Using simulations from discrete choice experiments to measure consumer sensitivity to brand, region, price, and awards in wine choice

The complexity of the wine category has forced researchers to try different means to understand how consumers choose wines. This research uses a discrete choice experiment approach to understand how key extrinsic cues are used by different consumer groups when choosing wine. We extend common practice by using a simulation algorithm to show how relative purchase rate changes as brand, region, price, and award are changed. The results show that low involvement consumers use price and award to a greater degree than high involvement consumers. A gold medal increases the choice probability the most, but mainly at the lower and middle price points, and a well known region amplifies the desirability of small brands more than large brands. The results are complex across the four factors and two levels of involvement, but provide a realistic appraisal of how consumers use extrinsic cues in combination when choosing wines. The strong differences in choice behavior between low and high involvement consumers show this to be a viable segmentation strategy and one that other researchers should consider utilizing. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.