Cheers to local! Exploring consumer ethnocentrism in the context of regional wines

Abstract

PurposeExtending the Attitudes-Behavior-Context (ABC) theoretical framework by incorporating consumer expertise as an antecedent, the study investigates the intricate relationship between consumer attitudes toward locally produced goods (wine) and purchasing behavior, examined within the context of consumer ethnocentrism.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed an online survey of Texas wine consumers (N = 895). To investigate consumer attitudes towards local wine, the data were first subjected to descriptive analyses, namely means comparison and chi-square tests. Subsequently, path analysis was employed to explore the hypothesized relationships within the proposed model.FindingsWhile consumers with higher wine knowledge are less likely to choose local wines for various consumption occasions, consumers who are highly involved with wine tend to exhibit more favorable perceptions. Taste emerged as the strongest driver of purchase intent. Consumer ethnocentrism plays a critical role, boosting purchase intent for those with positive general attitudes and considering local wines for various occasions. However, this effect disappears when perceptions of the taste of regional wines are unfavorable, highlighting once again the critical role of taste in purchase decisions, even for ethnocentric consumers.Originality/valueThis study expands the ABC framework by incorporating consumer expertise with a product as a new antecedent, thereby broadening its applicability to consumer behavior research within an ethnocentric context.