Consumer Attitudes Towards Packaging: New Insights and Future Perspectives

Table of Contents

• Overview
  • Catalyst
  • Summary
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • Sustainability is becoming a key lifestyle priority and impacts shopper attitudes towards packaging
  • Health benefits attributed to packaging are especially important in food and drinks
  • Convenience is still vital to consumers' packaging needs
  • Aging populations have stimulated the need for ' universal design' in packaging
  • Packaging design is important in captivating consumer interest and initiating buying behavior
  • Action Points
• Table of Contents
• Table of figures
• Table of tables
• The future decoded
  • INTRODUCTION: The role of packaging has evolved with consumer trends
  • TREND: Sustainability is becoming a key lifestyle priority and impacts shopper attitudes towards packaging
    • Consumers have moved into a more reflective and concerned phase of consumption
    • Environmental consumerism is becoming more sophisticated and is driven by five consumer segments
      • Environmental consumerism is driven by five consumer segments
      • Environmental/ ethical attitudes do not always translate into actual behavior
      • Consumers require more education about sustainability led initiatives
    • Packaging has a direct link to environmental consciousness as more consumers look to reduce waste
      • Governments across the globe have set new targets to battle help waste management
      • Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of waste management and the role packaging plays
      • Consumers are recycling more of their waste
    • Consumers believe products are over packaged
      • Consumers desire less clutter in their lives
      • ' Light-weighting' is helping to reduce the volume of packaging waste
      • Consumers are often unable to detect light-weighting
      • Consumers display contradictory attitudes towards the role of packaging
    • Key take-outs and implications: packaging has an important role to play as environmental consumerism gains momentum
  • INSIGHT: Health and sensory benefits attributed to packaging are especially important in food and drinks
    • Food and beverage safety is increasingly important for shoppers
    • Packaging is perceived as being integral to maintaining product safety
    • Consumers are showing extremely favorable attitudes towards, and increased consumption of, fresh food and drinks
    • Freshness is a highly valued packaging attribute
      • Increasing interest in fresh food has only recently being matched by more new product launches
    • Consumers value packaging that enhances the quality or pleasure experienced on consumption
    • ' Smart packaging' innovation can help address consumers health and sensory demands
    • Health concerns are driving increasing interest in, and usage of, packaging labels
    • Consumers are spending more time checking labels for nutritional advice
      • Packaging labels can also help to regain consumer trust
    • Key take-outs and implications: packaging offering enhanced freshness, safety and the effective provision of on-pack information will be increasingly desired by consumers
  • INSIGHT: Convenience is still vital to consumers' packaging needs
    • A number of convenience trends impact consumer packaging desires
      • The ready meals market is growing in every global region
      • On-the-go occasions are increasing creating a need for packaging that facilitates such occasions
      • Consumers are increasingly making use of ' top-up' shopping
    • Consumers value packaging design that helps to overcome choice complexity
      • In a bid to reduce choice complexity consumers embrace ' speed shopping'
    • Key take outs and implications: convenient packaging is about both functionality and aesthetics
  • INSIGHT: Aging populations have stimulated the need for ' universal design' in packaging
    • Populations are aging across Europe and the US thereby increasing the need for ' universal packaging'
      • The physical abilities of many consumers are diminishing or simply hindered
      • Chronic rheumatic conditions are becoming more common in older adults and greatly impair consumer ability to use and open products and packaging
    • ' Design for all' encompasses a wider range of consumers and will become imperative for future success
    • Key take-outs and implications: universal design should be the basic blueprint against which packaging design is scrutinized
  • INSIGHT: Packaging design is important in captivating consumer interest and initiating buying behavior
    • Packaging design heavily influences overall perceptions of a product and hence brand positioning
      • Upscale packaging designs can add perceived value to the product
      • Packaging designs heavily influence consumer perception of ' cool'
      • Packaging cues are important in creating the "wow factor" for Kids
    • The use of certain colors lead to differing emotive responses
      • Color and emotions are also synonymous with words and expressions
      • Color contrast in packaging is key to ensuring shelf stand-out and capturing consumer attention
    • Package pictures can shape consumer perceptions more rapidly than textual information
    • The structural elements of packaging reflect product personality thereby shaping consumer expectations
    • Key take-outs and implications: ensure that packaging design is at the forefront of brand positioning efforts
• ACTION POINTS
  • ACTION: Integrate sustainability principles into all packaging design
    • Demonstrate a commitment to reduce packaging your packaging footprint by reducing material waste
      • Use ' light-weighting' alternatives where applicable
      • Avoid falling into the trap that premium must be heavily packaged to stand-out from value offerings
      • Give packaging a ' second use' to enhance reusability
      • Make packaging work harder by identifying dual-function components
