You will never know if your product package is effective unless you have used it in selling the product. To avoid major losses, make sure that you test the packaging first with a small group of potential customers. Observe their behaviour and find out if they would pick your product on the shelves over your competitors.
In testing the packaging successfully, the most important thing is to not tell the people that they are participating in research. This could affect their behaviour. Let them shop naturally. Just record the whole thing and analyse the results later. If you decide to place moderators in the store, let them stay quiet. They should not influence the decisions of the participants in any way. They might succeed in convincing people to choose the product, but it could spoil the data for the research.
Conduct an interview
Once the target customer has made a decision, you need to know what the reason was behind the decision. This is the time for the moderator to speak and ask questions. The participant must be encouraged to provide honest answers. The main reason for choosing a product could be the overall design. It is also possible that they are already loyal to the brand and they don’t want to switch to other options. This can also be done through a focus group discussion so not only their responses can be analysed but their actions in delivering their response. Record the discussion and use it in creating your final data.
Try different designs
You should test not just one design but different versions. This allows you to compare the data collected. You can do research involving the same set of participants and another with a different group. Again, the varying factors could affect the results. You should also test other factors like the location of the product on the shelf or the brands it stands next to. If there are significant differences in the results, you might have to take a hard look at these factors as well.
Conduct constant testing
When it comes to Packaging Marketing Research, consistency is key. Don’t be satisfied with just one result. You have to keep doing research. Make sure that you make decisions based on various data and not just one set. You also need to keep changing your packaging to meet the demands of buyers. Otherwise, you will be left out. Analyse the results well and make decisions based on the results of the test. You have dealt with real people who behave just like other shoppers out there. Don’t insist on what you want especially if the results have revealed that it won’t work. You need to follow the decision of the people.
