Study: fewer than 20% of U.S. consumers very satisfied with packaging

MeadWestvaco (MWV) has launched its inaugural U.S. consumer satisfaction study, “Packaging Matters.” The study explores the role of packaging in product satisfaction as consumers purchase, transport, use and dispose of products across 10 different categories. The results suggest that packaging satisfaction can have a significant impact on purchase intent and repeat purchase, and that there is a low level of satisfaction overall, especially once consumers leave the store and rely on the structural or functional features of the package at home or on-the-go.
The study clearly shows that when it comes to purchase intent and product satisfaction, packaging does matter. A majority of consumers will sometimes buy a product off the shelf without prior knowledge of it (64%) and rarely use mobile devices to research a product while shopping (72%). While quality (85%) and price (67%) are the most important factors contributing to overall product satisfaction, consumers report little variance in importance between a product’s brand (12%) and packaging (10%). Despite the importance of packaging, there is a clear opportunity for improvement: Fewer than 20% percent of U.S. consumers report they are “very satisfied” with product packaging, with the least amount of satisfaction from carry-out food containers and beauty care product packaging (Press Release MWV, 6 February 2013).