What Can Neuromarketing Tell Us about Food Packaging?

Abstract

Packaging is a powerful tool for brands, which can not only catch consumers’ attention but also influence their purchase decisions. The application of neuromarketing techniques to the study of food packaging has recently gained considerable popularity both in academia and practice, but there are still some concerns about the methods and metrics commercially offered and the interpretation of their findings. This represents the motivation of this investigation, whose objective is twofold: (1) to analyze the methodologies and measurements commonly used in neuromarketing commercial research on packaging, and (2) to examine the extent to which the results of food packaging studies applying neuromarketing techniques can be reproduced under similar methodologies. Obtained results shed light on the application of neuromarketing techniques in the evaluation of food packaging and reveal that neuromarketing and declarative methodologies are complementary, and its combination may strengthen the studies’ results. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of having a framework that improves the validity and reliability of neuromarketing studies to eradicate mistrust toward the discipline and provide brands with valuable insights into food packing design.

Neurogastronomy as a Tool for Evaluating Emotions and Visual Preferences of Selected Food Served in Different Ways

“…Proof of this is that the application of neuromarketing techniques in the food industry has recently gained considerable popularity in academia and commerce, for example large research companies such as Nielsen, Kantar, or Ipsos, which have included neuromarketing tools in their commercial offerings [ 70 ]. Despite many critical aspects, such as questioning the privacy limit or the concept of free will, the incorporation of these technologies and consumer behavior and market research is an important part of understanding and meeting research goals today [ 71 ].…”

“…It should not be forgotten, however, that food stimuli can affect preferences and eating habits also unknowingly [ 80 ], and therefore, the use of neuroscientific methods has its justification in this area. Their main goal is to measure crucial aspects of consumer perception not only on the unconscious (attention, emotional response, and memory) but also on the declarative levels (attitudes and preferences) [ 7 , 81 ], so that the findings can be applied in managerial decision-making in the creation of effective sales strategies [ 70 ].The use of a relatively small sample size may result in lower statistical power [ 82 ]; therefore, in the future, we plan to conduct research on larger samples of respondents, which would allow us to examine visual preferences depending on selected sociodemographic characters, such as [ 83 ] in their research.…”

Consumer Neuroscience as a Tool to Monitor the Impact of Aromas on Consumer Emotions When Buying Food

“…The proof of this is that the application of consumer neuroscience tools in the food industry has recently gained considerable popularity in both academic and commercial fields. Large research companies such as Nielsen, Kantar, or Ipsos have also included these tools in their commercial offers [60]. Despite a number of critical aspects, such as questioning privacy limits and the concept of free will, mainstreaming these technologies and consumer behaviour and market research today constitute a significant part of understanding and meeting research objectives [61].…”

Review of the Potential of Consumer Neuroscience for Aroma Marketing and Its Importance in Various Segments of Services

“…Proof of that is the application of consumer neuroscience tools in the food industry which has recently gained considerable popularity in academia and commerce. Large research companies such as Nielsen, Kantar, or Ipsos have included these tools in their commercial offerings [60]. Despite many critical aspects, such as questioning the privacy limit or the concept of free will, the incorporation of these technologies into consumer behavior and market research currently forms an essential part of understanding and meeting research goals [61].…”