Perceptions, attitudes, and motivational factors for consumers and nonconsumers of traditional and craft beers

Abstract

Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world, and craft-style beers have presented interesting marketing prospects in the segment. This study intends to establish a consumer profile and their relationship with craft beer compared with traditional versions, as well as understand nonconsumers in order to design more assertive market strategies. The data were obtained using an online questionnaire with 195 participants.Women were about 56.90% less likely to consume craft beer. Craft beer consumers show a preference for bitter, exotic beers, with a strong and full-bodied flavor, and seek high quality and authenticity. On the other hand, traditional beer consumers seek wellknown and easy-drinking beers, considering product availability and price. The high price and the stronger flavor are the main reasons for not consuming craft beer. Nonconsumers of beer report the taste as a barrier to consumption. The conceptual and affective associations to the beers are positive, except for the group of nonconsumers. Practical ApplicationsThe brewing segment, shows constant evolution, seeking innovation to better meet the variability existing among beer consumers. One of the outstanding niches is the craft segment, with a complex relationship between consumers and beer. The results of this study provide a view of beer consumption habits and consumer craft and traditional, and answers about nonconsumers. The results show how gender interferes with consumer attitudes and offers insights into opportunities to expand the segment. The consumer seeks positive experiences, whether sensory or not, however, the consumption may not be repeated if these experiences are negative, as in the case of nonconsumers. Given the results, industrial enterprises in the beer production chain can create more personalized strategies to reach target audiences that are not being contemplated. Other segments favored are tourist enterprises, especially those that envision gastronomic tourism, as beer is associated with the consumption of other products and social interaction.

Brewing sustainability: assessing environmental concerns and consumers’ attitudes towards sustainable craft beer purchase intentions

“…São Paulo's position as a significant cultural and economic hub in Brazil makes it an appropriate starting point for the investigation of new trends and niche markets. Finally, many craft beer studies have focused on Brazilian consumers (Carvalho et al, 2018;Haddad et al, 2023;Koch and Sauerbronn, 2019;Steinbach et al, 2023).…”

“…The emergence of a new consumer profile driven by curiosity, intense differentiation, attention to the experience of flavor, quality and range of product variations (Lerro et al, 2020), authenticity (Steinbach et al, 2023) and the higher value of regionality and sustainability (Carvalho et al, 2018) have reshaped how companies organize their operations and distribution strategies. This shift has also spurred the growth of new market segments, notably the craft beer market.…”

“…The emergence of a new consumer profile driven by curiosity, intense differentiation, attention to the experience of flavor, quality and range of product variations (Lerro et al. , 2020), authenticity (Steinbach et al. , 2023) and the higher value of regionality and sustainability (Carvalho et al.…”

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

“…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). Finally, craft beer production is also identified as an opportunity for the development of beer tourism experiences in the production area (Gajić et al, 2021;Steinbach et al, 2023). In this context, microbreweries must become highly specialised, holding out the hope that consumers will be willing to pay the right price for such products (Jackson, 1999;Ferrero, 1987), determined by the uniqueness of the production process and the particular characteristics of the final product (Cannatelli et al, 2017).…”

“The world seems a bit of a better place”: Alcohol and women at midlife

“…Liesel talks about asking for "tasting notes" and requiring "information" about the "flavour" before she purchases the beer. She draws strongly on ideas of female equality to be taken as seriously as a man who drinks craft beer (who is also more likely to position himself as drinking for the taste, craft, and packaging of the beer (Steinbach et al, 2023)). Her concern about judgement is not that she is buying an alcoholic beverage product more commonly purchased by men, it is that she will not be taken as seriously as a man who can be considered, as she later states, a "craft beer-phile".…”