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The changing health care market is affecting consumers who are now expected to take greater responsibility for their health. Their means for doing this include purchasing self‐medication and medical self‐service, which coincides neatly with an increase in the number of over‐the‐counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals. Additionally, OTC pharmaceuticals are progressively becoming available in a wider range of stores, where the pharmacists' knowledge of the OTC products is absent. This study aims to examine packaging as media that conveys the product message at the point of purchase, and to explore the impact of its extrinsic verbal and visual product cues.

An exploratory conjoint analysis was conducted in Finland, the USA, and Ghana. In total, 89 respondents conducted conjoint tasks for two product types, i.e. a painkiller and sore throat medicine.

The results showed differences and similarities in the impact of the packaging product cues across Finland, the USA, and Ghana. Differences and similarities were also detected across the two different, but related, product types. The study found that the impact of product cues is contextual, varying across the samples and product types.

The results are limited by the exploratory nature of the conjoint analysis. They highlight that medical marketers should recognize the varying impact of salient cues on consumers' product preferences and choices.

The study deals with a mostly unexplored issue and provides exploratory insights into the phenomenon.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer attitudes towards packaging design as a tactical strategy for increasing the commercial value of liquid milk within the dairy industry.

In total, six focus groups were conducted containing 33 participants and data were analysed using QSR Nvivo 7. Findings were categorised based on the form, function and appearance of packaging design.

Results highlighted that the majority of participants found milk packaging to be functional; however, beyond this use, vast improvement could be made in terms of the aesthetics surrounding packaging design.

Even for commodity products the use of packaging transcends beyond a functional role as consumers are becoming more demanding in their attitudes towards packaging design.

The study provides insights for managers in relation to opportunities for adding value through packaging design within the liquid milk sector.

The paper explores consumer attitudes towards milk packaging to identify possible new market opportunities.

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights for flower retailers, horticultural practitioners and marketing managers into the prioritisation of cut flower attributes by German residents.

Applying a best–worst scaling approach, this analysis identified the relative ranking of importance amongst product attributes relevant to German consumers when buying fresh cut flowers. A latent class analysis determined four flower consumer segments for further study. The study builds on a sample of 978 consumers and is consistent with the most recent German census in terms of age, gender, income and federal state.

The best-worst analysis showed that intrinsic flower attributes, in particular appearance, freshness and scent were found to be more important to German consumers than the extrinsic attributes studied, namely, price, country of origin and a certification indicating fair trade. The latent class analysis determined four consumer segments that desire either budget, luxury or ethical flowers or more information about flowers. For all identified consumer segments, appearance was the attribute of greatest importance. The segments that desired luxury or ethical flowers, as well as the segment that desires more information were interested in appearance, but also had relatively large shares of preferences dedicated to flower freshness guarantees. The preference for freshness guarantees in addition to appearance may be interpreted jointly as a desire for not only beautiful and aesthetically pleasing flowers, but for sustained beauty.

Internationally, the study fills a research gap by exploring consumer’s relative preference for cut flower attributes. In contrast to existing studies on consumer preferences for flowers in Germany, the present study builds on a sample that was targeted in terms of age, gender, net household income and federal state to the most recent German census.

This paper aims to study the cross-modal correspondence between a visual stimulus (i.e. glossiness), haptic perception and consumers’ reactions (internal responses and behavioral intentions).

Using an experimental design, three experimental studies have been conducted to test the effect of a glossy (versus matte) packaging upon the perception of haptic features of a packaging (roughness, thickness and lightness), internal reactions (perceived product quality and product attractiveness) and behavioral intentions (purchase intention and willingness to pay).

This paper evidences the significant impact that glossiness bears on the haptic perception of a packaging material as well as upon internal reactions and behavioral intentions. A new conceptual framework combining the SOR model and the cross-modal correspondences is validated.

The results encourage further research to explore the wide range of potential cross-modal correspondences between visual stimuli and haptic perception.

