The Dynamics of Shifts in European Alcoholic Drinks Consumption

The study showed that as traditional cultural boundaries become blurred, consumer shifts in alcoholic drinks preferences appear to be driven less by long-standing local and regional traditions, and more by growing acceptance of a wider choice.

Abstract

Abstract Consumer behaviorists and marketing researchers are interested in the degree to which global convergence is occurring with respect to various consumer behavior dimensions, in the extent the consumption patterns are becoming more similar in different parts of the world. With increasing internationalization and cultural cross-fertilization, the industrialized societies of the world are converging in many ways. Shifts in alcoholic drinks consumption patterns in Europe over the past 50 years are studied using univariate time series analysis. The study showed that as traditional cultural boundaries become blurred, consumer shifts in alcoholic drinks preferences appear to be driven less by long-standing local and regional traditions, and more by growing acceptance of a wider choice. Furthermore, the disparity in total alcohol consumption among the 15 countries studied has also decreased.