Temporal orientation and sustainable wine choice behaviour

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine how individual differences in temporal orientation influence consumer preferences and choice consistency for wine sustainability attributes. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a discrete choice experiment to estimate willingness to pay for different sustainability labels on wine bottles, using a representative sample of 500 Italian wine consumers. We measured temporal orientation using the Consideration of Future Consequences scale. Findings Results show that temporal orientation affects both the evaluation of sustainability attributes and the consistency of choices across different decision contexts. Future-oriented individuals tend to place a higher value on sustainability attributes, focusing on more abstract, value-oriented benefits, while present-oriented individuals do not value sustainability attributes as much and tend to be less consistent in their choices. Practical implications These findings carry relevant managerial and policy implications. From a marketing perspective, firms should align the temporal focus of their messages with that of their target consumers. From a policy standpoint, temporal orientation should be considered as a moderating factor in the ex ante evaluation of labelling schemes. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate the relationship between temporal orientation and consumers' preferences for sustainability in the wine industry, and to link temporal orientation to the consistency of consumers’ choice behaviour.