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Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers
Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
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DOI: 10.17747/2618-947X-2023-1-10-17
Pelet J.-E. Пеле Ж.-Э.
(СС)
BY 4.0
Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers
J.-É. Pelet1
1 Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, LARGEPA (Paris, France)
Abstract
This paper aims at determining the reasons why customers prefer to buy wine online or offline, the first comprising both mobile-commerce (m-commerce) and e-commerce platforms. In particular, this research strives to understand effects of social influence and enjoyment on the intention to purchase wine from online and offline touchpoints. Moreover, the goal is to find out about the differences in the behaviour of French wine buyers and explain the choice of channel buyers prefer to use when they purchase wine.
To answer our research questions, data was collected through an online questionnaire. A theoretical model is suggested and tested by the use of SmartPLS3. Online and offline buyers are compared using multi-group analysis (MGA) technique. Wine buyers are compared by the use of one-way ANOVA through SPSS 19. To date no paper has examined the differences between shopping behaviour in a retail store or on e-commerce or m-commerce platforms considering perceived enjoyment and social influence constructs. Hence, this contribution brings to the fore preliminary results on wine shopping behaviour and reveals what drives consumers to make a decision in favour of buying wine online or offline.
The results show that fun and social influence affect intention to buy wine from offline touchpoints. Enjoyment also strongly and significantly affects the intention to buy wine from online touchpoints.
Keywords: wine marketing, e-commerce, m-commerce, consumer behavior, perceived enjoyment, social influence.
For citation:
Pelet J.-É. (2023). Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers. Strategic Decisions and Risk Management, 14(1): 10-17. DOI: 10.17747/2618-947X-2023-1-10-17.
Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
Ж.-Э. Пеле1
1 Университет Пантеон-Ассас, LARGEPA (Париж, Франция)
Аннотация
В статье определяются причины, по которым потребители предпочитают покупать вино онлайн или офлайн, причем первый вариант включает в себя как мобильные платформы (m-commerce), так и платформы электронной коммерции. Цель исследования, в частности, состоит в том, чтобы определить социальное влияние на намерение купить вино в онлайн- или офлайн-формате, а также узнать о различиях в поведении французских покупателей вина и объяснить, почему они выбирают тот или иной канал покупки.
Для ответа на вопросы исследования с помощью онлайн-анкеты были собраны данные. Предложена и протестирована теоретическая модель с использованием SmartPLS3. Онлайн- и офлайн-покупатели сравниваются с помощью метода многогруппового анализа (MGA), а также посредством однофак-торного дисперсионного анализа с помощью SPSS 19.
До сих пор не проводилось исследований относительно различий между покупательским поведением в розничном магазине и на платформах электронной или мобильной коммерции с учетом получаемого удовольствия и конструктов социального влияния. Настоящее исследование выводит на передний план предварительные результаты о покупательском поведении на рынке вина и показывает, что побуждает потребителей принимать решение в пользу покупки онлайн или офлайн. Результаты показали, что получение удовольствия и социальные факторы влияют на намерение купить вино офлайн; удовольствие так же сильно и существенно влияет на намерение купить вино через интернет.
Ключевые слова: винный маркетинг, электронная коммерция, мобильная коммерция, потребительское поведение, получаемое удовольствие, социальное влияние.
Для цитирования:
Пеле Ж.-Э. (2023). Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей. Стратегические решения и риск-менеджмент, 14(1): 10-17. DOI: 10.17747/2618-947X-2023-1-10-17.
© Pelet J.-É., 2023
Pelet J.-É. Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers
Пеле Ж.-Э. Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
J.-E. Pelet1
aaffifflSPSS
Pelet J.-E. (2023) . ЛЁйтШШЖЙЙЙ-ШЛ АЖ^ШИИШИ. 14(1): 10-17. DOI: 10.17747/2618-947X-2023-1-10-17.
