The expected benefits are to help the sun-dried banana business to realize the importance of packaging development to consumers' purchase decision and to improve the guildline packaging to communicate with key elements that influence the target customer to compete over competitors and enter a global market effectively. Throughout the study, we found the reason to buy sun-dried bananas as a souvenir gift when they visit tourist attraction especially in Phitsanulok. The sun-dried banana is a traditional Thai snack that has been well known for centuries.
Many people like sun-dried banana, not only it can last for a long time, but also love its delicious sweet, its unique aroma smell, its soft and tender texture. When Solar Dried banana was promoted as OTOP by Phitsanulok, it stimulated many players to participate in this field more seriously than before. The sun-dried banana is one of many products that were included in the total each year to represent the success of the OTOP campaign.
Objective
We can conclude that the package can be an important factor influencing the purchasing decision of the consumer. It has a great impact on the success of the company in a fiercely competitive environment.
Research Question
Research Scope
Expected Benefit
LITERATURE REVIEW
Packaging Elements on Buyer Behavior Purchase Decision
Rita Kuvykaite1, Aistė Dovaliene2, Laura Navickiene3 (2009) worked on the impact of package elements on consumer purchase decision economics and management. Materials are the most important visual elements for the purchase of both milk (size and material 3.80) and washing powder (respectively: 3.87 and 3.41); whereas, in this case, shape, color and graphics can be treated as unimportant elements of package. According to the research model, the impact of package elements on consumer's purchase decision was developed depending on time pressure, consumer's involvement level and individual characteristics were analyzed.
Therefore, it is necessary to examine the package and its elements in more detail to understand which of these elements are most important for consumers' purchasing decision.
Packaging Elements Framework
- Visual Element of Packaging
- Verbal Elements of Packaging
The research conducted in the year 2008 proves that packaging redesign increases the rate of consumption, especially when the product is available in a larger size (Kotler, 2008), furthermore, an increase in the size of packaging also indicates better quality (Smith, 2004) and influence consumer desire. Use of graphics is helpful in adding value in the physical appearance of the brand and also enhances the exterior. A qualitative research conducted in the year 2013 identifies that textual elements associated with graphics are more worthwhile when placed on the left side of the packaging and pictorial elements will be considered worthwhile when placed on the placed on the right side of the packaging.
When the consumer prefers any brand then graphics help them in eliminating the clutter and when they are not loyal to any brand then graphics act as an important tool that can at least grab their attention. Like other visual elements, the material also communicates, most importantly the material affects the perceived quality associated with the product which means that consumers thinking about the material results in changing the perceived quality. In another study conducted in 2013, three types of packaging material including glass, plastic and cardboard were discussed, and the research findings revealed different consumer perceptions regarding the different types of packaging material, but most consumers resulted in favour. plastic for packaging purposes as it is not heavy and can also maintain the freshness of the products and the chances of leakage are also minimal.
In addition, research also concludes that beautiful and attractive packaging styles influence the purchase decision, and lead to an increase in purchase of the product. Moreover, it is a belief of most of the consumers that the design of products is directly associated with the ease of use, product storage and its transportation from one place to another. We live in the modern era and consumers these days also have a color vocabulary and therefore they will evaluate the color of the packaging used with its connection to the product, this means according to the consumers there are a few colors that can be used for every product category and all the remaining colors are not suitable for that specific product category, therefore color is also treated as the useful element of packaging.
Research also shows that if the company wants to increase the credibility of the product, they should write down accurate information about the product as it will help consumers to make decisions, on the other hand, if the information is confusing or does not seem to be appropriate, then it can create confusion and have a negative impact on the brand. The diet and lifestyle of the consumers are the potent factors due to which nutritional information is also treated as an important part of the verbal elements of the packaging, study conducted in the year 2009 indicated that nutritional information must be correctly indicated on the packaging, especially in the food related product category, as this type of information influences customers' food choices.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Method & Data Collection
Sample Size
In-depth interviews with 4 customers from Lemon Farm supermarket where the famous Thai natural health store selling high quality organic products and food. This supermarket not only targets old customers who are concerned, but also appeals with modern Thai OTOP, which improves the flavors and quality of produce for old OTOP lovers. Customers from this store may not have direct plan to buy solar dried bananas.
