Dottorato in COMUNICAZIONE, RICERCA SOCIALE E MARKETING

Titolo della tesi: New frontiers in assessing consumer behaviour through neuroscientific approach: a case study on alcoholic vs non-alcoholic beers

In the past years, there has been an explosion of work in neuroscience, demonstrating that neural activity closely aligns with model predictions. Academics and practitioners in the Food & Beverage sector have been trying to understand how to improve marketing strategies and the consumer experience during product consumption. Some factors have been identified that could alter the consumer's experience and final choices that are not linked to the product itself. In this regard, interdisciplinary approaches are an actual issue in both sensory and consumer research. The non-alcoholic beer’ presence in the market is exciting because it provides some of the alcohol beer sensory rewards and health benefits without alcohol delivery. This beverage has no cultural background, and it is certainly not as popular as alcoholic beer. However, non-alcoholic beer is becoming a new-found rage worldwide with changing alcohol consumption habits of consumers. There are differences between countries in Europe: Italy is a country with little interest in the product among consumers, and Spain is the leading country in consumption and production. The Italian market needs to gain insights into how to promote it in society, as it is also in line with the current healthy lifestyle trends. The proposed project is based on multidisciplinary objectives, as it aims to fill (1) a methodological gap in the study of consumer behaviour with a neuroscientific approach in consumption and purchase experiences and (2) a knowledge gap related to non-alcoholic beer. The results will shed light on (1) new frontiers of implementation of neuroscientific techniques in traditional consumer behaviour models; (2) increasing non-alcoholic beer knowledge in Italian and Spanish consumers and on helping marketing managers to create promotions. The variables have been collected by primary data with mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative). Mainly, neuroscientific techniques such as electroencephalogram, heart rate and skin galvanic response, implicit association tests and eye tracker were used, along with traditional techniques such as questionnaires and interviews. The primary investigation was carried out in Italy with 60 healthy subjects, Italians and beer consumers, 36 males and 24 females, age (m=27,93; SD=6,72). The additional investigation in Spain was carried out with two different parts, the first part with 136 participants, 53 males and 83 females; age (m=28,25; SD=8,01). The second part with 44 of the ones that carried out the first part, 20 males and 24 females, age (m=28,02; SD=10,10). An experimental design was created that included a real consumption experience with an alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer in two different conditions - not informed and informed, and an induced purchase experience with packaging.Regression models and ANOVA were used to respond to the first and second aim, respectively. Results revealed that (1) some external factors influence the intention to consume the product in different conditions and with different product categories. (2) The Italian population have implicit resistances to non-alcoholic beer compared to alcoholic beer (p<0.001); differences in the implicit and explicit responses exist when comparing products and informed conditions with different sensory interactions together - such as observation, smell, taste and mouthfeel; differences exist in the visual attention towards some areas and element of the packaging; no differences were found between implicit associations towards products between Italy and Spanish population. In conclusion, the research questions were answered, and the hypotheses mainly were confirmed. The significance of the results brings further knowledge to understanding consumer behaviour in the beverage sector with a neuroscientific approach. Furthermore, it demonstrates that non-alcoholic beer is accepted in the sensory perception but with a lack of intention to consume due to external factors that marketing strategies could modulate. The findings have academics and managerial implications.