Influência do rótulo e experiência de consumo na preferência, percepção e processo de compra de cervejas especiais

Abstract

The craft beer market, also called special beers, presents a high growth in Brazil, both in production and consumption, highlighting the importance of research involving producers and consumers of craft beers. In view of this, the study had the following objectives (i) to identify, together with brewery industry producers, their perceptions regarding craft beer consumers behavior and analyze the behavior of different categories of craft beer consumers in relation to their preferences, perceptions and factors influencing the purchasing process (article 1); (ii) to identify the profile and evaluate the perception, knowledge and factors influencing the purchase intention of beginners and experienced craft beer consumers (article 2). To this end, interviews were conducted with 14 craft beer producers and an online questionnaire was applied to 301 craft beer consumers (article 1), and market research and conjoint analysis (assessing the influence of IBU (International Bitterness Units), alcohol content, and award seals on purchase intention) was conducted with 148 beginner and 143 experienced craft beer consumers (article 2). The data obtained were analyzed by qualitative and quantitative analyses using IBM® SPSS® Statistics 28.0.1, SAS/STAT® and Microsoft® Excel® software. The results of article 1 showed convergence in the beer producers perceptions regarding the craft beer consumers behavior, with alcohol content, IBU, and award seals being pointed out as determining factors when purchasing a craft beer. Moreover, the cluster analysis allowed the identification of three segments of craft beer consumers: beginners in the craft beer universe who also drink commercial beers; regular consumers willing to pay more for special beers; and legitimate consumers of special beers averse to commercial beer. In relation to consumption experience (article 2), beginner consumers (who have been consuming craft beer for less than 5 years) and experienced consumers (for more than 5 years) showed differences in socioeconomic profile (gender, age group, income, and education) and frequency of consumption. Beginner craft beer consumers showed no deep knowledge of the IBU attribute, while experienced consumers do not consider 50 IBU and 7.0% alcohol content as high values for craft beers. Finally, in the conjoint analysis, both

consumer groups attributed greater relative importance to the alcohol content factor, with non- alcoholic beer having the lowest purchase intention, accompanied by beers with 10 IBU and

no award seal, while beers with 30 IBU and 4.5% alcohol content had the highest purchase intention. The results obtained can contribute in a theoretical way, for academic research, and in a managerial way for beer producing industries in directing the development of new products and in defining appropriate marketing strategies for different consumer segments.