A CLUSTERED-BASED SEGMENTATION OF CHINESE WINE CONSUMERS BY MEANS OF KERNAL FUZZY C-MEANS

The aim of this study is to segment Chinese wine consumers based on their preferences, motivations and purchasing behaviors. Data from representative 3420 responses were profiled through Kernel fuzzy c-means (KFCM), and one-way ANOVA analysis was used to define socio-demographic characteristics of each cluster. This study identified four consumer segments: Balanced Consumers, Credulous Consumers, Experiential Consumers and Health Sippers. Each group showed different demographics, eating and purchase habits. These findings reveal a typology of Chinese wine consumers when making the purchase decisions and verify the applicability of KFCM in consumer segmentation. Identification of Chinese consumer segments provides winemakers a better understanding of the various characteristics of wine consumers and their different purchasing behaviors. This study also provides new contributions to research on the segmentation of the Chinese wine market.