Effects of Wine Involvement and Perceived Wine-Fault Experience on Behavioral Intentions in the Retail Channel: A Moderation Test Before and After a Return–Refund Policy Announcement

This study analyzes the relationships among consumer involvement, perceived wine-fault experience, and behavioral intentions in the off-premise retail channel. It examines the differences before and after the announcement of a return–refund policy through multi-group analysis. Using multi-group structural equation modeling, the results show that the effects of wine involvement on both perceived wine-fault experience and behavioral intentions remained stable regardless of the policy announcement. However, the negative effect of perceived wine-fault experience on behavioral intentions was significant before the return–refund policy announcement (β = -0.124, p = 0.043) but became statistically insignificant afterward (β = -0.036, p = 0.559). The findings highlight that pre-purchase policy announcements can reduce the risk of negative word of mouth and help maintain consumer confidence and protect brand reputation in the off-premise channel of wine.