Introduction
In today's world of streamlined Internet commerce, you can get almost anything delivered directly to your door when shops stay closed - from a wine subscription box to a collectible Cabernet Franc. Often, it only takes a few clicks. That's great news for wine lovers who want access to thousands of wines at their fingertips. But where is the best place to buy wine? Offline or online? Nielsen reports show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers purchased 26.7% more volume of wine via off-premise sources during the period from March through May, 2020, compared to a year ago using their in-store retail measurement1. While off-premise sales were increasing during the lockdown, direct consumer sales grew significantly [McGarry Wolf et al., 2020]. 3.2 billion euros of wine was sold online in 2020 in France, a huge increase from 2017 where 194 billion euros had been sold2. The online sales of wine thereby amount for more than 3 billion euros, the best figure since 2008.
Nevertheless, shopping for wine online also involves some complexity. With a rich offer of more than 1.7 billion bottles of wine in the French market supply chain3 and little real-time professional advice provided, wine is a product that is not easy to choose. However, like many other industries, wine retailing is evolving with the universal character of online devices and retailing apps that are empowered by artificial intelligence, touchscreens and voice interactions [Pagani et al., 2019; Pelet el al., 2023]. Wine industry leaders have observed the rapid growth in online wine purchasing and are recommending that wineries should improve their digital capabilities4. In order to face the challenges of this growth, Costco, a retail company operating
on a membership club-warehouse distribution chain, has purchased a logistics company, Innovel Solutions5. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic has fueled Amazon's stock increase of more than 60% this year6. The omnipresence and wide accessibility of smart online apps and devices allow retailers to satisfy consumers' needs in diverse ways and enrich consumers experience with a more satisfactory consumer journey [Park, Kim, 2018]. Multi-channel presence can benefit retailers because consumers have dissimilar preferences and seek different benefits [Pelet, Taieb, 2022; Ettis et al., 2023].
Some consumers love spending hours scouring the shelves to find the exact product they need. Others, when shopping online, enter a word in the website's search engine or post a picture or video and find instantly what they were looking for. Retailer apps, online communities and outlets allow consumers to exchange ideas and share their experiences about foods and drinks and shape their preferences and choices [Dornyei, Gyulavari, 2016]. Vivino, an online wine marketplace that is reachable both as a mobile app and a website, provides consumers with opportunities to scan and upload wine labels. Consumers can use wine labels to discover the prices and places to shop and read the reviews and ratings provided by other consumers [Kotonya et al., 2018].
Although multichannel presence helps retailers communicate with their consumers through multiple touchpoints, retailers recognise the importance of omnichannel presence with integrating the features and facilities of parallel channels and touchpoints to create a unified consumer experience [Shi et al., 2020; Ettis et al., 2023]. As emphasised in [Wagner et al., 2020], distinguishing between a channel and a touchpoint is necessary.
1 Wine up 18.2% in dollars and up 12.1% un volume for week ending 7/25/20 in Nielsen off premise channels (2020). Wine Business.com, August 5. https://www.winebusiness.com/ne ws/?go=getArticle&dataId=234755.
2 Wine consumption in France (2021). Statista.com. https://www.statista.com/study/31250/wine-consumption-in-france-statista-dossier/.
3 Les ventes de vins tranquilles en grande distribution. Bilan 2013 (2014). FranceAgriMer, 23, Juin. http://www.franceagrimer.fr/content/download/32525/293000/file/SYN-VIN-2014%20Vins%20tranquilles%20en%20grande%20distribution-bilan%202013.pdf.
4 Higgins H. (2020). Report: Building E-commerce capability vital for future of wine industry. Winetitles Media, August 6. https://winetitles.com.au/report-building-e-commerce-capability-vital-for-future-of-wine-industry/.
5 Cain A. (2020). Costco just bought up a logistics company from Sear's owner for $1 billion. Business Insider, March 18. https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-acquired-logistics-company-innovel-sears-owner-2020-3.
6 Klebnikov S. (2020). 5 Big numbers that shoe amazon's explosive growth during the Coronavirus pandemic. Forbes, July 23. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/07/23/5-big-numbers-that-show-amazons-explosive-growth-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/#773127841376.
Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers
Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
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A channel represents the hardware alternatives that consumers can use to shop online, while a touchpoint represents the software alternatives that retailers can provide for channels. The various combinations of hardware (desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile, smartwatch, speakers, TV...) and software (apps, websites, web progressive apps, social media.) that consumers can use, will shape online customer experiences differently depending on the fit of the channel and the touchpoint. Omnichannel presence allows a diversity of shopping experiences from showrooming, wherein consumers search and source products on the shelves and buy online, to webrooming wherein they search online and buy from brick and mortar touchpoints [Park, Kim, 2018]. Wine shoppers may move effortlessly back and forth between the physical and digital world to gain product information and purchase online or offline. Hence, wine marketers are required to offer a seamless experience by combining in-store and online experiences using omnichannel strategies [Shi et al., 2020].
As the popularity of m-commerce (mobile commerce) and e-commerce increases, the need to explore consumer preferences for wine brick-and-mortar retailers versus wine e-tailers, and the benefits they seek in each touchpoint, increases. This is especially true when it is difficult to buy in-store, for example during the pandemic: because of rules obliging customers to stay out of the store, because of a tiny space in the shop, or simply because consumers are frightened by the virus and prefer not to go shopping.
Although the wine industry has been adopting online marketing and e-commerce, the research on the decision made by consumers whether to buy online or offline has not yet been sufficiently carried out. This research explores the effects of emotional and reasoned factors on intention to buy wine from touchpoints and the way these relationships are different in online vs offline touchpoints. This study employs an online survey to gain an insight into the drivers of consumers' preferences for buying in a retail environment (wine shop, supermarket etc.) or online (from an e-commerce or m-commerce website or from an application).
1. Literature review
1.1. Online wine touchpoint
Online touchpoints vary in their functionality, social interactivity and community building potentials. Whereas more functional touchpoints such as websites facilitate information gathering and purchasing the products, socially-oriented touchpoints provide consumers with more opportunities for social interaction and content generation [Hallikainen et al.,
2019]. In online environments, consumers' purchase intentions go beyond the attributes of the products. Other factors such as the enjoyability of online environment and the reviews and the influence of other users affect purchase intention [Vanhala et al.,
2020]. Online spaces such as social media and interactive apps allow wine tasters and influencers to test and taste wine, and communicate their evaluations with their wine-interested audience [Lam et al., 2019].
Although the adoption of these tools in the United States has been moderate, the autor of [Thach, 2009] found that wine vlogs or wineries featuring videos on their websites are the most
Pelet J.-£.
Пеле Ж.-Э.
commonly used tools and are popular among consumers. Wine is an "experiential good" that consumers enjoy communicating about and sharing either in person or via social interactions in online interactive apps and websites [Pelet et al., 2017b; Ettis et al., 2023]. Prior studies on social media recommend that wine companies need to be involved with and manage the interaction among consumers through social networks [Thach, 2010; Reyneke et al., 2011; Pelet et al., 2017b]. Social media tactics also include providing access to a social network of trusted third-party opinions [Pelet et al., 2023].
1.2. Consumer behaviour and the complexity of choice in touchpoints
For marketers the question arises whether there are particular reasons for wine customers to have an individual or general propensity to shop offline or online. When comparing online and offline purchases of wine, it needs to be noted that the selection of wine in retail stores has become a complex process for consumers [Lockshin, Hall, 2003]. In general, wine consumers are confronted with overcrowded wine shelves, which offer, in many cases, more alternatives to choose from than other supermarket categories [Rocchi, Stefani, 2006]. Moreover, gaining in-store attention is not always sufficient to drive consumer choice. Other factors such as previous brand choices or price comparisons that are readily available via the internet can drive consumer choice [Chandon et al., 2009]. Consumer interest in traditional retail shopping methods is declining compared to the evolving way of shopping online. Online shopping offers practical advantages (temporal and spatial), financial advantages (through the opportunity of comparing prices), and hedonic ways of consuming [Eroglu et al., 2001].
