It is widely known that consumer health consciousness is continually growing as we get flooded with health information on the web and social media. This changing health awareness has been further reinforced by the Covid epidemic which gave a boost to the nutritional supplement businesses across the world attracting huge number of players into the market. Europe has shown a similar trend, where the dietary supplement market is expected to grow by 9.3% CAGR and hit a value of 33 bn USD by 2027 (Fortune Business Insights, 2020).

With these shifting market dynamics and consumer behaviour, it has become even more difficult for consumer healthcare businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors as a greater number of brands now competing for a share of already slipping consumer attention spans.

Due to this product packaging, which is the initial point of interaction between brands and consumers becomes more important from a strategic point of view, than previously assumed (Fairbanks, 2016).

Significance of product packaging as a vital consumer touchpoint

The value of product packaging goes beyond safeguarding the product and providing product information. Especially for new, small, or medium-sized brands that lack strong brand recognition or equity, it is an important medium to provide identity to a brand. This is crucial for making the initial connection with consumers. Packaging is an essential element that can convey brand values, voice, purpose, and beliefs to any consumer whether niche or mainstream. (Prince, 2018)

Another important factor is that very few modifications are made in product packaging over time, hence, fundamental aspects of design have a lasting impact on the market making package design a strategic task, not just a tactical one.

For consumer brands, package design is often the most consistent touchpoint with consumers, beyond just the brand logo and/or symbol; for instance, when a consumer takes his everyday supplement, they are interacting with the product pack daily. So, while ad campaigns can change frequently, consistent package design can encourage habitual buying and establish brand recognition. (McDiven and Steidl, 2016)

Consumers today prefer packaging that is simple, straightforward, and sustainable, as well as a design that reflects the brand’s mission and principles while providing transparency. Bold colours, prominent names, and symbols can appeal to today’s consumer, who is very conscious of brand choices and interested in brand stories (Prince, 2018).

Brands have historically employed strong visuals, memories, and a variety of colours to connect with consumers through appealing packaging. Nonetheless, to pin down what ‘works’ in matching the evolving consumer expectations, it is now critical to go beyond this strategy and understand ‘subconscious’ responses from consumers after being exposed to packaging designs.

It is, though, easier said than done. Understanding consumer preferences is a constant issue that marketers encounter.

By using traditional market research methods like as surveys, interviews, and focus groups, marketers can only obtain insight into the appealing components of the packaging but not the underlying feelings or reasons for loving them. As a result, design decisions based on these insights may fall short of connecting with customers since they rely on what consumers ‘say’ about their own preferences.

For instance, according to recent study, when people were questioned about their future activities, they frequently envision an ideal version of themselves. However, most of the times, due to external influences and uncertain situations in life, this ideal version may not always match their real behaviours.

As a result, there is often dissonance between ‘what individuals say’ and ‘what they do’ and therefore, organisations cannot entirely rely on individual responses alone, unless they build a precise decision-making environment. So, traditional market research methods are often not effective in understanding consumer preferences because simply asking someone cannot be enough to understand their behaviour (TEDx Talks, 2019).

Fortunately, neuromarketing provides cost-effective, non-invasive tools like eye tracking and EEG, as well as neuro-shelf testing, that can tap into the ‘subconscious’ and anticipate consumer behaviour by studying physiological responses including eye movement, brain waves, and response times. This advancement in market research methodology enables marketers to better understand consumer preferences and needs and make more informed decisions.

Bonus Tip : Check below infographic to discover ways to get an edge over competitors using neuromarketing insights for packaging.