DOI: 10.11118/ecos2026_031

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SELECTION OF CRAFT BEER: A FACTOR ANALYSIS AND GENERATIONAL SEGMENTATION IN THE CZECH MARKET

Lenka Procházková¹, Marek Záboj¹, Matěj Sysel¹

¹ Department of Marketing and Trade, Faculty of Business and Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic

This article presents the results of an empirical study of consumer behavior in the Czech craft beer market. The primary objective was to identify the key factors influencing the selection of craft beer and, based on these factors, to perform a market segmentation analysis. The research was conducted through a quantitative survey combining online distribution via social media platforms and offline distribution using QR codes placed in craft beer pubs in Brno. After the application of screening criteria, a total of 458 respondents aged 18 to 57 years were included in the statistical analysis. Ten formulated hypotheses were tested using non-parametric statisti-cal methods (Pearson’s chi-square test, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and the Kruskal–Wallis test). The principal analytical method was exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation, which extracted four factors explaining 43.45% of the total variance: price sensitivity and conservatism, taste and sensory attributes of beer, authenticity and exclusivity, and social and visual influences. Taste and aroma emerged as the most influ-ential individual determinants of craft beer selection, whereas recommendations from influ-encers were found to be the least influential. Generational segmentation revealed that Genera-tion Y constitutes the most active market segment, while Generation Z consumes craft beer significantly less frequently. The findings suggest that value-based attributes, such as authen-ticity and regional origin, outweigh price sensitivity and traditional forms of advertising among craft beer consumers in the Czech Republic.

Klíčová slova: consumer behavior, craft beer, factor analysis, market segmentation, authenticity, storytelling, generational differences, Czech Republic

stránky: 290-298, online: 2026