Influence of consumption experience on the behavior of craft beer consumers: beginner and experienced consumers

Purpose This paper aims to identify the profiles of beginner and experienced consumers (BCs and ECs) of craft beer and evaluate their perception, knowledge and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach A total of 291 craft beer consumers including 148 BCs and 143 ECs participated in the study, which was divided into 2 stages: quantitative research through a questionnaire and conjoint analysis. Findings BCs are mostly female, with a lower age, income and consumption frequency, presented a shallower understanding of International Bitterness Units (IBU) and considered 7.0% alcohol by volume (ABV) as a high-relative value in craft beers. Otherwise, ECs are mostly men with a higher age and consumption frequency, and they don't consider 50 IBU as high bitterness. The results of conjoint analysis indicate that both groups of consumers attribute greater relative importance to ABV and nonalcoholic beers had lower purchase intentions. Finally, the authors show that beer with 30 IBU and 4.5% ABV is preferred by both BCs and ECs. Originality/value The authors' identification about the distinct behaviors of different groups of consumers, based on their consumption time of craft beer, as managerial implications for industries producing craft beer and, as a theoretical contribution, the authors have defined “BCs” and “ECs” based on the experiences with and durations of craft beer consumption.