in CB consumption in two European countries characterised by notably different beer cultures.

Craft beer – a systematic literature review and research agenda

“…They perceive CB as having a higher quality, more flavors than commercial beer, thus tastier, more genuine and natural. Using both Italian a German samples Rivaroli et al (2020) identified only moderate gender effects in attitudes toward CB consumption for Italians and no significant effects for Germans; therefore, they concluded that CB consumption is genderless.…”

Peran Moderasi Gender dalam pengaruh Attitude, Norm Subjective dan Perceived Behavior terhadap Food Intention: Uji Empiris terhadap Konsumsi Makanan Tradisional

“…Hal ini memperkuat penelitian sebelumnya bahwa peran moderasi gender bermakna pada pengaruh minat beriwirausaha (Setyawan, 2016). Dalam studi eksploratif konsumsi beer di Jerman gender tidak dapat memoderasi efek dari komponen model pada niat perilaku, sedangkan di Italia gender memoderasi perceive behavior dengan menggunakan Theory Planned Behaviour (Rivaroli et al, 2020). Sehingga perbedaan gender dalam merancang strategi untuk meningkatkan mengkonsumsi makanan tradisional, perlu mempertimbangkan cara individu dalam menilai dan merespon faktor-faktor tersebut untuk meningkatkan pengambilan keputusan dalam pemilihan makanan.…”

New experiences in the Italian craft beer market. Opportunities for development in the Piedmont Region

“…This is reflected in the shift from a mass and industrial approach to a slower one, in line with the Slow Food philosophy (Garavaglia, 2015), aimed at learning in tasting and the pleasure of savouring different and new flavours (Schnell and Reese, 2009;Fastigi et al, 2015a;Donadini and Porretta, 2017;Garavaglia, 2015). The behaviour and habits of beer consumers are the subjects of numerous studies (Donadini and Porretta, 2017;Lerro et al, 2020;Carbone and Quici, 2020;Massaglia et al, 2022;Merlino et al, 2020;Pilone et al 2023;Rivaroli et al, 2019;Rivaroli et al, 2020) aimed at defining craft beer marketing and promotion strategies. One of the relevant elements for consumers is authenticity, understood as a guarantee of product quality, service quality, transparency and traceability (Hernandez-Fernandez and Lewis, 2019;Verhaal and Dobrev, 2022).…”