How Does Food Packaging Affect Consumer Taste?

How Does Food Packaging Affect Consumer Taste?

Packaging is the first impression that customers have of food products, and it decides whether or not they can buy them. It’s like a fresh coat of paint or a welcoming mat on the front porch—your first experience. 

Great packaging is needed for products. Consumers are influenced by clear, appealing designs that catch their attention and encourage them to make impulsive decisions! The proof is in the packaging when it comes to food packaging design. When it comes to buying decisions, what customers see and experience will make a big difference. Creating food packaging with impact will contribute to powerful connections between the consumers you’re trying to attract and your food company.

How Does Food Packaging Affect Consumer Taste?

Food packaging design plays a notable role in the game of sensory appeal. After all, isn’t it the taste and feel of the food that matters? Despite this, studies show that people’s impressions of food packaging influence their perceptions of the product inside. 

For example, in 2011, people were so outraged when Coca-Cola used white cans for a polar bear fundraising campaign, even though the company’s recipes had not changed.

Discussed below are few examples of how food packaging designs influence consumer’s preferences.

  • Nostalgia Is a Powerful Motivator 

There’s no denying that feelings play a role in people’s decision-making. They may believe they are acting rationally and analytically. However, emotions are still present even if one is a grown adult with a high salary and life insurance; the packaging that a favourite treat once used on some special occasions during your childhood will be enough to cause it to pick a box off the shelf. Nostalgic food packaging designs evoke emotions. When that emotional bond is elicited in the store aisle, it is difficult for people to resist, mainly if they once had a good relationship with that brand.

  • The Vessel One Influences Taste Perception Can Drink From

Studies have shown that people’s perceptions of beverage taste are affected by the form of the bottle they drink. According to one study, people prefer cola served in a traditional cola glass with a tapered base and a rounder, more open top. When cola was served to test subjects in a water glass or a plastic bottle, even so, the taste was unremarkable.

Another research looked into the effect of glassware on beer taste perception. Researchers looked at how the side curvature of a glass influenced people’s perceptions of beer flavour. According to researchers, the taste of beer served in a curved-sided glass was considered to be more powerful and fruitier than the same beer served in a straight-sided, more angular glass.

  • Tactile Surface Patterns Have an Effect on How One Can Feel About a Product

A brand distinction also includes the way a product’s packaging looks to the touch. In reality, book publishers have begun experimenting with tactile textures on paperback covers in recent years, knowing full well that people judge books by their covers all the time. 

According to a study published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, 3D-printed surface patterns have been shown to influence perceived taste attributes of coffee or chocolate drinks. Researchers concluded that these patterns should be congruent with drink style and help customers make better product decisions.

The link between packaging and taste should not be overlooked or undervalued, as packaging sets the tone for the product’s flavour. It makes no difference whether this is done on purpose or not; the result is the same. Customers may be persuaded to buy a product by its appearance, which can improve their understanding of its taste.

This relationship, and how it affects human psychology, must be recognized, by-product producers and retailers. Manufacturers should take advantage of this to inspire customers to purchase, resulting in the positive outcomes they desire.

Author Bio:
 Alison Lurie is a farmer of words in the field of creativity. She is an experienced independent content writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry.  She is a multi-niche content chef who loves cooking new things.  

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *