How to sell embarrassing products – the role of packaging

Research at Mississippi State University US shows that for products consumers find embarrassing to buy — for example, condoms and lice shampoo — having packaging that stands out may reduce consumers’ purchase intentions. The researchers found that consumers were more likely to buy embarrassing products when their embarrassment was mitigated by more-anonymous packaging. Specifically, consumers found products packaged in boxes with cool colors, small lettering, and a picture of the product to be more anonymous (and appealing) than products packaged in pumps or tubes, with warm colors, medium or large lettering, and no picture (News Item Harvard Business Review, 1 February 2018).
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Click here for the abstract of an article about the research published in the Journal of Retailing.

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