Millennial Generation and Environmental Sustainability: The Role of Social Media in the Consumer Purchasing Behavior for Wine

摘要

In the coming years, social media technology will have a crucial role in environmental\udinvolvement and in encouraging sustainable behaviors in the wine industry. Sustainable development\udis becoming a crucial topic for many consumers. Also, in the wine industry much research has been\udcarried out to decrease the environmental impact, with a particular focus on renewable energy use,\udgreenhouse gas emissions, pesticides reduction, water and waste management, biodiversity, soil and\udlandscape preservation. In recent years, social media technologies have gained increased attention\udfor their potential to amplify environmental concerns and encourage sustainable behaviors among\udpeople. This study aims to study the role of social media in the consumer purchasing behavior for\udwine between the millennial and non-millennial generations. A total sample of 2597 Italian wine\udconsumer responses were collected and a structured questionnaire was used to test our hypothesis.\udThe main results show that the greater the import the consumer places on the product/process\uddimension of environmental sustainability, the higher the self-selection in market segments. This is\udtrue for both millennials and non-millennials. The results show the power of social media to increase\udsustainability awareness and consecutively influence the consumer’s buying behavior for wine\ud(higher price segment). From a marketing perspective, companies should improve their capacity to\udshare and communicate their environmental activities through social media.