Blockchain adoption in Italian winemaking: insights from a PLS-SEM study

Purpose This empirical study aims to expand the literature on the application of blockchain by analysing the factors that influence Italian winemakers. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire was used to collect data from 114 Italian wine producers. The factors influencing the adoption of blockchain technology were based on an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data using the SmartPLS computer program. Findings The PLS-SEM results show that two dimensions of the extended UTAUT, including performance expectancy and trust, positively influence blockchain technology adoption. At the same time, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions are found to have no significant influence on the intention to adopt blockchain technology. The intention to adopt blockchain is therefore linked to the expectation of improving the winery’s production efficiency, on the one hand, and the greater transparency that this brings, and the benefit that this can bring to consumers, on the other. Originality/value The empirical results of this study fill a gap in the existing literature regarding the factors influencing the adoption of blockchain by Italian winemakers. This study found that, out of five factors, only two have an impact on behaviour, thus providing insight into this issue that has not been clearly examined in previous studies.