The Importance Of Packaging In Building - Essay Example

The Importance Of Packaging In Building Introduction Packaging is a major component of a business’s marketing strategy and has the capability of affecting all other components of the marketing mix, specifically product, place, price and promotion. The initial purpose of packaging was to protect a particular product (Paine & Paine 1993). Yet, as people have developed into demanding and conscious consumers, packaging has been converted into a business instrument that is employed from organisations to draw attention, establish the brand name or image, and realise higher sales (Smith & Hui 2004). Nowadays, lots of brands are recognised through their product packaging and packaging serves a major function in product promotion. Product packaging is strongly linked to consumer perceptions about specific brands (Smith & Hui 2004). Branding is exceptionally vital in all aspects of marketing, and brand name/image becomes a dominant variable in a firm’s prospects for a continuing success. A business’s brand image is a sort of feelings provoked in consumers by a particular brand name (Grunert & Traill 1997). For example, one of the most well-known dog food brands, Pedigree, has a long-running promotion endorsing the adoption of stray dogs in animal shelters. This endows the brand a kind-hearted image and provokes a feeling among consumers that Pedigree has a sincere sympathy for ‘homeless’ animals (Hawkins & Gilson 1992). This costs the organisation relatively little, only a morsel of package design, and can remarkably help in encouraging consumers to buy (Hawkins & Gilson 1992). Similarly, packaging is specifically an integral component of frozen products (Kupiec & Revell 2001). This essay will focus on the influence of product packaging on consumers’ buying behaviour, with a special emphasis on deep frozen food packaging. The essence of creative product packaging will also be discussed, as well as the best way to package deep frozen food products. And the essay will sum up everything by formulating a conclusion regarding the role of product packaging in maintaining brand name or image. The Influence of Product Packaging on Consumers’ Buying Behaviour Understanding the value of product features affecting food preference at the perspective of sale is mainly essential to the success in the current competitive food industry (Vasquez, Bruce & Studd 2003). Conjoint analysis, for several years, has been employed to measure the significance of different product components for consumer’s buying preferences (Vasquez et al. 2003). Packaging appears to be one of the most significant aspects in buying decisions made at the perspective of sale. In addition, packaging is a major food product component perceived by consumers (Paine & Paine 1993). It is impossible to avoid the fact that packaging plays a marketing role, although a business does not openly acknowledge the marketing features of packaging. Furthermore, with the transition to self-service retail arrangements, packaging strengthens its major attribute as the salesperson on the shelf at the perspective of sale (Smith & Hui 2004). The crucial essence of packaging design is increasing in a competitive market situation, as package becomes a main tool for branding and communication (Erickson & Hung 1997). Earlier studies demonstrated that even though the managerial emphasis toward packaging has grew an evaluation of the marketing literature shows negligible theoretical contributions in the packaging field and comparatively negligible attempts with regard to its effect on the marketing role such as consumer behaviour (Silayoi & Speece 2004). The package is an integral aspect in the process of decision making as it communicates to consumers. The package on the shelf influences the consumer’s buying decision and package design should make certain that consumer response is positive. Nevertheless, a number of varying developments in consumer’s buying preference has made the food package innovation demanding and challenging (Warlop, Ratneshvar & Stijn 2005). There are consumers giving more importance to label facts, as they become more drawn upon nutrition concerns. The studies on consumer’s buying decision, concerning the form of decision-making process and the phase of consumption and decision also offered a valuable framework for understanding consumer behaviour (Warlop et al. 2005). Packaging is described as the art and technology of preparing a product for safe and expedient storage, transport and sale (Bone & Corey 2000). It can be shown, from the packaging literature, that packaging is serving multiple functions with regard to a business’s external operation, although this cannot be located to a similar level in other studies (Yeung & Wyer 2004). Packaging can be regarded as a vital component of the product and is the consumer product’s initial point of contact with the brand. From the point of view of the manager, packaging has to serve a number of functions even though earlier studies almost stress the logistic purpose, the marketing role and that the package gives ease in storing and handling the product (Mallett 1992). In addition, in the marketing literature, it is clear that packaging is fulfilling a critical function as a marketing instrument in several market domains by promotion, protection and consumer convenience (Erickson & Hung 1997). In relation to the model of Silayoi and Speece (2004), five primary packaging components capably influence consumer buying preferences, which can be divided into two groups: informational and visual components. The latter involve shape, size, and graphic of packaging and connect more to the emotional aspect of decision-making (Silayoi & Speece 2004). The former link to technologies and information presented in the package and are more expected to put emphasis on the cognitive aspect of decisions (Silayoi & Speece 2004). Making use of packaging components is a vital concern for low involvement products. Commonly, informational components involve more rational attempt to process (Rettie & Brewer 2000). Nonetheless, these components normally addressed in independent terms but in fact they have a quite direct connection. The function of images in information processing depictions may influence decisions through their intervening influence on the images they present of the scenarios they portray. Still, images may be drawn out by verbal depictions of scenarios as well (Rettie & Brewer 2000). The function of images in consumer buying decision has been addressed in Escalas’s (2004) study. Specifically, people who read a story may frequently see themselves as a central character in the story. As an outcome of being conveyed into the scenario depicted in advertisement, they may be more affected by it. Food businesses are the biggest end-use marketing making up 35% of the worldwide packaging industry (Kupiec & Revell 2001: 18). This trend has pushed food producers towards numerous packaging designs. Globally, convenience food products such as frozen foods are