The results highlight the critical influence of visual cues for managers, especially for online shopping or advertising. Even if consumers cannot touch the product, it is possible to induce haptic perception through visual cues and to influence the internal reactions and behavioral intentions.

This research demonstrates that the packaging texture and weight can be visually induced through glossiness.

The purpose of this paper is to examine perfume packaging in Spain and its effects on Basque female consumers’ purchase decision. The study population was made up of females, as they represent the highest consumer in the perfume market, accounting for 67 percent of the total perfume sales (Trufragance.com). Furthermore, in the past few years the perfume industry has basically targeted females (McIntyre, 2013).

An empirical study was conducted using a questionnaire to collect primary data in order to test the hypotheses. The questionnaire was distributed to 400 randomly selected respondents, from the general female population.

The findings show a relationship between the independent variables (i.e. visual packaging design, verbal packaging design, and packaging benefits) and the dependent variable (i.e. consumer purchase decision) based on several reasons discussed thoroughly in this paper. Additionally, age, education level, marital status, monthly income, and employment category of sample subjects influence the effect of perfume packaging on purchase decisions.

The main limitation of this study is the use of simple random sampling. The research findings bear important implications for more functional, emotional, environmental, and socially responsible marketing practice where packaging is concerned.

The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of packaging as a strategic marketing tool and how it can significantly influence the female’s purchase decision. Thus, giving managers and marketers a competitive advantage in this increasingly growing market. A new concept and measurement scale is presented that can be used for identifying creative packaging design and its benefits.

This study remains one of few research works focusing on the four dimensions of packaging benefits: functional, social, emotional, and environmental. Furthermore, it attempts to fulfill the identified need for encompassing potential and generally accepted packaging elements, including both the visual and verbal elements. Therefore, the uniqueness of this study arises from its examination of both aspects simultaneously, which has been ignored in previous research.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of consumers’ perception of usability of product packaging on impulse buying in terms of its shape, color, material, label and size.

A structural equation model was used for testing the conceptual model. The present research is an applied research and a descriptive survey. By using non-probability sampling, 388 customers of different malls in Shiraz City (Iran) were selected and surveyed by using questionnaires.

Results showed that appropriate material, shape and labeling of packaging have a significant positive influence on consumers’ perception of usability of product packaging, while color and size of packaging do not have an impact on consumers’ perception of a product usability. Moreover, results showed that consumers’ perception of the usability of packaging has a significant positive influence on impulse buying. Consumers’ mood and time pressure had also positive influence on impulse buying, but their moderating role in their influence of consumers’ perception on impulse buying decision was not supported.

Although this research contributes to the product management literature, it has some limitations. For instance, the research model was tested in only one city in Iran (Shiraz). Besides, it is specific to only two product categories and concentrates mainly on consumers’ mood and time pressure as moderating factors.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is the first research which examines the structural relationship of packaging elements on consumers’ perception of reusability of packaging and impulse buying while considering consumers’ moods and time pressure as moderator variables.

This paper aims to explore the influence of a particular label surface texture, i.e. embossing, on consumer purchase intentions and willingness to pay. This paper further highlights the underlying mechanisms explaining this relationship by unveiling the mediating role of willingness to touch and perceived package uniqueness.

Based on the visual salience theory and the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model, this paper tests mediations and serial mediations across two online experiments and evidence from a laboratory experiment.

Study 1 reveals perceived package uniqueness as the mediator, such that embossed elements on the label increase perceived uniqueness, hence leading to greater purchase intentions and willingness to pay. In addition, Study 2 replicates these results and goes further by demonstrating the positive effect of embossing on purchase intentions and willingness to pay through willingness to touch then perceived package uniqueness.

The findings provide insightful managerial implications by drawing attention to the importance of using embossed elements on packaging, particularly when companies seek to differentiate themselves from competitors by stimulating consumers to touch their product packaging and having them perceive their products as unique.

