A Means‐End Approach to the Market for Sparkling Wines

Introduces a new approach to the investigation of consumers' reasons for purchasing (or not purchasing) products. The Means‐End Chains model, by shifting attention from product attributes to consumers' personal values, is particularly applicable to segmentation and positioning strategies for high involvement products like sparkling wines. Reports structured depth interviews with 27 consumers uncovering their means‐end chains in relation to sparkling wines. Responses differ noticeably by usage: heavier users prefer dry products as more sophisticated are willing to pay a premium price, and have more complex psychological needs to be fulfilled with the product including more socially oriented reasons for usage. Suggests insights from the means‐end approach may allow producers of premium sparkling wines to maintain a healthy position even in a decreasing market.