1.3. Wine consumer behavior and touchpoint choice
A number of factors, from retailers' marketing efforts to channel features, social influence and situational factors can drive the preference of consumers for online or offline shopping touchpoints [Neslin et al., 2006; Nakano, Kondo, 2018]. Consumer perceived value is among the most significant determinants of shopping decisions [Hsin Chang, Wang, 2011]. Consumers may perceive functional, emotional, social as well as economic value from shopping experiences [Zhang, 2009; Li et al., 2012; Peng et al., 2019]. Online retailing makes purchases more convenient and gives easy access to information.
However, the sensitivity of consumers to values as in benefits each channel provides might be different across channels. According to [Chu et al., 2008], consumers show lower price sensitivity when shopping online compared to offline. One may theorize that the choice of buying online or offline may be either a reaction of consumer to factors such as price, customer service, and the convenience of buying from home, or simply a replication of their past purchases in the case of habit or behavioural loyalty. Moreover, for the consumer's purchase decision, the social aspect seems very important for wine as an experiential product [Peng Huang et al., 2009]. Consumers tend to adjust their purchase decisions to conform with the attitudes of their social circle [Rodrigo et al., 2019].
Online or offline touchpoints that provide socialisation or challenge can be appealing to consumers because humans
Pelet J.-E. Пеле Ж.-Э.
experience fun and enjoyment in activities that entail challenge and social interaction [Hwang, Choi, 2019]. Individuals find pleasure and satisfaction in activities that provide them with opportunities for gaining the information they need and experiencing enjoyment in the activity [Kim et al., 2007; Zheng et al., 2019]. In fact, prior research has shown that interactive websites and social media spaces that provide consumers with opportunities to interact with engaging content, with each other and with the marketers, can instigate an enjoyable mental state called flow, through which consumers lose the track of time. Consumers who experience an enjoyable mental state tend to interact with the online touchpoint more often and perceive more fun during the interaction [Hoffman, Novak, 1996; Pelet et al., 2017a].
Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
The model suggests that the enjoyment and social influence felt by wine shoppers (whether through an online or offline touchpoint) can have an impact on their buying intention (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Research model
Online/offline
touchpoint
Enjoyment H3 H4
r
Social —
influence
Purchase intention
1.4. Research model and hypotheses
Humans enjoy activities that entail challenge and social interaction [Hwang, Choi, 2019]. Wine is an experiential product [Peng Huang et al., 2009] that people can spend ages searching for on retail shelves or websites [Park, Kim, 2018]. Consumers can also be engaged post-purchase by sharing their consumption stories [Pelet et al., 2017b]. Since people tend to repeat activities that put them in an enjoyable mental state, enjoyment of the touchpoint shopping experience can play a role in wine purchase intention. Thus, we hypothesise that:
H1: Perceived enjoyment positively affects the intention to buy wine from the touchpoint.
As noticed by [Rohm, Swaminathan, 2004; Schneider, Zielke, 2020] argue that physical store-oriented shoppers have a distinct desire for social contact. Recent literature suggests that the service provided in-store, by an oenology or caviste, still has an important role in the shopping process [Brown et al., 2003; Balasubramanian et al., 2005]. However, [Koenigstorfer, Groeppel-Klein, 2012] also found that the lower the desire for social contact, the more likely people are to use a mobile device in-store, which is an important indicator of competitive showrooming behaviour [Rapp et al., 2015]. However, a desire for social contact could also explain why customers choose to socially interact while purchasing online. Consumers have a willingness to adjust their consumption behaviour in a way that is affirmed by important people in their social circle [Rodrigo et al., 2019]. Influencers in online environments such as wine tasters and reviewers and other buyers or friends in interactive online spaces, who express and share their experiences, influence others' purchase decisions [Lam et al., 2019; Vanhala et al., 2020]. Hence, one can infer that social influence is a factor in the intention to purchase wine. Thus, we hypothesise that:
H2: Social Influence positively affects the intention to buy wine from the touchpoint.
