Package intelligence impacts purchase decisions

Today's consumers have both more and less "package intelligence" than marketers give them credit for. They have more because of their experience with a broad spectrum of packages and package types on their shelves and in their heads. They have less when they don't grasp the intended benefits or modus operandi of new packages and when they feel that important information is being withheld or distorted.

Consumers' packaging vocabulary is quite different from the technical vocabulary that appears in the pages of this magazine. Even though it is different, it enables them to differentiate between packages that do and don't work for them, packages they can or cannot reuse or recycle and packages that do or don't please them. In fact, they may be more loyal to certain kinds of packages than they are to brands. Consider the following examples:

"I love the slide lock plastic bags--that's all I buy anymore."

"I will only buy produce that isn't lying on a foam tray, encased with shrink wrap."

Equally as important, package-sensitive consumers do their best to avoid packages that make messes, packages they see as unethical, packages that are too difficult to open and packages that too often leak. Many avoid any and all blister packages to the extent that it is possible for them to do so. Except for statements like "Contents may settle," which are designed to alleviate frequent complaints, few packages include efforts to explain their design or operation to consumers.

Package-sensitive consumers are increasingly able to express their packaging preferences, and sometimes a hierarchy of preferences, in their own words.

"Cardboard ice cream containers are awful--much prefer the plastic, they don't leak."

"I like it when breaded items are bagged and then boxed to prevent crumbs in freezer."

"I like the cookies that have closures on the packages."

"I like the new upside down plastic dispensers."

"I prefer glass to plastic, cardboard boxes to plastic bags, and just about anything else to plastic. However, if there is no reasonable alternative to plastic, I prefer clear plastic to opaque, except for containers for medications."

"I prefer milk cartons that have screw tops instead of the 'fold and push here' ones."

"The package I like best is the Listerine Pocket Pak. They are super-convenient, they go anywhere, and they keep working until the last slip is used."

A potential hot button may be radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. In the months ahead, American consumers may hear a lot of negative, privacy-invasion talk about RFID. Packagers and retailers who're planning to test and implement RFID should consider educating consumers and dispelling myths about the technology proactively and as soon as possible--before it's introduced. If the industry doesn't give consumers a technical vocabulary to use, they'll adopt the language of the "Big Brother in a small package" people who want to stop or delay its development for as long as possible.

The author, Mona Doyle, is the CEO of The Consumer Network Inc., an organization that regularly takes the pulse of consumers on packaging issues. She publishes The Shopper Report newsletter. Contact her at 2401 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 2A4, Philadelphia, PA 19130 Phone: 800-291-0100; E-mail: Mona@ConsumerNetwork.org

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