Consumer Behavior and Brand Positioning

Have you ever taken a moment to understand consumer behavior and how it influences brand positioning? Often overlooked, the design of your product is the visual communication between a brand and its potential consumers.

Other ad vehicles like social media campaigns have the ability to influence communication and reach your target audience; however, these types of advertisements are just one tool in your company’s toolbox to build brand loyalty and branding strategies.

The ultimate decision, however, lies within the buyer’s discretion. Your product’s packaging is the final selling point the brand offers to the consumer. A study of consumers performed by Chandon and Wansink determined packaging reaches more consumers than traditional modes of advertising. The color, brightness, and design of the packaging attract consumers’ eyes over the competition on the shelf.

The minuscule differences in the designs between brands hold the power to influence consumer purchasing behavior. This is why the design of your company’s packaging is so important not only to sales but ultimately to brand awareness and loyalty in the future.

How Does Your Packaging Influence Consumer Behavior?

Brand positioning in the market allows your product to be noticed. It ultimately will lead to brand recognition and brand loyalty. If your packaging and branding are familiar to consumers, it allows consumers to easily find and purchase your product over the competition. When establishing a new product already defined in a saturated market, packaging quality, color or design influences purchase over the already familiar brand.

The quality of packaging varies greatly across different product lines. The packaging could leave a long-lasting positive (or negative) impression on the consumer. Oftentimes, the quality of the packaging is perceived to reflect the quality of the product within. If the packaging of your product is perceived to be high quality then the same is perceived for the product as well.

First, the quality of your packaging can influence buyers to spend more than originally intended. Brand perception, loyalty and perceived value can have consumers willing to spend more despite it being nearly identical to competitors at lower prices. If a consumer perceives the item to be higher quality than the one next to it on the shelf due to the gloss in the design, customer behavior has proven they would be more likely to spend a premium cost for the perceived premium value of that specific product.

Packaging isn’t just a marketing ploy, however. Packaging is the functional protection of the product within. A dented or damaged product is often passed over as the product within is perceived to be faulty or damaged as well.

Of course, this is dependent on social factors or personal factors. Ultimately, customers buy the product they perceive will offer them the best customer experience.  The utility the consumer perceives to be obtained from the product finally results in how much a consumer is willing to spend on that specific product.

Your packaging; while protective, is also useful to the consumer. The informative design is the last communication to your consumer in regard to ingredients, warnings or content percentages. It alerts consumers to allergens, potential risks of using the product or the correct recommended dosage from the manufacturer.

Often in terms of driving sales, the functionality of the product’s packaging is often less important than the features and benefits it offers. For certain consumers who purchase certain products because of the lack or addition of certain factors/ingredients, this general knowledge on the bare bones of the product is very important to purchase intent.

Packaging is useful as well in marketing. It draws a consumer’s attention to your product. If something stands out from the competition among those on the shelf, it will cause consumers to take a moment and look at the product itself. Brand perception, loyalty, and perceived value are all subconscious factors consumers idle between before willingly purchasing a product.

Packaging, being the last line of communication to the consumer, protection, and visual stimulation your product is offering to the buyers may be one of the most important decisions on how your product will succeed.

If you’ve been looking for a product that will aid your business in creating its own flexible packaging, take a moment to consider the ArrowJet Aqua 330r. This amazing pigmented inkjet machine features Memjet single-pass technology and vibrant color payoff on several materials ideal for your company. Find out more today from our website or by filling out a form so someone from our team can reach out to you today!