Using visual salience theory and the SOR model, this research is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first to shed light on the effect of embossing as a visual element of the packaging design on willingness to touch the product (haptics) and perceived uniqueness, ultimately enhancing purchase intentions and willingness to pay.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze an unusual legal development concerning brand protection in Thailand. The case study elucidates many key concepts in brand management and the political economy of Thailand.

A case study approach is adopted, in which a chronology of key events surrounding a supreme court decision are developed. An analysis of the causes and consequences of the verdict is presented drawing on inputs from legal and business experts.

The decision at the center of this case is ground breaking. Unlike conventional infringement decisions that are based on tangible designs of products, this case established protection of a brand image based on advertisements aired on television. It is argued that the decision went too far in the protection of trade dress and may potentially limit freedom and creativity for future marketing campaigns.

Intellectual property protection in developing economies such as in Thailand can be complicated by a lack of clear laws and the political and social influence of the parties involved.

The case provides the first analysis of a potentially consequential supreme court decision with links to the unique context of the political economy of Thailand.

The purpose of this paper, conducted within an emerging market context, was to investigate the influence of colour in packaging on the purchase intent of consumers for bottled water. Colour, whether in branding or packaging, has always been an important attribute in attracting the attention of consumers. For years, bottled water packaging has largely centred on the colours blue and white. The study looked into the effect of cold colours, warm colours and neutral colours on the purchase intent for bottled water. It also analysed the influence of the demographic variables of age group, gender, language and income group on colour preferences of the product.

An experimental design was utilised for the purposes of this study. Data were collected by means of a mall intercept survey of South African consumers within suburban supermarket stores.

The findings determined that while consumers appear somewhat indifferent between colours, there is a greater preference for neutral colours as opposed to cold and warm colours in bottled water packaging. It was also determined that income has a significant influence in colour preference for bottled water, with lower income groups preferring cold and warm colours and higher income groups preferring neutral colours.

This suggests that marketers of bottled water ought to pay close attention to these signals and optimise packaging accordingly. In particular, this study suggests that tailored coloured packaging can be used to target specific income groups in a more appropriate manner. This is particularly pertinent in an emerging market context, where income disparities are extremely prevalent. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs can seize this opportunity to introduce niche products and stimulate innovation in a relatively stagnant marketplace.

As discovered in the course of this research, few studies have been undertaken to examine the effect of colour in packaging in the context of emerging markets and, notably, sub Saharan Africa. As such, the authors believe this is a significant contribution to the knowledge base. It is hoped that the results of this study will assist marketers, SMEs and entrepreneurs in improving understanding of how colours differentiate a product, particularly in a commodity merchandise category such as bottled water, the knowledge of which may be leveraged to tailor the positioning in the market.

Widely accepted classifications of benchmarking distinguish between different levels of benchmarking. Strategic‐level benchmarking is considered to be of a higher sophistication than product‐level benchmarking. Such strategic benchmarking would be based on process information instead of product information. The purpose of this paper is to research the possibility of obtaining strategic‐level information based on an extensive amount of product‐level benchmark data.

The data used in this paper originate from the environmental benchmarking program of Philips Consumer Electronics (CE). Philips CE has successfully implemented benchmarking as an environmental improvement strategy for its products. Product‐level competitive benchmarking is used to assess the environmental performance of a Philips' product compared to its main economic rivals. Since the start of environmental benchmarking a considerable pool of product‐level benchmark data has been generated. This paper reports on an extensive data analysis of product‐level benchmarking data concerning the packaging of these consumer electronics products.

It is shown how strategic‐level information is obtained from a data analysis of these separate benchmarking studies, resulting both in useful strategic‐level managerial information and practical design input. Finally, advantages of this approach as compared to classic strategic‐level benchmarking are identified.

The study has yielded empirical data indicating a limitation in current benchmarking classification.

The paper offers insights into the benefits of product level benchmarking for strategic eco‐efficient decision making.