The nation’s attention recently turned to packaging with the news of Cadbury’s loss of the exclusive use of its ‘distinctive’ purple colour (Pantone 2865c) after it was challenged by Nestle.

However, as The Grocer reported, contrary to popular belief, Cadbury had not lost the exclusive right to use its iconic purple packaging. Rather, the Court of Appeal had refused Cadbury’s trademark application for the colour.

Although the mainstream press got it wrong, this case highlights the vital importance of packaging for a customers’ recognition of a brand. With more and more retail transactions taking place online, how can brand owners sustain a strong brand image when the image of their brand on screen is tiny – and fleeting?

At Perception Research Services (PRS), we recently conducted a study of online shopping behaviour for health and beauty products (vitamins, skincare & haircare products), using eye-tracking and a series of in-depth-interviews. We found a number of recurrent issues related to packaging that are key to understanding how to maximise brand effectiveness online.

Brand owners need to be aware of the challenges online retail poses. The search features of online stores lead to a plethora of individual items being presented to the consumer. It’s a more level playing field than offline – big brands can’t create ‘billboards’ that dominate shoppers’ attention.

What we found is that in nearly all cases, the packaging is a vital tool in performing the “de-selection” process. Furthermore, the research helped identify key principles for successful online presence:

Assess your packaging’s presence online

The more successful packages online were those which create a distinctive and memorable set of visual equities, via the package shape, colour and/or graphic elements as they fostered brand recognition online. This makes it all the more important to research your packaging to understand which elements are your visual equities.

Use high resolution digital images of the package

We found that the use of poor quality images lead to problems with brand recognition and detracted from the impression of quality. Brand owners need to ensure they invest in good photography.

Be simple and clear

Some shoppers have difficulty gauging quantities in an online context as small packages look similar to larger ones in an online context and the quantity information is not always readily apparent. Predictably, this sometimes leads to price and value concerns, as shoppers focused on price alone. To combat this, brand owners should ensure that they use simple and legible copy, particularly relating to size and quantity, and ensure they maximise available space.

Choose the right part of the pack to display

It is important to determine whether primary or secondary packaging is most important to shoppers. So brand owners should do research on the perception their brands online as well as offline, to decide whether consumers recognise the product by its box, or its contents or other key indicators.

Hervé Turpault, vice president Europe, Perception Research Services

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