INTRODUCTION

Packaging seems to be one of the most important factors in purchase decisions made at the
point of sale, where it becomes an essential part of the selling process. Packaged food
products are moving into ever larger supermarkets and hypermarkets, and there is a
proliferation of products, offering consumers vast choice. The competitive context is ever
more intense, both in the retail store and household. With the move to self-service retail
formats, packaging increases its key characteristic as the "salesman on the shelf" at the point
of sale. The critical importance of packaging design is growing in such competitive market
conditions, as package becomes a primary vehicle for communication and branding.
This discussion examines how packaging influences buying decisions for packaged food
products. The package standing out on the shelf affects the consumer decision process, and
package design must insure that consumer response is favourable. The problem is made more
complex by several conflicting trends in consumer decision-making. n one hand, some
consumers are paying more attention to label information, as they become more concerned
about health and nutrition !"oulson, #$$$% &'(, #$$)c*. These consumers are more involved
in the product decision and use package information more extensively. n the other hand,
modern consumers are often looking for ways to reduce time spent on food shopping and
preparation. This can influence decision processes, too, as time pressure reduces detailed
consideration of package elements !&'(, #$$#b% Warde, +,,,*.
While these are important issues, and becoming even more critical in the intensifying
competitive environment, there is little comprehensive study on how packaging elements
influence brand choice under involvement and time pressure. This paper aims at forming a
better understanding of the link between packaging and consumer purchase behaviour. The
main ob-ective is to examine packaging elements that influence purchase decisions. .rom
this, we propose a conceptual framework for how packaging relates to purchase decisions in
the context of different product involvement levels and under time pressure.
'enerally, /ualitative methods are best suited to developing deeper understanding, so our
discussion is based on focus groups interviews which examined these issues in-depth with
typical consumers. The focus groups sessions had two broad ob-ectives. They are0 to examine
the consumer experience with purchasing packaged food products% and to understand
consumer views on how packaging plays a role in their purchase decisions.
+
The focus groups were conducted in Jalandhar !Pun-ab*, and thus, the views represent
consumers in an important middle-income country market where the agribusiness industry is
/uite strong, and conditions are very competitive. 1owadays competitive environment the
role of package has changed due to increasing self-service and changing consumers2 lifestyle.
.irms2 interest in package as a tool of sales promotion is growing increasingly. Package
becomes an ultimate selling proposition stimulating impulsive buying behaviour, increasing
market share and reducing promotional costs. 3ccording to 4undh !#$$5* package attracts
consumer2s attention to particular brand, enhances its image, and influences consumer2s
perceptions about product. 3lso package imparts uni/ue value to products !6nderwood,
7lein 8 9urke, #$$+% :ilayoi 8 :peece,#$$;*, works as a tool for differentiation, i.e. helps
consumers to choose the product from wide range of similar products, stimulates customers
buying behaviour !Wells, .arley 8 3rmstrong, #$$<*. Thus package performs an important
role in marketing communications and could be treated as one of the most important factors
influencing consumer2s purchase decision. &n this context, seeking to maximi=e the
effectiveness of package in a buying place, the researches of package, its elements and their
impact on consumer2s buying behaviour became a relevant issue. >iterature analysis on
/uestion under investigation has shown that there is no agreement on classification of
package elements as well as on research methods of package impact on consumer2s purchase
decision. :ome of researchers try to investigate all possible elements of package and their
impact on consumer2s purchase decision context of the research too research problem could
be formulated as following /uestion0
What elements of a package have an ultimate effect on consumer purchase decision?
The aim of this paper @
9asing on theoretical analysis of package elements and their impact on consumerAs purchase
decision empirically reveal the elements having the ultimate effect on consumer choice in a
case of different products.
Packaging is a structure designed to contain a commercial food product, i.e. to make it easier
and safer to transport, to protect the product against contamination or loss, degradation or
damage and to produce a convenient way to dispense the product. The food industry re/uires
packaging materials that provide efficient barriers, preserve products effectively and
conse/uently increase the shelf life of the products. Bowever, from the environmental point
#
of view, there is a demand for the use of less packaging material and more recycling.
3ccording to "oles, supply of and demand for packaging of consumer products are
continuously changing as a result of the development of an international food market and
adaptation to consumer, distribution, legal and technological re/uirements.
