MWV reveals US consumers 'less satisfied' with packaging

13-Feb-2014 - Last updated on 29-Sep-2023 at 13:16 GMT

According to MeadWestvaco, consumers in markets such as the US, where packaging is highly developed, are much less satisfied with personal care packing than less developed markets such as Brazil, China or India.

MWV revealed these findings from its second annual study ‘Packaging Matters’ after initially discussing the overall performance with Cosmetics Design earlier in the week.

The research focuses on the role packaging plays in purchasing behavior, brand loyalty and overall product satisfaction, and this year’s edition found consumers in the US, Germany, Japan, and the U.K. reporting low levels of satisfaction.

Steve Kazanjian vice president, Global Creative revealed to industry professionals yesterday that there are numerous opportunities to improve consumer satisfaction at each stage of the product lifecycle.

“For example consumers report the highest level of satisfaction with personal care brands during the transporting phase (61% satisfied) and the lowest level during the using phase (49% satisfied,” he explains.

Its not all bad news though...

Of all product categories tested, fragrance packaging was noted as receiving the highest satisfaction rating, with 59% of global consumers reporting that they are “completely/very satisfied”.

Functional attributes, Kazanjian says, such as protecting the product from spilling and making the product easy to get out, are considered the most important packaging attributes to consumers across all product categories.

However, the VP says these same attributes are under performing in the eyes of consumers.

"By comparison, attributes related to the appearance of packaging, such as being attractive and easy to find, are overachieving based on the perceived importance to consumers," he explains.

It’s not about price but emotional value..

Steve noted earlier in the week that when it comes to beauty; the industry has long focused on the in-store experience, like investing in extravagant retail displays or how to advance the likes of glass cutting, which is setting the stage for consumer experience.

He stressed that the consumer really needs those affirmations of that experience during use.

“If we look at an actuator behind a fragrance for example, the spray nub will be the same on YSL as the one on a $30 dollar mid-tier fragrance.."

"We found that there’s a great opportunity for differentiation within that space to create a more measurable experience where you can engage the consumer on a much more emotional or visceral level,” he concluded.