Neuromarketing and consumer decision-making: a biometric study on the tasting of craft beers

Abstract

The craft beer market is expanding; however, its reach remains limited since Ecuadorian consumers are not yet familiar with its sensory profiles. In the present study, Electroencephalography (EEG) technology was employed to identify alpha and beta brain waves produced during the consumption of three types of craft beer. The sample included adult participants with no medical contraindications for EEG use. For statistical analysis, the Shapiro–Wilk test was used to assess normality, Levene’s test for homoscedasticity, and a one-way ANOVA to compare differences between groups. The results revealed that the blonde beer obtained the highest average values for both brain waves (Alpha: 33.86%; Beta: 32.86%), followed by distinctive patterns in the red and dark beers depending on the analyzed wave. Although no statistically significant differences were detected (Alpha: p=0.5658; Beta: p=0.3142), notable trends were observed across neural patterns. The findings suggest that EEG measurements can be truly valuable in uncovering insights for the craft beer industry, demonstrating that high individual variability represents the predominant factor in neural responses to gustatory stimuli, with relevant implications for segmentation strategies and product development within Ecuador’s emerging market.