)
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
4ita 7uvykaite !#$$,* has descriptive research. 3ccording to 4ita package attracts
consumer2s attention to particular brand, enhances its image, and influences consumer2s
perceptions about product. 3lso package imparts uni/ue value to products !6nderwood,
7lein 8 9urke, #$$+% :ilayoi 8 :peece, #$$;*, works as a tool for differentiation, i.e. helps
consumers to choose the product from wide range of similar products, stimulates customers
buying behavior !Wells, .arley 8 3rmstrong, #$$<*. Thus package performs an important
role in marketing communications and could be treated as one of the most important factors
influencing consumer2s purchase of package, its elements and their impact on consumer2s
buying behavior became a relevant issue. Be basing on theoretical analysis of package
elements and their impact on consumerAs purchase decision empirically reveal the elements
having the ultimate effect on consumer choice. 4esearch methods that 4ita used is systematic
and comparative analysis of scientific literature% empirical research There are six variables
that must be taken into "onsideration by producer and designers when creating efficient
package0 form, si=e, color, graphics, Caterial and flavor. :imilarly, 7otler !#$$)*
distinguishes six elements that according to him must be evaluated when employing
packaging decisions0 si=e, form, material, color, text and brand. The research result of 4ita
shows the impact of package elements on consumers purchase decisions can be stronger. Be
conclude that Package could be treated as one of most valuable tool in today2s marketing
communications, necessitating more detail analysis of its elements and an impact of those
elements on consumers buying behavior. The impact of package and its elements on
consumer2s purchase decision can be revealed by analy=ing an importance of its separate
elements for consumer2s choice.
Prendergast and Pitt !+,,D* review the basic functions of packaging, and define them by their
role in either logistics or marketing. The logistical function of packaging is mainly to protect
the product during movement through distribution channels. &n the marketing function,
packaging provides an attractive method to convey messages about product attributes to
consumers at the point of sale. &t may be difficult to separate these two package functions, as
they are usually needed. The package sells the product by attracting attention and
communicating, and also allows the product to be contained, apportioned, uniti=ed, and
protected.
;
7upiec 4evell, #$$+ described that the logistics considerations, packaging is one key food
product attribute perceived by consumers. &t cannot escape performing the marketing
function, even if a company does not explicitly recogni=e the marketing aspects of
packaging. The package is a critical factor in the decision-making process because it
communicates to consumers. &ntention to purchase depends on the degree to which
consumers expect the product to satisfy them when they consume it*. Bow they perceive it
depends on communication elements, which become the key to success for many marketing
strategies.
6nderwood. !#$$+*. The packageEs overall features can underline the uni/ueness and
originality of the product. &n addition, /uality -udgments are largely influenced by product
characteristics reflected by packaging. &f it communicates high /uality, consumers assume
that the product is of high /uality. &f the package symboli=es low /uality, consumers transfer
this low /uality perception to the product itself. The package communicates favorable or
unfavorable implied meaning about the product. :uggest that consumers are more likely to
spontaneously imagine aspects of how a product looks tastes, feels, smells, or sounds while
they are viewing a product picture on the package.
3res and (eli=a have conducted interesting research about consumer attitudes towards food
package design characteristics. 3long with 9esio and 'imene= they study the influence of
different package attributes on consumer willingness to purchase regular and functional
chocolate milk desserts and assess if the influence of these attributes was affected by
consumers2 level of involvement with the product. "onsumers2 level of involvement with the
product affected their interest in the evaluated products and their reaction towards the
considered con-oint variables, suggesting that it could be a useful segmentation tool during
food development. Package colour and the presence of a picture on the label were the
variables with the highest relative importance, regardless of consumers2 involvement with the
product. The importance of these variables was higher than the type of dessert indicating that
packaging may play an important role in consumers2 perception and purchase intention of
functional foods. 9rown colour instead of black and the presence of a milk dessert picture on
the label showed positive part-worth utilities, indicating that they significantly increased
consumers2 purchase intent. .urthermore, package shape !s/uare or round* did not
significantly affect willingness to purchase for any of the identified consumer segments !3res
5
et al. #$+$*. 3lso in another article, they present word association and con-oint analysis to
study the influence of package shape and colour on consumer expectations of milk desserts.
9oth colour and shape significantly affected consumers2 associations, expected liking and
willingness to purchase. "onsumer associations regarding package colour were mainly
related to flavor. n the other hand, differences in consumer associations due to differences
in package shape were mainly related to sensory expectations related to texture
characteristics !e.g. runny and thick* and to specific types of desserts !e.g. egg custard or
low-calorie desserts*. 3part from influencing expected flavour, package colour also affected
texture expectations regarding the creaminess and softness of the desserts. Fellow round
packages were more fre/uently associated with creamy and soft desserts than black or white
ones. These results show the relevance of package characteristics, such as colour and shape,
in creating sensory expectations on consumers, which could affect their product perception
and acceptance.
