Comparative Perception(s) of Consumer Goods Packaging: Croatian Consumers' Perspective

For centuries, packaging communicates and is capable of attracting consumer’s attention. In the B2C market it usually communicates images influencing consumer perception, appeal to the consumer’s emotions, and generate desire for some specific product. Therefore, packaging could be considered as promotional tool, especially within the retail industry environment. However, to understand how packaging communicates and influences consumers it is necessary to emphasize the way how consumers perceive packaging in general. The “communicational” dimensions of packaging are factors that could affect consumers and influence their purchasing behaviour. While some of the communicational dimensions of packaging (e.g. design, size, colour, and carried information) attracted modest attention among academic researchers, there is a relative lack of studies dealing with the packaging material. It is the purpose of this paper to provide a limited insight/overview to generic consumer’s perception of packaging material by combining the findings from the current seminal research studies and primary research used in this paper. Focus groups findings indicate that consumers are merely aware of different packaging material and their characteristics. Consumers are expressing needs for safe packaging, yet the importance of convenience seems to be the most important and they are prepared for some trade-offs in order to maintain usage convenience. It is indicative that preferences of particular packaging material over another are moderated by certain factors (e.g. age, place of consumption, occasion, and product category). Due to sample and research methodology limitations the findings are limited regarding their generic value. However, the indications given can be considered as valuable guidelines necessary for further research in the field.