How do factors of brand-related behavior (brand loyalty, brand relevance in category, brand schematicity) impact consumers' alcoholic drink purchases?

PurposeThis study investigated the factors of brand-related behavior, such as brand schematicity (BS), brand relevance in category (BRiC) and brand loyalty (BL), to clarify how they influence customer purchasing behavior regarding alcohol and other beverages. This study aims to provide insights that may benefit corporate and regulatory sectors regarding brand-related customer behavior and increases/decreases in alcoholic beverage purchases. Design/methodology/approachThis study included a sample of 501 Hungarian participants, representative of the population in many respects. The author constructed a model using partial least squares structural equation modeling with data collected from internationally validated scales. FindingsThe findings of this study reveal that BL or BRiC do not positively and directly influence purchase frequency in the beer, wine and palinka categories; however, their purchase frequency is significantly and positively influenced by BS. Additionally, the degree of BS was somewhat above average for alcoholic beverages compared to nonalcoholic beverages; it was also slightly higher for beer than for wine and palinka. Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the three brand-related factors of customer behavior, analyze their connections and clarify their effects on alcoholic beverage purchases. BS is a relatively new factor; to the best of the authors' knowledge, no other study to date has measured the extent of BS and its association with beverage-related customer behaviors. Future studies can compare this study's findings on the level of BS for eight alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is also the first to investigate brand-related customer behavior regarding palinka.