among the fastest growing businesses (Grunert & Traill 1997). Packaging has become an important marketing concern for food industries all over the world in the contemporary competitive market. Industry authorities considered that packaging and product innovation are the means to improve competitiveness of packaged frozen food products (Silayoi & Speece 2004). One of the means to take advantage of package influence is identifying the response of consumers to packaging (Bone & Corey 2000). Identifying concerns that affect consumers in a greatly competitive market should offer a valuable guide for other, although specifics of implementation may be diverse across countries. Creative Packaging: Making your Product Stand Out Here are a number of ideas that will potentially encourage several packaging innovations for food products. (1) Making innovation the emphasis of packaging: A lot of people focus first on the product and then on packaging, but in today’s food industry that formula should be reversed. Food packaging should be the focus, or creating a package design that is appealing or hygienic (Smith & Hui 2004). (2) Adding a little extra to food packaging: At times food products can have a prominently standard packaging, but be appealing by merely adding a little extra to it (Smith & Hui 2004). For instance, Amy’s Kitchen has added a little twist to its pasta sauces. It is a normal size container with a normal colour label that actually goes well with all the other offerings of pasta sauce (Yeung & Wyer 2004). The paper and gold bow over the container’s cap differentiates them from others. (3) Consulting nature for food product design: Nature has several remarkable models of ‘innovative packaging.’ Nature’s packaging is typically appealing and stylish as well as capable. There are colours, shapes, and even packaging ideas that can be obtained from nature’s model (Watson, Howard & Patrick 2002). Focusing on packaging and creating something that is distinctive to a particular company is more efficient. More specifically, packaging not merely contains a business’s product; it is the ultimate marketing message to consumers (Mallett 1992). It is important for a company to take note of their competition and ensure that they are communicating a strong message to their consumers with their packaging. Creatively Packaging Frozen Food Products One of the best means to preserve the quality, freshness and quality of a product is a deep-freezing procedure. Eliminating the heat from fish, meat, poultry, vegetables, and fruit as quickly as necessary protect them at low temperatures enough to stop microorganisms from increasing (Erickson & Hung 1997). This confines the aroma, flavour, nutrients, and vitamins of foodstuffs with next to no loss. Consequently, deep-freezing has turned out to be one of the most well-known procedures of food preservation (Erickson & Hung 1997). Foods are composed of large amounts of water. The free water located between the cells, when it is deep-frozen, freezes first. Afterwards, the cells try to adjust their water contents to the outside environment and give off more water through osmosis (Mallett 1992). Cells give off greater volume of water the longer the product is frozen (Mallett 1992). One important aspect of deep-frozen food packaging is the colour. For instance, salmon products’ price is strongly linked to the meat’s colour. Sizeable investments are allotted to reinforce this colour (Smith & Hui 2004). 25 percent of the cost of culturing salmon is colorant (p. 71). Although the gain is substantial nowadays, demand to lessen the amount of colour enhancers in deep-frozen food is mounting. Several countries are demanding product to be marked as colour enhanced, a possible negative feature for consumers (Watson et al. 2002). The most apparent key to preserve the colour is colder storage and shipment temperatures. Shelf life becomes longer as the storage temperature becomes colder (Grunert & Traill 1997). By storing at colder temperatures, deep-frozen food products will better preserve its colour and quality. Colour is one of the most vital consumer markers of quality, and appropriate storage temperatures are required to preserve this quality (Watson et al. 2002). The better the colour of the frozen food product and the greater the perceived quality, the higher the price consumers are eager to pay (Mallett 1992). The best colour for a deep-frozen food product is brilliant red-orange. The product will contain a negligible percent of residual moisture and will be packaged in bags or vacuum canisters (Paine & Paine 1993). The form and colour of deep-frozen food product are absolutely obvious and noticeable, without imprints, sticky labels and separating film plaster, permitting the consumer to experience the product more intensely (Smith & Hui 2004). Contrary to normal deep-frozen food packaging, a skin package can be perfect for preserving extremely sensitive products. No compressing, no pressure, the overlying web is moderately stretched and heated (Erickson & Hung 1997). The material, or substrate, that the packaging is prepared from has to resist the freezer’s temperature while preserving the quality of the contents. The packaging’s design has to make the best use of the means in which food products are placed in the freezer and make sure that communication to the consumer is clear and appealing. Conclusions Nothing is more crucial in establishing a brand than winning or standing out from the competition. Package design innovation sets one product apart from another and can result in favourable economic outcomes. Appropriate packaging can firmly establish a brand on the shelf. Creative food product displays and stand-out product placement will make a particular food brand more appealing and memorable than other of the same product. Ultimately, creative packaging invigorates a brand, presenting consumers a first-class alternative over another brand. When accompanied with higher distribution and perceptive marketing, innovative packaging will correspondingly address consumer needs and reinforce the brand in the frozen food industry. At times even the smallest packaging innovation can aid product in standing out from the shelves. At present, packaging has been recognised as a strategic instrument for strengthening competitiveness of frozen food products by specialists. Yet, the essence of packaging in food businesses has been rather taken for granted in marketing research. However, as the role of packaging in the marketing mix increases in force, so investigation into this field becomes more and more crucial. Packaging is important because it is the very first thing that the consumers see prior to making the ultimate decision to purchase. References Bone, P.F. & Corey, R.J. (2000) Packaging ethics: Perceptual differences among packaging professionals, brand managers and ethically-interested consumers, J. Bus. Ethics , 199-213. Erickson, M.C. & Hung, Y. (1997) Quality in Frozen Foods, New York: Springer. Escalas, J. 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