Drunk Texts: Insights on Consumer Drinking Behavior from Online Reviews of Alcoholic Beverage Products

Abstract

Little research has examined how consumers describe their alcohol consumption generally and through online channels. Informed by theories of social norms and impression management, the authors use a custom dataset of online reviews from Drizly to explore the topics discussed in online consumer reviews of alcoholic beverage products. They examine whether review topics differ by product category (i.e., beer, wine, or spirits) and based on product review volume, a normative signal. Consumers generally elaborate on the consumption setting, negative perceptions of the product and/or consumption experience, product–lifestyle fit, drink preparation, and, finally, any positive perceptions. Consumption setting is the primary topic discussed by beer and wine consumers, and this tendency is strengthened by the presence of more product reviews. Consumers’ openness to discussing negative aspects of consumption contradicts the logic of impression management theory. Additionally, the finding that positive aspects of consumption are the least elaborated topic generally and among beer and wine consumers contrasts previous social media research suggesting that it would be a more important topic. The findings also show that greater product review volume strengthens beer and wine consumers’ likelihood to discuss both the positive and negative aspects of consumption, suggesting that drinking narratives are altered by perceived prevailing norms.