Maximising sales and fostering brand attachment: the power of great expectations in the Australian cellar door experience

The cellar door experience has become fundamentally associated with wine tourism but is also a profitable direct-to-customer sales opportunity for many winery businesses. The cellar door experience is more than wine barrels and views; it offers a risk-reducing offer to try before you buy, and it is the opportunity to develop brand attachment in a competitive market. The current study examines the influence of customer expectations, states, and traits on purchase and loyalty behaviour during a cellar door experience. A Bayesian Network was created and provided a graphical representation of the joint probability outcomes of 42 variables measured with 136 responses to a questionnaire completed during a cellar door tasting experience. Interpretation of the influence of variables on five outcome variables, measuring purchase and loyalty behaviours, shows that purchases are maximised where expectations are exceeded, and individual states and traits have a moderating influence. The importance of developing experiences and acknowledging these influences is discussed, along with suggestions for cellar door management and staff.