Let’s face it, many people claim that the content of a package is the most important thing to them when they are choosing what product to get, but packaging really is paramount. Not only can the packaging have functional benefits, it also creates an emotional connection between the product and the consumer. The fact is, that with the world spinning as fast as it is now, many decisions are made fast and subconscious, leading to the consumer making fast judgements and therefore making packaging even more important.
When we asked consumers in our study what their strongest purchase influencers were, the look, feel and size scored higher than the functional features and material.
The consumers also value the ease of use and freshness protection when it comes to packaging. The functionality of the package is not a conscious purchase trigger, however it can lead to that the consumer chooses the package again, after trying it.
We promised also to talk about what the consumers actually don’t appreciate, and the biggest frustrations they have are concerning packages that promise features that they don’t deliver, packaging that is hard to open and close, leaking packaging, oversized packaging, and last but not least, dishonest packaging – meaning packaging that for example looks like paper but in fact is made of plastic. And honestly – who could blame them?