Nicole - How buying behaviour has changed

When consumers are out shopping, they are looking for entertainment; they expect more engagement and relevant offers from brands and retailers.   Brands should offer a product experience to enhance the consumers’ buying decision.

Shoppers can use multi-sensory cues with which to evaluate and select or reject products. The way you communicate with your consumers or expose your product can have a big influence on their buying decision. 


The packaging market is getting crowded with several competitive products trying to get a bigger slice of the pie.  The satisfaction of the consumer on use of the packaged product is the primary factor in the decision making process.  The visual aspect has maximum sales appeal.  However, once the visual components of packaging have been fully exploited, the differentiation of brand is dependent upon different sensory aspects.  Researchers have found that vision appeals about 60% of the time in the consumer's decision to buy, smell is the next important sense (almost 45% of the time).  The other sensory aspects that have different ratings on the purchasing decision include sound (40%), taste (30%) and touch (25%).


The use of environmentally friendly favourably certified packaging materials also impacts on the buying decision. 


Appealing to consumers five senses through innovative packaging techniques can result in increased brand loyalty and greater impact at point of sale.  A new kind of thinking is emerging about realising the full potential of packaging and elevating it as one of the most significant marketing tools brand managers have at their disposal.  Packaging with multi-sensory effects provide differentiation on the shelves and target impulse purchases.


Research has proved that addressing several senses at once through product packaging increases consumers' brand loyalty from 30% to 60%, if only one sensory impression is conveyed and recalled then this value is halved.


Nanotechnology, interactive packaging, intelligent and active packaging, multi-sensory packaging and edible packaging are developing innovations that are likely to have an impact on the future of food and drinks packaging.

Absolut has recently created edible flavoured glasses made from agar agar (a vegetarian alternative to gelatine). The flavours of the glasses correspond to the flavour of one of Absolut’s signature cocktails and serve to enhance the flavour of the drink when eaten.