Professor Madill Examines the Use of the Web in Wine Tourism

Judith Madill unites her research interest in small and medium enterprises with her love of wine in a project examining the wine industry’s use of Internet-based and Web 2.0 technologies to attract the wine tourist. The research is timely given Canada’s maturing wine culture. Mobile marketing poses a challenge and an opportunity, and there are also significant shifts in the industry landscape. The passage of Bill C-3111 last month, for example, removed the federal restrictions prohibiting individuals from moving wine from one province to another when purchased for personal use.

Professor Madill and Leighann Neilson of Carleton University performed a content analysis of randomly selected winery websites in Canada, U.S. (California), France, Australia and Chile. Using various visiting experience dimensions, they assessed whether or not – and how well – the websites were used to meet customer needs at all three stages of wine tourism (pre-trip planning, during the visit, and post-trip). The researchers also evaluated mobile marketing practices, considering factors such as whether the winery claimed its location on Google Maps or MapQuest, if the winery claimed its location on Foursquare, if the website was mobile accessible, and if a mobile version of the website existed.

They presented their paper, Using Internet-based and Web 2.0 Technologies to Attract the Wine Tourist: An International Comparison, at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Conference in June.