Desjardin Blog - EN

Consumers base buying decisions on what their senses, memories and emotions tell them. That's why packaging design should provide multisensory stimuli congruent with brand themes that connect with followers. Here are ways designers can apply knowledge about multisensory processes to packaging designs.

Some people call it "hardness," while others involved in packaging design use the terms "firmness and compressibility" to describe the feel when two hands squeeze a product. But distinguishing the differences between texture and hardness can be challenging due to overlapping variations. Here are points for designers to consider that take consumer perceptions of firmness and compressibility into account.

As part of the multisensory experience, the mind forms thought patterns associated with shapes, which should be of interest to packaging designers. Shapes, like colors and textures, can contribute to perceptions about objects based on personal experiences. Here's a look at how the shape of a package communicates with consumers.

Texture is a crucial factor in packaging because it needs to match consumer expectations. Delicate products need more blatantly protective packaging, which shoppers evaluate by touching the package. Each shopper has their own multisensory approach to judging retail items. Here are concepts about how the texture of packaging affects consumer perceptions.

Deep in every consumer's mind are perceptions about the world. These perceptions don't just develop randomly, as they are shaped by multisensory input. This input comes from thousands of experiences over time stored in memory and then are triggered by associations. These associations also develop over time based on experience with a product and its corresponding packaging.

As much as people love food, they may not want it if it's not touching something they deem acceptable. That's one of the main reasons why the choice of packaging materials is so important. Whatever the food touches, whether it's metal, plastic, paper or some other material, the package must create the perception of a strong and clean barrier from the environment. A bakery must particularly be conscious of how it serves sweets to customers who are often ready to eat a snack right away.

The concept of touch plays a big role in food packaging, consumerism and safety concerns. Packaging designers want to make sure the material touching the food is safe. Shoppers like to touch packages before they buy them, which influences perceptions. Here are important points to know from various studies about the sense of touch and how it affects food packaging.

Consumer studies on the need for touch (NFT) point toward fascinating opportunities for metal packaging designers to learn new ways to understand shopping behavior. The search and purchasing stages are the key areas of focus that can help a brand gain an edge on understanding of consumer decision-making patterns.

People associate tastes, aromas and flavours with packaging shape, name and sound, according to a study from the University of Oxford. Understanding of this mix of sensory perceptions can help product packaging designers improve communication with consumers.