Title: Social media usage among micro and small winery businesses in a 'niche' market: a case study

Authors: Abel Duarte Alonso; Alessandro Bressan

Addresses: School of Marketing Tourism and Leisure, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Dr., Joondalup, 6027 WA, Australia ' School of Business, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 2751, Australia

Abstract: The recent emergence of internet-based applications has revolutionised the field of communication. The increasing impact of social media illustrates the potential but also the dilemma for businesses to fully embrace this communication tool. A growing body of research addresses the potential of social media in various contexts and business environments, including wine marketing, or wine tourism. The present study contributes to this body of knowledge, by examining usage of social media among micro and small wineries located in various countries through the lens of interactivity theory. The views of winery owners and managers and those of representatives of two regulatory councils and one wine association were gathered. Although there is strong recognition regarding the potential of social media in their sector, most respondents are currently not using social media, or to a very limited extent. The study discusses the implications of the findings and suggests avenues for future research.

Keywords: interpersonal interactivity theory; small wineries; wine sector; social media usage; micro wineries; niche markets.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIRD.2013.059877

International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development, 2013 Vol.5 No.3, pp.304 - 322

Received: 28 May 2013
Accepted: 25 Nov 2013

Published online: 02 Jul 2014 *

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