MWV Packaging Matters Study Reveals Global Differences in Role of Packaging
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Packaging Matters research shows packaging plays a significant role in brick-and-mortar retail purchasing behaviors. Packaging's role is apparent in the purchasing process—Trial, Repeat, or Switch—in which consumers trial a new product and depending on the experience, subsequently repeat that purchase, or switch to another brand to test a different product:
- ITrial. 64% have tried something new because the packaging caught their eye on the retail shelf
- Repeat. 41% have purchased a product again because of the packaging
- Switch. 36% have switched brands because of negative experiences with new packaging.
Packaging Matters also examines online shopping habits of global consumers, and the research reveals a host of behaviors—beyond Trial, Repeat, or Switch—that can be influenced by packaging. When shopping online, consumers report that product packaging has led them to:
- Research more information about a product (29%)
- Write an online review that mentions the packaging (22%)
- "Friend" or "become a fan" of a brand/company on social networking sites (20%)
- Post something about that product on social media (18%).
Because every purchaser is guaranteed to interact with a product's packaging, it should be an integral component of the marketing mix and the physical manifestation of a brand experience. However, Packaging Matters results show there is opportunity to improve this experience. Only 11% of global consumers are completely satisfied with packaging today, leaving a vast majority of people wanting more from their packaging. Functional attributes, such as protecting the product from spilling and making the product easy to get out, are considered more important packaging attributes to consumers across all product categories. However, these same attributes are underperforming in the eyes of consumers. By comparison, attributes related to the appearance of packaging, such as being attractive and easy to find, are overachieving based on the perceived importance to consumers.
When looking across product categories, research reveals consumers are most dissatisfied with the to-go packaging category. Fragrance packaging is the category in which the highest percentage of consumers report being completely satisfied.
"Consumers say that functional attributes of packaging are critical to their satisfaction, but only a small percentage are completely satisfied with packaging as it exists today," said Brian Richard, director, Consumer and Customer Insights, MWV. "Our research shows that the package needs to do more than look good on a shelf and drive trial of a product. The package also needs to be easy to transport, store, use, and dispose of, if the consumer is going to buy the product again."
For analysis, the surveyed countries were categorized as Developed Packaging Markets (Germany, Japan, U.K., U.S.) and Developing Packaging Markets (Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey), based on factors such as total GDP, purchasing power of the middle class, sophistication of supply chain, and the prevalence of modern retailing.
The results show that packaging is more than twice as important to overall product satisfaction for consumers in Developing Packaging Markets compared with those in Developed Packaging Markets (54% vs. 20%). Packaging also impacts the purchasing process (Trial, Repeat, or Switch) much more in Developing Packaging Markets than in Developed Packaging Markets. Packaging has a greater influence on online shoppers in Developing Packaging Markets, who may have adopted habits more quickly with the prevalence of mobile devices, compared with peers in Developed Packaging Markets.
By digging deeper into the nuances of each country surveyed, brand owners can better understand and serve the needs of consumers in some of the fastest-growing and most powerful economies in the world.
- On average, consumers in India and South Africa express the highest satisfaction across product categories (59% vs. global average of 50%)
- A product's packaging is more important than its brand for overall product satisfaction among consumers in Brazil, Germany, Russia, and Turkey
- Japan, one of the most progressive packaging countries in the world, reported the lowest satisfaction ratings across categories (25% satisfied vs. global average of 50%); Japanese consumers have a healthy dissatisfaction with the quality of their packaging, which likely contributed to low satisfaction ratings in this survey, but may help the country drive consistent packaging innovation
- Chinese consumers are less satisfied overall with packaging than the global average (46% vs. 50%).
Full study results are available online.