>ysonski +,,D. "onsumer decision-making can be defined as a mental orientation
characteri=ing a consumerEs approach to making choice. This approach deals with cognitive
and affective orientations in the process of decision-making. .our main packaging elements
potentially affect consumer purchase decisions, which can be separated into two categories0
visual and informational elements. The visual elements consist of graphics and si=eGshape of
packaging, and relate more to the affective side of decision-making. &nformational elements
relate to information provided and technologies used in the package, and are more likely to
address the cognitive side of decisions.
CcWilliam, +,,<. Cost .C"' are low involvement products. &n low involvement,
"consumers do not search extensively for information about the brands, evaluate their
characteristics, and make a weighty decision on which brand to buy"*. ne reason for this is
low risk i.e. these products are simply not very important. The lack of substantial evaluation
often results in the inability to distinguish much difference among leading brands*. 3
common result is relatively weak "habit" brand loyalty. Thus, when consumers find a brand
which meets their standards, they tend to stay "satisfied" with it, especially, if they are
constantly reminded of the brand. 9ut they are not very committed, and substitute easily
when it is not available. :uch habit loyalty is fairly common in the West, e.g. &'( !#$$#a*
notes that about one-third of women shoppers, and slightly fewer men, buy food products
D
through habit. &t is also /uite common in Thailand and more broadly in 3sia :urvey data
from Thailand indicate that packaging plays a strong role in reminding consumers about the
brand, i.e. it helps to reinforce habit loyalty.
9eharrell and (enison +,,5. :ome observers, though, note that not all consumers view
grocery shopping as a low involvement activity. :how a range of involvement among
Huropean consumers. Those with higher involvement tend to be more strongly brand loyal,
including willingness to postpone purchase or go to another store if the brand is not available.
&n Thailand, about #$-;$ percent of consumers for most .C"' show this level of loyalty,
and will postpone or search rather than simply switch to a substitute.
:peece, +,,I, #$$) ."learly, consumer use of packaging elements is /uite an important issue
for low involvement products - generally, informational elements re/uire more mental effort
to process than do visual elements, which evoke more of an emotional response. :ome
consumers are not willing to put forth this small effort, and food products which is of truly
low involvement for them. thers may consider the product more carefully, so that
involvement level might shift the package elements which are most critical. We look at these
various elements in more detail in the remainder of this section, to examine how consumers
are likely to use each one.
4enaud >6134( #$$< has a great research on the influence of label on wine
consumption. &ts effects on young consumers2 perception of authenticity and purchasing
behavior. The main ob-ective of the paper is to identify the effects of authenticity on purchase
behavior. They used a repertory grid !4'* approach as a methodological framework in order
to know which pattern of features is better at inducing purchase. 3ll the relationships
between authenticity provided by the label of bottles and consumer behaviour attributes
!performance risk, perceived price and purchase intentions* have all been tested by using
linear regressions. This study was intended to provide a more complete understanding of the
influence of the authenticity perceive from the label of bottled wine. 3s an attempt to extend
the research on the influence label of bottled wine can have on consumers2 decisions of
buying, the current it is clear from these findings is the ma-or role played by labels.
<
9ed 1ath :harma (ec. #$$I studied 1ew "onsumer Products 9randing, Packaging and
>abeling in 1epal. This paper focuses on existing practice of branding, packaging and
labeling of new products in consumer product manufacturing units. The study method was
(escriptive presentation of facts collected through /uestionnaire survey concerned with
different section of consumer new products !soap, biscuit, noodles, cigarettes and The study
further investigates the new consumer product packaging and labelling status in
manufacturing units. They are aware about the value of packaging and labeling. Ca-ority of
the consumer products I;.)<J !#< out of )# responses* are using product label as a simple
tag attached to the product or an elaborately designed graphic that is part of the package.
Kudy 4ex, :tuart Wai and 3ntonio >obo !#$$)*, it is 3n Hxploratory :tudy into the &mpact of
"olor 3nd Packaging as :timuli in the (ecision Caking Process for a >ow &nvolvement
1on-(urable Product The consumers and the manager agreed that important factors when
deciding which packet of potato crisps to purchase were the /uality, the brand and the price
of the product, with flavor also being an important factor for the consumers. The consumers
used a constant sum scale !out of +$$* to rate the six attributes of flavor, /uality, brand, price,
si=e and shape, and the color of the packaging. verall, the consumers indicated that the
flavor of the product was easily the most important stimulus when selecting potato crisps
with an average rating of )I points. This was about twice as important as the /uality !#+
points*, which was more important than the brand !+; points* and the price !+) points*. While
brand and price were of about e/ual importance,
P.B.7.Prathira-a and 3.3riyawardana !#$$)* has a great study in the impact of lutritional
labeling on "onsumer 9uying 9ehavior. This study shows that consumers use nutritional
labeling when making a purchasing decision and that it is especially because of health
consciousness. 3 ma-ority of the respondents revealed that they are willing to pay something
additional for the nutritional information provided on food items. f those who are willing to
pay something additional, a greater proportion was in the age category )D to 5$ years, have
had tertiary education and the households had less than ; members.