They are the representative of the customers in capital who have a lot of choice to choose snacks for self consumption and gifts.
Tools and Question of interview
- Tools: Packaging Influence
- Questions examples
Pa Pean: The most local well-known sun-dried banana brand from Phitchit, Honey favor. Jiraporn Banana: The most famous premium sun-dried banana brand from Phitsanulok, chocolate almond dipped, 135 Baht. Kunna: The new player from Bangkok generating sun-dried banana as a new product line.
Banana Society: The original brand of solar dried bananas sold for convenience, small size chocolate dipped, 39 Baht. Rai Wimolwanich: The local brand from Phitsanulok is not sold in any modern trade. The big box with multi-coating dipped, 100 Baht. Key learning process: measuring customer preference and their perception to know the key elements that influence their first impression.
Key learning points: To know the key elements that attract and communicate with customers and how this affects their minds, expectations and understanding, both visual and verbal communication. Key learning points: Know what the customer's biggest concern is when purchasing these products, in order to develop the key elements to communicate that point. Main learning objective: To know what is the reason to buy, that is the goal to develop a design for their reason.
Key Learning: Knowing the willingness to pay to develop a product in that price range in each target segment.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
- Session 1.1: Product preference Which one do you buy of not buy?
- Session 1.2: Price perception
- Session 2: Packaging elements that attract and communicate to customer
- Visual communication
- Verbal communication
- Session 3: Factor that customer concern when they purchase the product
- Session 4: Reason to buy Solar dried banana
- Session 5: Willing to pay for solar dried banana
Key Learning Finding: The health-conscious customers do not prefer products that communicate elements of overly sweet and unhealthy feeling. The people with a high income who are willing to buy products as gifts that communicate with a nice premium element. The size of the product is the second criterion to provide the level of Banana Society (small size) up to the final level and Rai wimolwanich above.
The customer wants to buy medium sized Kunna, Jiraporn and Banana Society (Big) for their own consumption. Some young adults like to buy the smallest company of bananas because they can eat them all at once. Key Learning Point: Shape and size are essential visual elements that give someone a reason to buy and communicate how valuable an offer is.
Customers almost love the attractive large product image that stands out from the dark plain background of Jiraporn and Banana Society (Large Size). While health-conscious shoppers choose Banana Society (Big size) because they reject gross product images, which for them mean too sweet and unhealthy. Some low income customer will not buy Small size Banana Society but will choose Papean.
Customers choose Jiroporn and Banana Society (large size) because of the stable box, while they refuse Kunna because of the thin paper box. Almost customers like the modern design of Jiraporn and Banana Society (large size), which is decolleted with an attractive large product photo and an easy massage on the dark plain background. The negative influence of cheap elements on vintage design can be a reason to buy, because the cheap feeling looks worth money.
The beautiful appearance, modern design and unusualness reflected the high quality of the product, which is the reason to buy it as a gift for high-income customers.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Using over pastel on a product communicates a negative feeling to health conscious customers that it looks too sweet and unhealthy. The reason for buying a sun-dried banana is almost a souvenir snack when customers travel to a tourist attraction. Therefore, we need to develop product packaging with key elements that should differentiate and stand out from other brands in the souvenir and snack shop.
The customer rarely buys solar-dried bananas because of its old-fashioned, unhealthy appearance and the customer's habit of buying snacks for others, not just solar-dried bananas. Each customer's willingness to pay for solar-dried bananas depends on their income. The recommendations for this research that can be incorporated into the further experiment is to apply a packaging element framework in the development of solar-powered dried banana packaging.
The young adult, health-conscious customer recommended getting the company's unique short story or production information with simple images and icons. We recommend providing decollated with an attractive large coarse product image, easy shot massage on the front of the product packaging. Low-income customers' concerns about saving are worth money when they buy solar energy as a gift.
We recommend you display sun-dried bananas with fresh bananas, ensure the matte texture, earthy color, short healthy benefits to make the customer feel natural and healthy. We recommend that you avoid using too much texture and light pastel colors in your product photos because these communicate too much of a sweet, cheap, and unhealthy feel to health-conscious customers.
