Craft brewing in the United States has seen unprecedented growth over the past two decades. New and established breweries must uncover sales practices and marketing techniques that will allow them to compete in an increasingly crowded market. Asheville, North Carolina provides an exceptional opportunity to study consumer preferences for craft beer and brewery brand loyalty. With over 20 craft breweries in the city and over 60 in the region, Asheville, named Beer City USA four times, has both an extremely competitive environment for breweries and a savvy group of beer consumers who have developed distinct preferences. This research tests brand loyalty (whether or not one has switched brands over the past six months) as a function of several characteristics including consumer demographics, involvement in the industry, satisfaction with brewery products and experiences, convenience, price, concern for the environment, and other factors. In this study, Asheville beer consumers are surveyed to document their preferences for craft breweries and identify whether they successfully identify brand messaging of individual breweries. Frequency of purchases, beer consumption type and variance, other behavioral and expenditure characteristics, and factors that may influence consumers’ loyalty to a particular brewery are identified by this study. The results demonstrate both the depth of consumer awareness about the local craft beer scene and the factors that influence craft brewery brand loyalty. Individual craft breweries and brewer's associations can use these results to enhance their understanding of craft beer consumers, improve the efficacy of brewery and beer tourism marketing efforts, and refine business strategy in an increasingly competitive market.
