Telling a book by its cover

Just as the clothes make the person, the package makes the product.

A recent study in the Journal of Marketing suggests that the optimal package design depends on both what the brand is trying to say about the product inside and the consumer’s goal in purchasing that product.

Consumers assume (largely unconsciously) that a simple package design means the product has fewer ingredients and is more natural than a product inside a more elaborate package. In many cases, consumers are willing to pay a price premium for products in these simple packages.

There are exceptions. The correlation doesn’t work for store brands. Consumers inherently tend to believe store brands are of lesser quality, so if they appear in minimalist packaging that reinforces the low-quality frame – as if the brand was too cheap to invest in decent packaging.

Also, if consumers are looking for an indulgent experience, that is when they are willing to pay more for an elaborate package design.

So, if you are selling high-end chocolate, it may be worth going all-out on packaging. If you are selling hand cream, maybe you want to keep it simple. And if you are a store brand, err on the side of complexity.

The authors suggest an area for future study would be durable goods.  What does simple packaging mean when you are buying a laptop, for example?