The Influence of Packaging on Customer Purchasing Decisions: A Study

Have you ever thought about the effect labels have on whether or not you purchase a product? In addition to the personal tastes and past purchase decisions, appearance plays a huge role in whether or not someone purchases. Researchers at the University of Miami and California Institute of Technology looked into how the brain considers visual cues and taste preferences when someone is making everyday food choices.

During the study, they determined that while the person’s tastes did come into play, the appearance of the packaging played a big role in the final purchasing decision. They discovered that things like the color, how bright the packaging is, and the typography influenced where the shopper’s eyes landed on the shelf. The appearance also determines how long consumers spend looking at the product and influences whether they select one product over another.

According to one of the authors of the study, “the big idea here is that perceptual processes happen in the brain in parallel with economic value computations and thus influence how economic decisions are made.”

While there is no disputing the price is the biggest factor influencing whether or not someone purchases, this new study shows that how visually appealing a product is plays a significant part in the decision to buy?

The conclusion? It’s important to make sure your food labels and product labels are well designed and of high quality. If it’s been a few years since you’ve revisited the subject of product packaging, it may be time for a label redesign.