Since the desire for social contact may also differ between offline and online touchpoints, the above hypotheses can be affected by the online-offline environment. Thus, we hypothesise that:
H3: Social Influence differs between online and offline wine buyers.
H4: Perceived enjoyment differs between online and offline wine buyers.
2. Methodology
Our quantitative study examined wine shopping of French respondents. France was chosen because it is a major global wine producing country, where citizens use mobile apps and websites to conduct e-commerce activities and also go to stores to shop for wine. In this study, the central phenomenon under investigation is preference for wine purchase channel/touchpoints. Non-probability, criterion-based purposive sampling was used because it allowed the researchers to intentionally select participants who have experience with the central phenomenon being explored.
2.1. Sample description
To gather a representative sample of French consumers, a minimum of 300 surveys was set. The sample was initially screened for legal drinking age, ownership of a smartphone for online access and wine behaviours. Specifically, we screened to ensure participants had already made an online purchase as well as an offline one. We also questioned elsewhere in the questionnaire whether they were members of a wine club or liked a fan page dedicated to wine when they answered they bought wine online.
A total of 322 completed surveys were collected and the final sample dataset consisted of 191 valid respondents after applying selection and completion criteria. 86 respondents were excluded from the question filter because they did not buy wine during the last 2 months so they did not answer the questions. 57% of the sample is female and 43% males, and 47% are 25 years old on average. These figures are consistent with the French wine population. Since each respondent was screened to include prior online purchasing history, the survey further investigated the purchase preferred channel used within the past year, showing a fair balance between social media and emails as a way to discover the wine or share its information.
2.2. Data collection
Data was collected between January 1 and March 15, 2022, using both personal and online questionnaires until we achieved our minimal quotas for specific demographics, i.e., gender, age, education, and income. Personal questionnaires were administrated to consumers who were invited to participate in a paper-and-pencil survey. The questionnaire is available on appendix A. Online surveys were distributed on social
Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers
Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
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media (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) and via emails on a balanced basis, 50% - 50% in order to target our respondents using main channels. A survey link was distributed to a list of potential respondents composed of students, workers, and representative people of the nation. Panellists could voluntarily enter the survey if they met the legal drinking age.
Pelet J.-E. Пеле Ж.-Э.
Table 2
Results of multi group analysis
Path coefficient Path diff
Combined Online Offline
Enjoyment > Intention 0 37*** 0 78*** 0.28*** 0.506***
Social Influence > Intention 0.16* 0.19(ns) 0.18** 0.009(ns)
2.3. Survey instrument
Core questions were measured with four items using a 7-point Likert type scales, where 1 means "strongly disagree" and 7 means "strongly agree." These items were used to evaluate preferences to buy wine on channels such as online (apps, websites, web progressive apps, social media) or offline (supermarkets, wine growers, wine merchants, during wine events or in restaurants). 12 experts from marketing and information science fields critically evaluated all the items in the research instrument to assess content validity, representativeness, dimensionality, comprehensibility and unambiguity. In order to avoid a lassitude bias, due to fatigue or boredom, the questionnaire was shortened prior to implementation.
2.4. Data analysis
SmartPLS3 is used to test the conceptual model of the research. SmartPLS allows for measuring small sample sizes, it is less sensitive to the normality of the data and suits exploratory studies [Gyau, Spiller, 2009]. One-way ANOVA is used to compare the means of the responses between different groups. LSD analysis is used to understand the detailed differences between the latter. In order to compare the intent to buy wine online or offline, 4 items have been analysed (Table 1).
Table 1
Analysed items of comparison between online and offline groups
Notes: 1. *** - correlation is significant at the 0.01 level, ** - correlation is significant at the 0.05 level, * - correlation is significant at the 0.10 level. 2. (ns) - not significant.
Feeling
Enjoyment Social influence
Channel/ Online Online Enjoyment Online Social influence
Touchpoint Offline Offline Enjoyment Offline Social influence
3. Results
3.1. Structural model
Cronbach's alpha of the intention to purchase from the touchpoints are 0.611, 0.770 and 0.623 for offline buyers, online buyers and the combined group, respectively. Factor loadings are significant and above 0.5. The construct reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE) of intention to purchase from touchpoints for the combined group are slightly less than the recommended threshold values (i.e. 0.64 and 0.47 respectively). Other variables are single indicator. The combined group shows a good model fit with NFI = 0.982 and SRMR = 0.003.
