Consumer behaviour at alcoholic beverages markets of Czech Republic and Slovakia: targeting consumer segments

Constantly increasing consumption of alcohol and the associated negative consequences affecting human health and not only, present a major problem for Czech Republic, Slovakia and the world overall. Increased alcohol consumption is directly related to easier accessibility of alcoholic beverages, this especially concerns younger generation of consumers. It is generally known that one of the most frequent causes of premature death within the European Union is excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. In terms of the consumed alcohol volumes, Czech Republic and Slovakia are among the countries with the highest levels of consumption in Europe. For this reason, the main purpose of this paper was to examine the consumption of alcohol and consumer behavior at the alcoholic beverages market using a marketing survey, and also to identify the main reasons leading to the consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as the factors influencing the most on the consumer decision-making leading to purchases and consumption of alcohol in Czech Republic and Slovakia. Primary data was acquired through the questionnaire survey with 686 respondents in Slovakia and 757 respondents in Czech Republic. Based on the results of the questionnaire survey, it is possible to state that in both countries the most preferred alcoholic beverage is wine and the main motives behind the consumption of the consume preferred alcoholic drink are consumption during social events and entertainment as well as the fact that consumers just like its taste. The main reasons for consuming alcoholic beverages in both countries is the taste, while quality is considered to be the most important factor when deciding to buy a particular drink. Using the cluster analysis method, 5 segments were established and described for Czech Republic and Slovakia. Individual segments differ in their respective characteristics of consumer behavior in both countries.