The influence of extrinsic cues on wine purchase in HongKong

In 2007, HKSAR Financial Secretary Henry Tang, halved the excise duty on wine and liquor (Alcohol By Volume ABV<30%) to 40 per cent duty rate. The next year when he became Chief Secretary, his successor as Financial Secretary Mr. John Tsang went even further and abolished the duty. The wine market in Hong Kong presents tremendous opportunities for growth and expansion of business for wineries and marketers ever since. Hong Kong has grown as a top wine import/export and auction hub in the world, taking over from London and New York, while auction houses such as Sotheby and Christie have been pushing Asian ers for new business as prices drop in the wake of global economic downturn and as luxury spending dwindles.

An extensive research is critical in understanding the characteristics of the Hong Kong market after the ten years of duty abolishment. The primary purpose of the proposed study is to examine the perceptions of wine purchase among the non-wine educated consumers. The proposed research is to investigate the consumers’ attitudes towards 1) Brand Recognition, 2) Country of Origin, 3) Critic Scores and Wine Ratings, 4) Label/Packaging Design and 5) Pricing. Fundamentally, the study will aim to establish the impacts of aforementioned factors on the purchase behaviours of the consumers in Hong Kong and rank the importance of the five factors. It is vital to note that the proposed study will make immense contribution to the research on wine consumer behaviours, thereby helping marketers and wineries to position their brands in the Hong Kong market.