How Does Product Packaging Influence Consumer Behaviour?

The first thing that a person sees in a product is its packaging. With ever-increasing competition in the markets, gaining the attention of buyers and establishing value in front of them has become more difficult.

Product packaging has been the most significant marketing tool which helps in communicating and influencing the behavior of customers. The packaging is the first visible thing in a product that communicates the massage of a brand and shows why a particular product is better than the other alternatives.

That’s why companies pay special attention to creating the most attractive, unique and eye-catchy packaging for their every product. You will agree on it more after an in-depth understanding of how product packaging affects every aspect of consumers’ behavior.

Leaves a First Impression on Customers’ Psyche:

Among hundreds of shelf in a common supermarket, a person stops in front of a particular product mainly because of its packaging. People who have never heard of your product get the first impression only from your packaging. This first impression is something which you can never erase from a buyer’s mind.

Some people form the image of good or bad products by conforming to their first impressions, while others who visit the market in haste also decide whether to take a product or not on the basis of that first impression. So, packaging plays a major role in forming a good, average or bad first impression on the buyers.

Attracts Buyers:

There are many elements of packaging that holds the power to attract customers. Yes, the elements like colors, images, typography, print styles and overall design can attract more buyers. That’s why people sometimes end up purchasing a product which they have never thought of buying.

For example, products having bright colors, unique shaped containers, and distinctive written material get more attention than normal ones. These elements on a packaging serve the main purpose of compelling the people to see the product and contemplate on its importance; which can even result in better sales.

Develop a Spontaneous Urge to Buy:

The package can also invoke an impulsive urge in people to buy the product even if they don’t have an immediate requirement. Have you seen kids craving and yearning to buy a particular toy which is packed in a big colorful box? Or have you ever encountered with a lady who went into the market to buy a particular product (example: cereal) and ends up buying some entirely different product (example: pickle).

Yes, all these are examples of a spontaneous urge to buy some product which is particularly invoked by its packaging. Sometimes, the packaging is so impressive that customers buy it just for showing it to others at home. This thing usually happens with interactive packages.

Invokes Anticipation of Customers:

An attractive product displayed on the shelf of the supermarket also provides a unique kind of mysterious appeal to the customers. A good packaging sows the seed of good expectations from the entire product. Just like a good movie trailer make people believe that the movie is going to be entertaining. Same goes with the packaging.

A brilliant outer appearance makes people believe that the end product would also have very good quality. And it is human tendency to check whether their expectations are correct or not. To check this, they would surely buy the product once. Now, this is the real chance of the product to prove its worth. If it’s really good from inside as well then, it will gain a regular customer. Remember that, all of this started with the outer packaging of products.

Triggers Certain Emotions in Customers:

Some companies add such elements into their packaging that help in establishing an emotional connection between the buyer and the product, like Packman, that offers various packing solutions.It could be a written message, an image or the shape that can trigger particular emotions in the buyers.

For example, a pregnant lady buys a baby care product just because the headline touches her heart and trigger the emotions of motherhood. Suppose the headlines were: “Give the best care to your Baby” or “The choice of the most caring mothers”.

People don’t think much when it comes to their emotion. Customers can buy even the most expensive product without thinking about its price if that product has triggered some hidden or pleasant emotions in them. Companies use this trick well to win the hearts of people through the packaging of their product.

Synchronise with Customers’ Immediate Needs:

Has it ever happened with you that you were feeling thirsty and suddenly you saw a box of fresh juice with thirst-enticing images on it? And this particular box enraged your thirst even more. You bought it to meet your immediate needs without caring about the brand or anything else. Yes, this is called synchronization with the customers’ needs.

This happens mainly with less expensive products that people buy only to fulfill their immediate needs on the basis of its packaging. So, packaging plays a major role in the sale of such products.

Affects the Final Decision of The Buyers:

According to one report, 60–70% of buying decisions are taken by the buyers inside the store or market. They leave home with a definite purpose of buying so and so products. But, most of them never pre-decide the brand of a particular product they are planning to buy. This final decision highly depends upon the image which a product can build.

This image is largely affected by the packaging of any product. For example, a person who is looking for a particular luxury product would most probably buy the one whose packaging is also looking like a luxury product. The products having vintage images, fonts and colors like gold, black and white would look more luxurious than the other ones. So, the colors, shapes, text and other elements of packaging affect the final buying decision of a customer.

All of it shows that packaging design is very important for the overall popularity and sales of any product.