Product packaging is nowadays recognised as part of the marketing mix, a significant channel capable of encouraging consumers to buy or not to buy certain products. The packaging indicates the type of product consumers can expect, also thanks to all the information provided and required by law. However, packaging also signals the brand’s image and can be the differentiating factor that encourages consumers to choose the product of one brand over another.
When designing a product packaging, businesses generally focus on creating attractive packaging through the use of certain colours, shapes or images and, most of the time, pay less attention to the other sensory aspects and the positive impact they can have. We have already discussed the importance of using sound and smell but, when talking about packaging, it is also crucial to appeal to the sense of touch.
The sense of touch is one of the first senses we ever experience as humans and, as part of our nature, whenever we are attracted to something, we instinctively want to touch it. How many times have you entered a store and started touching everything you liked? It is part of our human behaviour to want to know how a product feels. Knowing the innate nature of the sense of touch, it can be said that it can be a powerful tool when designing packaging.
The inclusion of tactile elements within the packaging can seriously make products stand out. They can engage consumers on a deeper level. The ability to feel the packaging can both help consumers better understand the product but also create a connection with it, above all if the sensations felt while touching it, remind customers of good memories.
A very important factor is that packaging can make consumers understand the type of identity and personality a brand has. For instance, the texture of a package can affect whether the brand is perceived as friendly and approachable or perhaps not so warm but very reliable. The tactile experiences with packaging can elicit several perceptions both of the brand and the product itself. For instance, matte finishes and an increased rigidity or weight can give the perception of a more expensive and valuable product.
The tactile qualities of packaging are strongly related to material choice. Materials can feel rough, soft, smooth, hard and so on…and the thickness and type of a material can make something feel expensive or cheap. The level of glossiness relative to other products within a product category may send signals of exclusiveness or quality. On this account, to reinforce the idea of a more luxurious product, brands use packaging that generally includes embossing treatments paired with UV gloss prints to give a smooth and ultra-shiny look. Moreover, materials, such as leather and velvet, are often used when treating high-end products as they are generally associated with luxury. On the other hand, to elicit a feeling of convenience in customers, brands use packages that include features such as raised textures or lighter weights as they signal a more simplistic design but also deliver the message of a more everyday product.
A nice example of effective sensory packaging is the one of skincare products. In fact, through the velvety-like materials used for the packaging alongside the soft and pastel colours, brands manage to elicit a feeling of softness. These products subconsciously give the illusion that by using them, consumers’ skin will feel soft.
One of the most important benefits of using tactile packaging is that it reinforces the emotional appeal. The feeling that a package generates can induce a positive emotional reaction that will, in the end, contribute to the likelihood of purchase and also enhance a possible long-term relationship between the brand and customer. The tactile elements of packaging can convey various properties and affect the consumer’s overall experience with a product or brand. Moreover, they can increase consumers’ attention and their consequent desire to touch the product. Interestingly, a series of studies have shown that merely touching an object increases the feelings of ownership a person has for it. As a consequence, the consumer becomes more willing to pay for such objects but also for additional ones.
It goes without saying that eliciting the sense of touch by providing positive tactile experiences through product packaging can have profound consequences on the overall experiences of consumers and also on brands’ revenues. But when strategically paired with the other senses, that is when the real difference happens.
References
AlphaPoly. (2020). Tactile Packaging Experiences.
Iplpackaging. (2020). Tactile design elements may be as important as visual ones.
Peck, J., & Shu, S.B. (2009). The effect of mere touch on perceived ownership. Journal of Consumer Research, 36, 1-14.
Tangeland, L., Schulte, K.O., & Boks, C. (2008). Tactile qualities of materials in consumer product packaging. NordDesign, 1-10