Esko Identifies Shopper Behaviors in New Food and Beverage Packaging Study
Gent, Belgium – Esko (SGIA Expo Booth 938), alongside sister companies Pantone, X-Rite and AVT released a new study, "Packaging and the Digital Shopper: Meeting Expectations in Food & Beverage," highlighting what primary shoppers want from food and beverage packaging. Brand and marketing managers, design leaders, packaging professionals and tech leaders gain knowledge of shopper's preferences in packaging within the food and beverage category in this study, along with the how and why they buy. With this knowledge they can better optimize, evolve and connect packaging through technology platforms that support end-to-end packaging value chain and leverage packaging as an enabler for product innovation.
Some statistics from study are highlighted below:
• Only 0.8% of primary shoppers indicated that they have never purchased any food and beverage products online
• Thirty-three percent of those who purchase online cite convenience as a reason and 43% of respondents say they shop online to get a better price
• Seventy-five percent of shoppers stated they foresee purchasing more snacks online in the next 18 months
• Nine percent of primary shoppers say that buying these food and beverages online isn’t their first preference and they won’t purchase this way in the future
Inside the Mind of the Shopper In-Store
Packaging plays a role in product differentiation, on the shelf at traditional brick and mortar stores. A key in-store goal for any consumer packaged goods (CPG) company is to get the shopper to actually touch their package. The shopper is more likely to buy a product once they touch it, and how the packaging looks and feels in their hand impacts that impulse. In-store activities have a big impact on trial, with 20% of shoppers reporting that they have tried a new product specifically because of in-store taste samples or an in-store display.
Online Purchases and Shopper Packaging Expectations
Online and offline experiences must mirror each other as primary shoppers expect nothing less from brands. Whether they are purchasing products on the Internet or pulling an item from a retail shelf, the packaging and experience should be the same.
• Forty-seven percent of shoppers expect the product image to match the product packaging that arrives on their doorstep
• Only 9% of survey respondents were OK with packaging that was a different color of pack type
• Twenty-six percent of primary shoppers who had returned product based on the packaging reported that they did so because they thought it looked wrong or was counterfeit
“Data and insights on what shoppers like helps fuel innovative product designs with strong value propositions through packaging, but knowing how shoppers want to receive products is also critical piece of the story,” says Senior Director of Global Brand Sales, John Elworthy. “Without knowing the means by which shoppers want to receive products, marketers and brand leaders risk losing out on revenue opportunities.”
Esko’s President, Udo Panenka agrees, “And by connecting the packaging value chain through the latest packaging technologies, fast-moving consumer goods companies will be able to better connect to consumers and elevate their brand experiences and both premedia and converters will better understand the product standards consumers expect and can work more seamless with brand owners to provide them. This helps to make packaging the enabler to satisfy consumer needs rather than being a cost driver or a headache”
To see more of insights from the study, please visit: http://bit.ly/2Iu2roY
About Esko (www.esko.com)
Packaging Simplified. Esko helps its customers to make the best packaging for billions of consumers.
The Esko product portfolio supports and manages the packaging and print processes for brand owners, retailers, designers, premedia and trade shops, packaging manufacturers, and converters. For 9 out of 10 retail packages, Esko solutions are used in packaging management, asset management, artwork creation, structural design, prepress, 3D visualization, flexo plate making, workflow automation, quality assurance, sample-making, palletization, supply chain collaboration and/or the production of signage and displays.
The Esko solutions consist of an extensive suite of software and two hardware product lines: CDI flexo computer-to-plate imagers and exposure units as well as Kongsberg digital cutting systems, complemented with professional services, training and consultancy.
Enfocus, with its suite of automation solutions and PDF quality control tools for printers, publishers, and graphic designers, is an Esko subsidiary. MediaBeacon, with its digital asset management (DAM) solutions is also part of the Esko family.
Esko employs about 1,500 people worldwide. Headquartered in Gent (Belgium), its sales and service organization is in daily contact with customers all over the globe.
Esko is a Danaher company (www.danaher.com).