I
OBJECTIVE
6nderstanding packaging elements as important marketing tools
Whether packging food leads good brand impression on consumer mind.
The purpose of the study was to investigate consumers2 perception of food
packaging and its impact on food choices
REEARC! "ET!ODLO#$
a% O&'e(ti)e
4esearch ob-ectives include the ob-ective of research of the researcher before starting
any research. The researcher should determine the ob-ective or the goal of the
research for the smooth functioning of study. Predetermine ob-ective should be of
such that researcher fulfils in the certain period of time at minimum cost.
.ollowing are the research ob-ectives,
To determine the role of packaging on "onsumer 9uying 9ehaviour
To determine the influence factors of packaging on the consumer buying
behaviour
To know the most important factor of packaging on the consumer behaviour.
&% amplin*
:ample :i=e0 +5$
:ample .rame0 Kalandhar
:ampling Cethod0 :imple 4andom :ampling
"onstraints0 Time, 1o. of respondent, biased opinion
:ampling Hrror0 4esponse@+;5, 1on-response @ $5
:urvey0 Luestionnaire
!+poth,ses
+. B+0 there is relationship between 9uying 9ehaviour and Packing colour
#. B#0 there is relationship between 9uying 9ehaviour and 9ackground of Packing.
). B)0 there is relationship between 9uying 9ehaviour and Luality of Packing.
;. B;0 there is relationship between 9uying 9ehaviour and .ont :tyle.
5. B50 there is relationship between 9uying 9ehaviour and Wrapper (esign.
D. BD0 there is relationship between 9uying 9ehaviour and Printed &nformation.
<. B<0 there is relationship between 9uying 9ehaviour and Packing &nnovation.
Dependent Varia&le
,
"onsumer 9uying 9ehaviour
Independent Varia&le
Packaging colour
Packaging Caterial
.ont :tyle
(esign of wrapper
Printed &nformation
Hach of above mentioned variable was measure by asking the seven /uestions by using the 5-
points itemi=ed rating type scales ranging from !+* strongly disagree to !5* strongly agree.
To make analysis of data it will use :P:: software in which we will make analysis in to two
parts where part one will lead descriptive statistics that will be used to Mdescribe and
summari=e data and include measures of central tendency !average* and dispersion !the
spread of data or how close each other is to the measure of central tendency*
-. Des(ripti)e anal+sis
&t is used first techni/ues for generating result is descriptive statistics. &t shows minimum,
maximum, and mean values of data.
/. (attered plots
3 scatter plot is a type of mathematical diagram using "artesian coordinates to display values
for two variables for a set of data. The data is displayed as a collection of points, each having
the value of one variable determining the position on the hori=ontal axis and the value of the
other variable determining the position on the vertical axis. This kind of plot is also called a
scatter chart.
NEED 0 CO1E OF TUD$
The study of consumers helps firms and organi=ations improve their marketing strategies by
understanding issues such as how-
The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different
alternatives !e.g., brands, products, and retailers*%
+$
The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment !e.g.,
culture, family, signs, media*%
The behavior of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions%
The scope of this study is to help food industry, food marketers and food package
designers to understand consumers2 preferences about the design of healthy foodand
beverage packages
Bow marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and
marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer
LI"ITATION
>imited :ample :i=e
Time :hortage
>imited 3rea
9iased 4espondants
C!A1TERI2ATION
The tentative "hapteri=ation of the pro-ect will be as follows0
Chapter No. Topi(
"hapter + &ntroduction
++
"hapter # >iterature 4eview
"hapter ) 4esearch Cethodology
"hapter ; (ata 3nalysis and interpretation
"hapter 5 "onclusion and suggestions
4eference
3nnexure
REFERENCE
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!viewed +;G+$G#$+#*
+#
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!viewed #;G+$G#$+#*
;. http0GGerae.oxford-ournals.orgGcontentG)#G)G)D,.short
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5. http0GGwww.sciencedirect.comGscienceGarticleGpiiG:$+,5DDD)$)$$$$I;
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D. http0GGwww.-ournalofbusiness.orgGindex.phpG'KC94GarticleGviewG<)#
!viewed IG++G#$+#*
<. http0GGwww.-ournalofbusiness.orgGindex.phpG'KC94GarticleGviewG<)+
!viewed +$G++G#$+#*
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