It is now well-known that packaging fully represents the personality of a brand and can be the reason for all those positive outcomes such as increased attention towards products and of course, an increased likelihood of purchase.
Visual aspects like size, shape, and colour of product packaging have always been considered the best features to focus on during the design process. To encourage the likelihood of choice and consequent purchase of products, businesses have tried to develop attractive packaging designs through catchy colours, phrases and pictures. Nowadays, however, it is not enough anymore. Packaging can be a multisensory device capable of creating engaging customer experiences.
One of the best ways to develop an engaging customer experience is to focus on the senses. After all, in every aspect of our life, the way we perceive things is always defined by our senses. This applies also to the way we perceive the packaging of a product. In our other articles, we have already discussed how the senses can positively influence customers’ experiences by enhancing the multisensory product experience, whether this is by the use of smell, touch or sound. An appropriate appeal to the senses can lead customers to improved engagement, to better perceive the brand and also be more willing to repeat the purchase.
A further element that can contribute to increasing consumers’ attention toward a certain product and the consequent likelihood to purchase is implied motion. Implied motion can be defined as a perceptual phenomenon that leads customers to perceive motion in some images even if there is no real motion happening. An example of this could be the picture of an athlete about to throw a javelin. Other implied motion cues are a little bit more subtle and delivered, for example, by the simple orientation of elements aligned along a common trajectory (e.g., arrows going right). Implied motion images catch humans’ attention far more than static ones.
A growing number of studies have shown that it can be beneficial to use implied motion as a packaging design technique as it significantly increases the attention of consumers. Interestingly, if used in food categories, implied motion can also enhance the perception of freshness which then translates into product attractiveness. The use of implied motion can be effective also when it comes to the brands’ signs. For instance, a survey done by Ketchum Global Research & Analytics in 2018 on 1,000 Americans has shown that 68% of participants said they purchased a product or service because a sign caught their eye. Moreover, 76% of the participants said they entered a store they never visited before thanks to the signs outside.
It comes without saying that grabbing the attention of consumers is fundamental for brands and businesses. Implied motion as a design technique for packaging can be the element that encourages such attention but also consumer engagement with the product. All of this can inspire a better product evaluation and encourage purchase intention and choice. In current times, where the number of brands and businesses is exponentially growing, catching the attention and delivering curious customers’ experiences are the real competitive advantages.
References
How Motion Attracts Attention. (2016). Dynapac Rotating Co.
Krishna, A. et al., (2017). Sensory aspects of Package Design. Journal of Retailing, 93(1), 43-54.
Robayo, L. (2022). Design of Memorable Brand Experiences Through Multisensory Packaging. Packaging World.
Yaniv, G., Tal, A., Amar, M., Hallak, Y., Wansink, B., Giblin, M., & Bommelaer, C. (2015). Fresh from the tree: Implied motion improves food evaluation. Food Quality and Preference, 46, 160-165.
Yu, J., Droulers, O., & Lacoste-Badie, S. (2022). Why display motion on packaging? The effect of implied motion on consumer behaviour. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64.