SmartPLS3 was used to test the conceptual model of the research. Multi Group Analysis is performed through conducting bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrap at a significance level of 0.5.
Table 2 represents the path coefficients of the combined sample as well as online vs. offline groups. The first two hypotheses are validated for the combined group as well as the offline buyer group. The only path hypothesis that was validated for the online group was the effect of "enjoyment" on "intention to purchase." The results show that the effect of "social influence" on "intention to purchase" is significantly different between the two groups of online and offline buyers (F = 61.77,p < 0.01).
3.2. Comparison tests
Non-parametric independent-samples tests were performed to compare perceived enjoyment and social influence among online and offline wine buyers. The Mann - Whitney and Kolmogorov - Smirnov tests indicate that social influence differs significantly between the two groups with M .. = 3.20
and M
= 5.51
"offline (Table 3). Hence H3 receives a statistical
support. As indicated in Table 3, the results show no significant differences of perceived enjoyment between online and offline wine buyers. Thus, H4 is not supported. We also conducted t-tests to compare perceived enjoyment and social influence among genders, and the results show no significant differences
between men and women (ten
= -0.39;
= 0.69 and
social influence
= 1.83; p = 0.07).
4. Discussion
4.1. Theoretical findings
The results show that both "enjoyment" and "social influence" affect the intention to purchase for offline wine buyers and "enjoyment" influences intention to buy for online buyers. This could be due to the fact that buying wine is supposed to be a pleasurable activity. The effect of "enjoyment" on "intention to purchase" is significantly higher for online buyers in comparison to offline buyers. It is the single, significantly strong factor among those we studied for buying wine from an online touchpoint. Thus,
Table 3
Results of non-parametric tests
Means (SD) U Mann-Whitney p-value Z Kolmogorov-Smirnov p-value
Perceived Online 4.70 (0.92) 705.50 0.241 1.15 0.141
enjoyment Offline 4.44 (0.78)
Social Online 3.20 (1.75) 234.50 0.000* 2.02 0.001*
influence Offline 5.51 (0.84)
Significant at the 0.01 level.
Pelet J.-Ё. Пеле Ж.-Э.
buyers who prefer to buy wine online, do so mostly because of the pleasure inherent in the activity of online wine buying.
The results also indicate significant differences for social influence between online and offline buyers. Hence, buyers who prefer to buy wine offline, they are looking for the social contact, for example, to perceive a better advice from wine growers.
The results of this study are in line with previous research. Scholars, e.g. [Hoffman, Novak, 1996; Pelet et al., 2017a] argue that websites that provide opportunities for social interaction and for interaction with engaging content can grab the attention of consumers and cause an enjoyable mental state. Previous studies [Li et al., 2012; Peng et al., 2019] also provide evidence that emotional, economic, and functional value positively affect the intention consumers to purchase.
4.2. Practical implications
This study has implications for marketers and managers. Marketers who are interested to promote their online touchpoints and attract consumers to their applications, may consider the elements that can make wine purchase an enjoyable experience [Pelet, Taieb, 2022]. Websites and applications that can provide consumers with interesting information about wine, its consumption, production process and varieties, can make a WOW effect among consumers and increase enjoyment.
In order to increase the challenge through interactivity that leads to enjoyment, wine marketers can utilise a combination of online and offline tools. Marketers can establish digital searching and sourcing gadgets or kiosks in the in-store environments to give information about their wine stock and provide an access to online communities. Wine marketers can also launch online campaigns that increase fun and interactivity and encourage consumers to visit their brick and mortar wine stores. Offline environments can also play the role of a showroom, where showrooming is not only possible but suggested. Consumers that visit the physical store may receive hot links sent to their smartphones through which they can select and purchase the wine they desire and have it sent to their address.
