ABC Packaging
package communication effectivity within competitive surrounding test

The package is the imaeg of the product, it draws consumer's attention and tells the product apart from the competition. It is a more and more powerful tool of marketing communication, especially in the context of dynamic development of self-service stores, where the consumers' choices are made precisely by the shelf. The package can contribute to the product's success on the market, but it can also be a reason of a defeat, which could have been avoided already in the test phase.

Also, a research by Pentor Research International proves the importance of package in the process of communication. It shows that package is one of the most important, along with the price and brand, factors influencing purchase decisions. The package influences the consumer in two ways:

• Creates the opinion about the product, attitude towards it, helps in product positioning.
• It is product's distinctive mark, draws consumer's attention, the ultimate choice factor in purchase situation.

While the first of these ways of influencing can be checked easily by simply asking the consumers, the second does not fit into subjective evaluation. Consumer often can't tell correctly, whether the packages they see will draw attention, or will be just another typical product among the competition.

An example from one of the researches we have made shows, that despite the respondents see packages as similarly outstanding, in fact the actual attention drawing capability is significantly different

Respondents declarations:

Scale:
5. I absolutely agree
4. I rather agree
3. I neither agree nor disagree
2. I rather disagree
1. I absolutely disagree

The percentage of people, who have noticed the tested packages on a store-shelf when surrounded by competing products (statistically significant difference)

The development of packages, which not only are liked by the consumers, but also draw their attention, stand out on a shelf and win the purchase competition is a serious challenge for the producers. To help our clients in choosing the package which would be both effective and liked by the consumers we have created a research - ABC Packaging - a thorough package communication effectivness research. Attention to Brand Communication Packaging shows both subjective opinions and objective reactions of the consumers to the package in its competitive surrounding on a store shelf.

The idea of the research is to connect traditional package test, which shows subjective consumer estimation, with experimental test, which allows to test actual package influence within its competitive surrounding.

ABC Packaging research is realised with CAPI method using virtual reality. A respondent takes part in the test by watching simulations of subsequent store shelves on a 17" touch screen.

The test has a monad character - the respondent is testign only one type of packages in its surrounding on a store shelf. That is why ABC Packaging is held always in at least to comparable cells.

This test construction is the closest to the natural shopping conditions. The respondent does not chose among two versions of the same package, but reacts only to the package shown in its natural competitive surrounding. It is a situation which a consumer experiences in real purchase conditions.

The type of the research, which combines subjective evaluation with objective measures implies a two-part research structure:

• An experimental measurement of communication effectivness of the package on a store shelf.
• Customer's subjective package evaluation

The experimental part includes displaying of subsequent shelves. The timing is set individually according to product category and the amount of products displayed, whith each shelf display not exceeding 5 seconds. The interview begins with a display of a store shelf with both tested packages and their natural market competitors. After the display the respondent names the brands he has noticed. Thanks to this stage we obtain measures of spontaneous and assisted noticeability of new packaging.

In the next part of the research the respondent sees further 9 shelves with different product arrangement. Five of those shelves have every product shown, the remaining four lack the tested package. After watching each of the shelves the respondent says whether he has noticed the package. If it was seen on a shelf where it wasn't actually present - the respondent says where exactly it was placed.  This way we get exact information on package distinguishability, as well as we find out which competitive products can the package be confused with.

We keep trace of the mistakes made by respondents so that we can find out about possible weaknesses of tested packages:

• Not noticing the packages on shelves proves their weak consumer influence - the package doesn't draw the attention.
• Noticing the pacakges where they weren't present prove communication chaos on a shelf - each package doesn't stand out among the remaining products and doesn't communicate its identity.

After the respondent sees all 9 shelves a subjective evaluation of the packages is carried out. We can use package  mock-ups or their electronic visualisations. The respondent can see thoroughly the package and makes a multilateral evaluation typical for traditional package tests.

Sample choosing

The size of the sample is determined by the amount of package versions tested. An important advantage of ABC Packaging when compared with traditional package tests is the possibility of reducing the sample. The research unit here is a display of a store shelf, and not a respondent. Each respondent sees 9 shelves, so for example a hundred respondents equals 900 observations.

Because the research is visual, all respondents have to be able to see well. That's why when recruiting, we eliminate those who have sight defects and do not have appropriate glasses or lens, we also eliminate colour-blind people, and those with low perceptiveness who spend far more time by the shelf than other consumers.

Use

ABC Packaging is perfect in:

• Testing all kinds of packages placed on store shelves, stands and expositions.
• Testing both real and just projected packages
• Testing series, not only single packages.
• Searching optimal package to introduce on the market.
• Introducing desired changes in current packages.
• Testing distinguishability of single versions of packages within a series.
• Making an optimal arrangement of packages on a shelf, stand, shop window etc.

Why is it worthy?

ABC Packaging has many advantages:

• Possibility of measuring the package efefctivenss in real competitive surrounding, which allows elimination of package drawbacks
• Comparison of consumer subjective evaluation and objectively measured real influence
• It allows understanding of purchase behaviour in realistic context
• Clear, precise recommendations based on "hard" data
• Quick and flexible research realisation
• Ability to test the package at early project stage without using mock-ups
• Touch-screens make the test an interesting and atractive experience - so far we have noticed a high level of engagement in those tests
• Minimal interviewers influence on research adn its results