Package graphics and copy are critical marketing variables, particularly for nonadvertised or underadvertised brands in self-serve shopping environments. The package on a retail shelf is the last opportunity to influence consumers before they decide to buy. It’s the final sales pitch at the “moment of truth”. The better the package design and copy, the greater the likelihood that consumers will choose that brand. Any new package design, or significant change in an existing package, should always be subjected to the scrutiny of scientific consumer research.

The Starting Point: Qualitative Research

Before new package designs are created, it is always wise to conduct qualitative research to explore target consumers’ knowledge, frames of reference, perceptions, motivations, and needs related to the product category and your brand. What images, elements, phrases, symbols, and illustrations resonate with the target audience? The up front qualitative work helps identify the most important package-design elements and provides guidelines for the creation of new package designs.

Custom/Ad Hoc Packaging Research

Shelf Impact

Regardless of the method of testing, one of the focal points of package research is the shelf impact or attention value of the package in the context of competitive packages. Does the consumer notice the package on the shelf? Can the consumer quickly identify the brand? Is the package appealing enough that the brand gets considered for purchase?

To evaluate shelf impact, we typically create representative displays of the test package in a competitive environment. The test package is rotated within the display. The displays (with the rotations) are shown to a representative sample of consumers. The respondents are questioned about what they see and what they understand as the length-of-time exposure increases. This methodology helps determine the visibility (or attention value) of a test package, relative to competitive packages. The attention value and brand registration of every package design are constant focal points of Optimize Data Analytics’ research.

Virtual Shopping and 3D Animation

The retail shopping experience can be simulated online with virtual technology, so that respondents visually “fly into” a store and move to a shelf set where the test package is shown in a competitive context. Respondents are asked to choose the brand they would be most likely to buy if the products on the shelf set were the choices available. Respondents can click on packages to see greater detail, including ingredient statements and nutritional information. With 3D animation, packages can also be modeled so that respondents can rotate the packages to view them from many different angles. This is especially valuable if the package design involves a new shape of an unusual shape.

Eye-Tracking Diagnostics

For some packages, eye-tracking can provide additional diagnostic information. Depending on the product category and packaging issues, eye-tracking might be recommended. Eye-tracking can help reveal where a consumer’s eyes are focusing, show the pattern of eye movements, and map where the eyes are lingering. Pupil dilation can be an indicator of arousal. These measures are not predictive, but can add to our understanding of why the package scores as it does, and provide clues about how the package might be improved.