Desjardin Blog - EN

At one time through the first half of the twentieth century, products such as chocolates were packaged and marketed based on their utility and intrinsic value. Then in the second half of the century researchers began to suggest that products could also be sold for their symbolic value. Now in the new millennium the symbolic paradigm is increasingly becoming a primary packaging focus.

Even long before packaging design became a focus among marketers, there has always been a sense that aesthetics has had something to do with why people are attracted to certain products. Now in the new millennium a growing body of evidence confirms that visual stimuli is a huge factor in purchasing choices at physical stores. Here's a deeper look at how consumers respond to packaging design.

The psychology of packaging design has become a top concern of marketers, as evidence accumulates that visual aesthetics play a major role of a product's success. Research shows that aesthetic package design leads to an increase in the time consumers spend on making decisions. In fact, the more aesthetics offered by the package, the better chance it has of being chosen over name brands that come in standardized packages, regardless of price.

Effective marketing strategies depend on shape of packaging and semantics that associate with the product. Tests have shown relationships between packaging and brand attributes, which can benefit packaging designers who base their solutions on sensory marketing. While these semantic associations are unique for each individual, this knowledge is still important for marketers to understand. Here's a deeper look at how the shape of packaging conveys meanings to consumers.

Food consumption is a multisensory experience, meaning that people judge food with all five senses, as studies increasingly show. A 2011 study called "Influence of Package Design on the Dynamics of Multisensory and Emotional Experience" by N.J. Schifferstein, Anna Fenko, Pieter M.A. Desmet, David Labbe and Nathalie Martin confirmed that people's emotions change throughout the four major stages of consumption (buying, opening, cooking and eating).

Studying the emotions and dynamics of the buyer journey can help marketers better understand packaging for chocolates, biscuits and confectionery.The various stages in which these emotions are strongest involve opening the package, cooking the food, eating it and rebuying the package. Here are ways to adapt packaging based on how people react to these stages.

When the purchase of chocolate candies and other grocery items is not part of a regular shopping list, it tends to be a spontaneous act. So marketers of such food need to understand the mechanisms that lead to impulsive purchasing.A study reported by Jesper Clement of Copenhagen Business School in Denmark shows that purchasing can be affected by five in-store stages. Here are the findings and conclusions of this eye-track experiment on consumer purchasing behaviour.

Packaging of food for children has increasingly become a marketing vehicle since it is commonly displayed at point of sale locations.

Food packaging serves multiple purposes, allowing it to be transported long distances safely and stored for long periods of time. It is important for manufacturers to balance between safety issues and other factors such as costs and keeping an eco-friendly perspective. Many consumers are paying closer attention to environmental issues that are involved with packaging technology.