Shaping consumer perception: effects of vertical and horizontal packaging alignment

Abstract

Purpose Packaging represents an essential issue for marketers in terms of effectively communicating the product’s benefits, especially in the case of organic food products. Because of logistical advantages, rectangular packaging is frequently used for organic food products. However, the question arises whether packaging alignment may significantly influence consumers’ decision-making at the point of sale. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the effects of rectangular packaging alignment (vertical vs horizontal) on consumer perception in the context of organic food products. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of the empirical results of a pilot study, a between-subjects online experiment with a sample size of 699 participants and two conditions (vertical vs horizontal packaging alignment) was performed. Analyses of covariance and PROCESS mediation analysis were used for data analysis. Findings The results of two empirical studies confirm the relevance of differences in consumers’ horizontal and vertical information processing for the research context of organic food and provide evidence for the assumed relevance of packaging alignment by ultimately showing a change in packaging alignment affects consumers’ willingness to pay. Importantly, this effect is mediated by utilitarian value perception. Originality/value This paper importantly contributes to research on packaging design of organic food products. Specifically, the relevance of an efficient utilitarian value perception for the consumer’s willingness to pay is highlighted in this context. Potential implications of these results for companies, consumers and public health are discussed.

Willingness to pay for traditional ready-to-eat food packaging: examining the interplay between shape, font and slogan

“…Therefore, a horizontal shape alternative might be perceived as unique, new and refreshing. This is in line with Bettels et al (2020), who suggest that consumers' WTP might be higher for the same product when packed with a different alignment. In their case, vertical packaging is typical for organic food products.…”

“…Van Ooijen et al, 2016;Bigoin-Gagnan and Lacoste-Badie, 2018;Ganai et al, 2019). This applies to previous studies that suggest that both horizontal (Ganai et al, 2019) and vertical orientations (Bettels et al, 2020) are commonly used in food product packaging and favored by consumers. In addition, the participants might have focused more on the similar semantic meanings of the brand name "Wajik Tapai Melayu" and identity "souvenir of Riau region" denoted by the writing on both packaging types rather than the connotative psychological meaning represented by the formality (vs less formality) of the fonts.…”

“…On average, consumers would pay more for horizontal rectangular packaging because it presents information efficiently (e.g. Shi et al, 2013;Bettels et al, 2020). For this reason, many food products use a rectangular shape (Raghubir and Greenleaf, 2006;Robertson, 2016;Ganai et al, 2019).…”

The impact of the threat of COVID-19 on visiting intentions as influenced by different destination logos

“…“In your opinion, how life-threatening is coronavirus?”; Kim et al , 2020) on seven-point scales (1 = not at all serious/not at all life-threatening , 7 = very serious/very life-threatening ; Cronbach’s α = 0.738). Then, participants indicated their preferences for various shapes from pairs (adapted from Bettels et al , 2020; Wang et al , 2018). As shown in Appendix 2, the two options for each decision were a simple or a more complex logo.…”

Kewangan, Jaringan Institusi dan Teknologi Pendorong Tingkah Laku Inovasi Pembungkusan Usahawan Mikro

“…Inovasi pembungkusan yang terhasil dapat membezakan produk sendiri dengan produk pesaing dan menyumbang kepada penciptaan nilai terhadap sesuatu produk (Che Mohd Zulkifli & Anas, 2014;Rundh, 2016). Malah, penjajaran pembungkusan seperti unsur visual, warna, reka grafik, fon, saiz, bentuk dan bahan pembungkusan memberi kesan terhadap tingkah laku pembelian pengguna (Bettels et al, 2020;Lo et al, 2017;Mohamed et al, 2018). Sebagai contoh, pembungkusan visual yang lebih ceria memberikan keseronokan dan reaksi yang lebih positif oleh kanak-kanak berbanding pembungkusan biasa (Dial & Musher-Eizenman 2020).…”