    • Educate and inform consumers about your sustainable credentials
    • Develop branded initiatives that enable consumers to more easily identify eco-friendly packages
      • Use in-store signage to educate and communicate about environmental credentials
  • ACTION: Use packaging to help regain consumer trust
    • Develop recognizable and trustworthy labels that are transparent and honest
    • Embrace ' smart packaging' technology to help re-assure consumers about product safety
  • ACTION: Package products in a way that enhances the quality of the consumption experience
    • Enhance food freshness through packaging formats where possible
    • Use packaging to maximize the sensory appeal of the consumption occasion
  • ACTION: Ensure packaging innovations offer convenience and simplicity
    • Target new and growing occasions such as ' on-the-go'
  • ACTION: Embrace principles of ' universal design' to ensure user-friendly concepts
  • ACTION: Use packaging innovation as a way to engage and interact with consumers
  • ACTION: Burst through the clutter in the retail environment to achieve shelf standout
    • Use color and shape to create contrast with competitors
    • Use packaging to create positioning and justify a price premium
      • Visually own the packaging dimension which identifies the key benefit
      • Create a visual impact that enhances consumer awareness
• APPENDIX
  • Supplementary data
  • Definitions
  • Methodology
  • Further reading and references
  • Ask the analyst
  • Datamonitor consulting
  • Disclaimer
  • List of Tables
    • Table 1: Municipal waste generated and recycled by country, Europe & US, 1996, 2001, 2006
    • Table 2: Consumer agreement with statements conveying different attitudes toward packaging, UK
    • Table 3: Consumer survey: the extent to which European and US consumers used nutritional information on product packaging to help make food and drink choices, by country, 2006
    • Table 4: Overall and per person number of on-the-go eating occasions (million), Europe & US, 2006-2011
    • Table 5: Overall and per person number of on-the-go drinking occasions (million), Europe & US, 2006-2011
    • Table 6: Population by age group (m), Europe and US, 2001-2011
    • Table 7: European and US consumer and industry opinion concerning the influence of various factors on (re)gaining consumer trust
    • Table 8: Consumer response to the question: "In general, how influential are the following packaging functions when choosing FOOD products?", Europe, US, 2007
    • Table 9: Consumer response to the question: "In general, how influential are the following packaging functions when choosing BEVERAGE products?", Europe, US, 2007
    • Table 10: Consumer response to the question: "In general, how influential are the following packaging functions when choosing PERSONAL/HOUSEHOLD CARE products?", Europe, US, 2007
  • List of Figures
    • Figure 1: Packaging innovation is now aligned with a number of consumer mega trends
    • Figure 2: Ethical consumerism is becoming more sophisticated over time
    • Figure 3: Over a third of Europeans and Americans can be considered ' Green Thinkers'
    • Figure 4: A lack of education and clarity creates a bottleneck slowing the migration of consumers toward groups which are willing to seek and pay extra for sustainable products and packaging
    • Figure 5: Positive attitudes towards ethical consumption are beginning to translate into actual behavior
    • Figure 6: Over a quarter of Europeans rank growing waste and the depletion of natural resources as being a main environmental issue
    • Figure 7: Waste management is the environmentally focused action that Europeans are most willing to do
    • Figure 8: Recycling is the third most desirable option for dealing with waste
    • Figure 9: European and American consumer rank eating fresh food as an important dietary approach
    • Figure 10: There are a number of new smart packaging/label innovations entering the market
    • Figure 11: High usage of microwaves reflects consumers' need for convenient solutions
    • Figure 12: Consumers seek products which are both convenient AND healthy
    • Figure 13: European and American consumers are increasingly exhibiting ' top-up shopping' behavior
    • Figure 14: A feeling of ' choice paralysis' often influences shoppers
    • Figure 15: Speed shopping is contributing to a more passive approach to shopping
    • Figure 16: Packaging that incorporates these attributes will appeal to convenience orientated shoppers
    • Figure 17: A number of illnesses and diseases can affect various parts of the body which inhibit consumers' ability to effectively use products and packaging
    • Figure 18: Packaging design plays a big part in shaping consumers' quality expectations, especially when making personal care purchases
    • Figure 19: Certain colors are associated to specific words/concepts
    • Figure 20: Sustainability-led packaging innovation can take many guises
    • Figure 21: Light-weighting lowers waste and raw materials costs
    • Figure 22: Educating consumers about sustainability policies increases awareness and adds impact to the changes being made
    • Figure 23: In-store signage increases the visibility of sustainable products
    • Figure 24: Labeling must be well executed, easy to understand and based on trust
    • Figure 25: Smart packaging can improve product safety
    • Figure 26: Packaging can be used to enhance the fresh appeal of products
    • Figure 27: On-the-go coffee innovation continues to offer more convenience
    • Figure 28: Packaging developed to facilitate on-the-go consumption will continue to be desired by shoppers
    • Figure 29: Design for all concepts can be easily integrated into existing packaging concepts
    • Figure 30: Contrast can be achieved at the shelf through numerous ways
    • Figure 31: Packaging designs can be extremely useful in positioning a product
    • Figure 32: A visual impact can be made by all manner of packaging types