Wine as a self-gift: a consumer approach

ABSTRACT Although the selection of wine as a gift has been discussed in the relevant literature, the purchase of wine as a self-gift remains unexplored. Driven by the assumption that a profound analysis of self-gifting patterns and behaviour could have some important marketing implications for the wine industry, the current paper attempts to identify the most common situational contexts for self-gifting wine and explore the consumer behaviour and decision-making process behind it. Using an exploratory approach, totally 32 in-depth interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Results reveal that consumers being involved in negative emotional or stressful conditions are very likely to prefer wine as a self-gift. It is also common to purchase wine as a self-reward when celebrating an event. Based on the key findings of the study, wineries could adjust their marketing strategies by including the concept of self-gifting.