Design and tangibility of product packaging continues to have a major effect on shoppers’ buying habits, as 38 per cent of consumers purchase a new item based on their enjoyment of the packaging, a new study has found.
Conducted by Esko, alongside sister companies Pantone, X-Rite and AVT, the study titled Packaging and the Digital Shopper: Meeting Expectations in Food & Beverage highlighted what primary shoppers want from food and beverage packaging.
The shopper is more likely to buy a product once they touch it, and how the packaging looks and feels in their hand impacts that impulse. In-store experiences, such as taste samples or displays, had 20 per cent of shoppers buying a new product as a result.
Esko president Udo Paneka said understanding how consumers connect with the brand will further elevate the experience they have with the product they are buying.
“By connecting the packaging value chain through the latest packaging technologies, fast-moving consumer goods companies will be able to better connect to consumers and elevate their brand experiences,” he said.
“Both premedia and converters will better understand the product standards consumers expect and can work more seamless with brand owners to provide them. This helps to make packaging the enabler to satisfy consumer needs rather than being a cost driver or a headache.”
The study further analysed the online shopping habits for food and beverage products and found the offline and online experience would need to mirror each other in order to meet consumer expectations.
The study also found:
- 47 per cent of shoppers expect the product image to match the product packaging that arrives on their doorstep
- 26 per cent of primary shoppers who had returned product based on the packaging reported that they did so because they thought it looked wrong or was counterfeit
- Only 0.8% of primary shoppers indicated that they have never purchased any food and beverage products online
- 33 per cent of those who purchase online cite convenience as a reason and 43% of respondents say they shop online to get a better price
- 75 percent of shoppers stated they foresee purchasing more snacks online in the next 18 months
- 9 percent of primary shoppers say that buying these food and beverages online isn’t their first preference and they won’t purchase this way in the future
Next week's Print21 + PKN LIVE event will feature a number of sessions on consumer engagement with brands and packaging design trends by leading industry experts from Matthews Australasia, Boxer & Co., Australia Post and many more.
Click here to book your ticket and find out more.