When consumers visit an online page through a laptop/ desktop or handheld device and are satisfied with the initial experience, they can easily open another tab on their browser and see more options and consider choosing another bottle of wine. The possibility to compare offerings, prices, and particular information, thanks to multiple tabs opened at the same time in the browser, can induce buying intention. However, this is not the case when using a smartphone where the mentioned multitasking is not as easy. However, users who connect to a social media page through a smartphone can comment on the page's contents and engage in interaction with other users and marketers synchronically. Social media allows users to know whether someone is connected or not, which enables them to ask questions about a comment, for example.
Additionally, online wine marketers provide opportunities for consumers to interact with each other and with the engaging content to increase the enjoyment and in turn the purchase intention. Since social influence affects the intention to purchase, brand communities and vloggers can further shape the intention to purchase wine. However, wine buyers may
Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
be influenced online and purchase their wine offline. This is called webrooming. That is why omnichannel management is of significant importance.
4.3. Limitations and future research
This research focused on enjoyment as well as social influence provided by channel/touchpoints selling wine and their effects on behavioural intention such as purchase intention. The findings of this research extend existing knowledge about the effects of User Experience (UX) with online User Interface (UI) on the user satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Prior researchers have highlighted the diverse ways devices differ from one another such as screen resolution [Yan et al., 2019]; and size [Carvalho et al., 2018]; and processing speed and quality [Albert, Tullis, 2013; Yan et al., 2019]. Different characteristics and features of online touchpoints and interfaces affect UX that subsequently impact user satisfaction and behavioural intention [Albert, Tullis, 2013]. A research which would focus on the UX and UI of websites and apps selling wines might bring relevant information. Other psychological and contextual factors affecting satisfaction and intention are not considered. Future research can study the effects of other psychological factors such as subjective wellbeing and emotional balance, on intention to recommend or share, as well as intention to come again for loyalty purposes.
The role of occasion where drinking wine seems also an important variable to control: the supply chain management of wine can be drastically important if the quantity of ordered bottles increases (as for an event) and there are obvious differences between buying wine online or offline for that aspect. A retailer might not deliver its merchandise at all, whereas an online seller has a delivery role, on top of selling. The winery access to distributors or retailers could also influence how wine is distributed, thus, measuring such variables could bring interesting new results. Other occasion issues, e.g., buying wine for own use vs. gifting, might impact the shopping act.
The variables of the atmospherics vary between online and offline, and the agent (seller) influence varies accordingly. Advice given in the physical shop can play in favour of a choice to buy one brand rather than another, and the merchant can also have some interest to "push" a slow-moving or more expensive bottle rather than another. The winery size and the number and density of shelves, paired with the way bottles are promoted, can have an effect that the tiny interface of an app or website will never equalise. Nevertheless, many new opportunities such as the soft replacement of video with Three.js and WebGL animations (see for example https://threejs.org/) to enrich digital users with action levers helping to rotate, zoom, and see differently the product, will surely change habits, as they are dedicated to enjoyment. With the help of qualitative or mixed methods, researchers can dig into the ways each channel/touchpoint is unique.
Conclusion
This research takes a quantitative approach with the use of a questionnaire adapted from past research. Findings showed that enjoyment is an important factor in shaping consumers' purchase intention regardless of touchpoint type. The results show that
Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers
Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
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some buyers are more likely to buy wine from wine growers and less likely to buy from either supermarkets, events or restaurants. However, results of this study showed that some users preferred online touchpoints as opposed to in-store shopping or via on-premise purchases. The results also showed that French online
Pelet J.-£. Пеле Ж.-Э.
wine buyers perceived online offers to be lower-priced. Future research can show if the prices are objectively different. More research, utilising qualitative methods and in-depth interviews or experimental research can dig into the reasons behind these findings.
1 Appendix A
Questionnaire on wine: Retail, websites and apps
We kindly ask you to read and answer the following questions. These questions concern your purchases of wine. It will take about 6 minutes of your time. This questionnaire is completely anonymous. Thank you very much for your participation! Filtering question
1. Have you bought wine in the last 2 months?
Filtering question to compare online/offline consumers' responses.
2. Do you mainly buy wine online (website/applications) or offline (in supermarkets, from wine growers or wine merchants, during wine events, or in restaurants)?
Online
Listed below are the statements that refer to the purchase of wine ONLINE (websites/applications). Please think about the following statements and mark your level of agreement between: 1 and 7 (1 - strongly disagree; 7 - strongly agree).
3. Buying wine online saves time compared to shopping for wine in supermarkets, from wine growers or wine merchants, during wine events, and in restaurants.
4. Buying wine online is fun.
5. Searching for wine on the Internet is easy.
6. Using websites or applications is a modern way of purchasing wine.
7. When I buy wine online, I get lower prices than in retail stores.
8. The large majority of my family members and friends buys wine online.
9. I have the technical knowledge to buy wine online.
10. I also buy other products, for example, clothes, food, computers, etc., online.
11. I get quickly bored when searching for wine online.
12. Websites and applications are generally quite user-friendly.
Offline
Listed below are statements that refer to the purchase of wine offline (in supermarkets, from wine growers or wine merchants, during wine events, or in restaurants). Please think about the following statements and mark your level of agreement between: 1 and 7 (1 -strongly disagree; 7 - strongly agree).
13. Buying wine off-line is more time-consuming compared to buying wine online (websites/applications).
14. Searching for wine in supermarkets, from wine growers or wine merchants, during wine events, and in restaurants is fun.
15. When buying wine off-line, I do not have to pay for home-delivery when I take the wine with me.
16. When buying wine off-line, I do not have to pay for home-delivery when I take the wine with me.
17. When buying wine from wine growers you get good advice from the wine grower.
18. When buying wine from wine merchants you get good advice from the merchant.
19. When buying wine during wine events you get good advice from the seller.
20. When buying wine in restaurants you get good advice from the waiter/waitress.
21. When I buy wine off-line, I get lower prices than online.
22. The large majority of my family members and friends buys wine offline.
23. I generally prefer buying wine in supermarkets.
24. I generally prefer buying wine from wine growers.
25. I generally prefer buying wine from wine merchants.
26. I generally prefer buying wine during wine events.
27. I generally prefer buying wine in restaurants.
Socio demographics
27. What is your gender?
28. How old are you?
Pelet J.-É. Buying wine online or offline: Some determinants of buyer intent for French consumers
Пеле Ж.-Э. Покупка вина онлайн или офлайн: факторы, определяющие покупательское поведение французских потребителей
29. What country were you born in?
30. What country do you normally reside?
31. What is your education level?
32. What is your current main occupation?
33. Gross monthly household income.
34. Do you want to receive information regarding this study?
About the author
Jean-Éric Pelet
PhD (marketing), MBA (information systems), BA (Hons) (advertising), Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, LARGEPA (Paris, France). Research interests: e-marketing, colors, onsumer behaviour, e-commerce, human machine interaction, ergonomy, usability, e-learning, knowledge management. je.pelet@gmail.com
Об авторе
Жан-Эрик Пеле
PhD (маркетинг), MBA (информационные системы), BA (Hons) (реклама), Университет Пантеон-Асса Париж, LARGEPA (Париж, Франция).
Область научных интересов: электронный маркетинг, цвета, поведение потребителей, электронная коммерция, взаимодействие человека и машины, эргономика, удобство использования, эмоции, настроение, электронное обучение, управление знаниями: на сайтах электронной коммерции. je.pelet@gmail.com
Jean-Eric Pelet
je.pelet@gmail.com
The article was submitted on 20.01.2023; revised on 21.02.2023 and accepted for publication on 27.02.2023. The author read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Статья поступила в редакцию 20.01.2023; после рецензирования 21.02.2023 принята к публикации 27.02.2023. Автор прочитал и одобрил окончательный вариант рукописи.
20.01.2023 ëî^ii-^fï 21.02.2023 БФЙ.^ВТ 27.02.2023
