Packaging. A Consumer Perspective

Packaging is an essential marketing tool, especially for fast moving consumer goods. It is one of the few means for companies to get in touch with consumers at the point of sale and is often present throughout the product life cycle. The present dissertation comprises three projects consisting of overall ten studies. It sheds light on the role of packaging for consumer behavior. In the first project, I identify which product aspects consumers judge before buying fast moving consumer goods and how the structural packaging dimensions material, shape, transparency and surface affect consumers’ judgements. I develop a toolbox that assists managers in designing product packaging that supports consumers in their purchase decision. In the second project, I focus on packaging surface and its effect on perceived naturalness. I find that food in matte packaging is perceived as more natural than food in glossy packaging. Moreover, consumers expect products in matte packaging to be tastier and are more likely to buy them. In the third project, I show that consumers prefer products in packaging with a transparent window to products in an opaque packaging. This is because windows allow consumers to bond more intimately with the product inside the packaging and to develop stronger feelings of psychological ownership, i.e. the feeling that something is “mine”. In sum, my dissertation shows the importance of packaging for both research and practice. Packaging can assist consumers in their purchase decision, affect product perceptions and the way consumers bond with a product. Ultimately, packaging can have a major impact on which products consumers choose. The findings of my dissertation demonstrate that packaging is a fertile ground for consumer research and offer several avenues for future research. In addition, they show how important it is for managers to make educated packaging decisions.