Robert Opie, founder, Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
No. Most people are very brand loyal and buy the product because they like it. People go for the one they trust unless there's a big special offer and they're tempted to switch on price. But mostly it's about the same brand, the taste they prefer. In many markets, the product is often is packaged in the same way. Packaging convenience is a component but not the core one when making a decision. We are brand loyal when we go shopping and people do not like change.
Stergios Bititisios, FMCG business development leader, Cam-bridge Design Partnership
Yes. Consumers go shopping for both brands and products. What consumers don't recognize, however, is that quite often they subconsciously end up shopping for packaging. It is the physical manifestation of the brand and the first multisensory point of contact before even consumers experience the actual product. Packaging creates the theatre, adds the drama, tells the story and conveys the message. And that's why it ultimately influences the purchase decision.
Mike Leahy, planning director, Leahy Brand Design
No. Packaging in-store must play an extremely important role, but is it the packaging we are buying? On occasions like gifting, yes, more so. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. UK shoppers tell us that cost is their primary concern by far when shopping, followed by quality and then convenience. Moreover, stats from IGD shopper Vista suggests that over half of shoppers often change their meal plans based on which products are on promotion at the supermarket, then the picture is much less black and white. That's the challenge.
Dick Searle, chief executive, The Packaging Federation
No. There's no doubt that for most food and drink products, brands are defined by their packaging. A British Brands Group report on heuristics acknowledges that the fleeting moment when shopping choices are made in supermarkets is influenced primarily by the product image as represented by its packaging. But when the consumer gets it home to the point of consumption, if the product disappoints it's unlikely to be purchased again however attractive or convenient the packaging may be. In the end it's only the product that counts.
