Understanding the influence of wine labeling attributes on consumer's buying decision: a study in Turkey

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate, in the Turkish market, the elements on the front and back labels of wine bottles depicting the characteristics of the wines and their impact on the purchasing decisions of wine consumers in Turkey.Design/methodology/approachThe questionnaire consisted of 24 items that used a five-point Likert scale. Data were collected through a self-administered online survey completed by 340 participants. Following exploratory factor analysis with principal component analysis and varimax rotation, the number of factors was reduced to six: front and back-label consumer experiences, front label design elements, intrinsic cue information, back-label contents, storage/flavor profile and health warnings. The final section of the questionnaire presented five digitally designed front and back labels and asked participants to indicate their preferences.FindingsThe results indicated that reading/checking the front and back labels on wine bottles was more important than all other factors. Turkish consumers generally prefer traditional front label designs, while female consumers are more open to contemporary designs compared to male consumers. Back-label designs with more information are generally more acceptable, although female consumers with good wine knowledge may not consider food pairing, storage, or service information.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was designed only based on the elements of the front and back labels. The research should expand to include packaging characteristics such as bottle shape, bottle closure, price, and situational use.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study offer valuable insights for Turkish wine producers aiming to enhance their marketing strategies by customizing their wine label designs to better align with the market.Originality/valueThis study is the preliminary study to investigate Turkish consumers purchasing decisions based on the front- and back-label characteristics by using both verbal and visual elements.